Interview by Taryll Baker Congrats on your debut with The Glint of Darkness: Revolution! How does it feel to have your first feature project out there for the world to see? Thank you so much! It feels surreal. I started writing for this film back in January 2018, roughly three years ago. We shot this film for over a year. That’s because I had a full-time job at Google. Almost all the cast and crew had jobs during the week so we had to come together on weekends to shoot for this film. Post-production work took another year or so. We were ready for the film's release back in February 2020 but COVID-19 had different plans. The film was released worldwide on Vimeo on Demand back in December 2020. It was produced under Mad’ouk Motion Pictures, a film production company owned by my wife Chandana Shaarath and myself. You took on quite the workload with this film, as the writer, director, cinematographer, editor and star. How was that experience? As a film director, you should be aware of almost every craft of filmmaking - be it cinematography, editing, music, sound etc. This helps a great deal in working with your team to communicate exactly what you’re looking to achieve. The fact that I had to put on multiple hats helped me to learn a lot about each of these crafts a bit more. It was nerve wracking at times. But I enjoyed every bit of it (except for the acting part). I was particularly nervous portraying this incredible part, Noah Black. Since the story revolves around some high concepts like cloning and mind control, I had to play 2 clones in addition to Noah Black’s character in this film. I was terrified as an actor to satisfy the director's side of me. I knew I cannot go easy on myself and I had to give everything I’ve got. Thanks to my wife for all her support during my struggle. You have some action sequences in this film — including fight choreography and some motorbike shots — were there any challenges you faced when capturing these? Action sequences are without a doubt, the most challenging part of the film for me. I was ruthlessly aiming to go for realism and wanted the audiences to feel every punch and kick along with the characters. I had to get the short composition just right to achieve a certain effect or an emotion which is crucial for the audiences to be involved in the fight scene for a good 2-3 minutes without getting deviated. Although I was the action choreographer for all the fight scenes, I couldn’t completely do it all by myself. I had help from Saikumar Guttikonda (who played Nick in the film) and Solomon Samuel (DOP) and the actors Sardar Jaswanth Singh Goldy & Clinton Charles. We have two full-length action sequences in the movie. I love both of them in a unique way. The one with ‘Noah Black Vs Two Henchman’ in the parking garage is one that I fancy a bit more than the other. However, ‘The Clone Fight’ which comes towards the end of the film was incredibly tough to shoot. As the name suggests, I had to fight myself. We did not have enough money to use Visual Effects or CGI. So we had to go practical. Also, at one point I had to hang on to a balcony railing which is on the 4th floor all without using a wire. For one of the motorbike scenes, we had to shoot about 50 takes to get a shot just the way I intended. I fell off the bike numerous times. In hindsight it sounds foolish but we did it anyway. We were lucky nobody got injured during this time. You’re already working on a sequel for The Glint of Darkness, what are some things you’ve learned from the making of the first film that you can keep in mind going forward? Stick to my gut! Out of all the creative roles you took on with this film, which is your favourite? Do you feel particularly strong in one area over another? It always starts with a great story. I love telling stories that were never told before. I enjoy the writing process, creating something original from scratch. As I always say - I’m a writer first and director next. In my humble opinion, if filmmaking is Magic, the director is the Masterful Magician. The director needs to know which levers to pull and which one’s to avoid. He/she is the most important person in most rooms and has the power to either make a masterpiece or a complete train-wreck. That can be stressful for a lot of people but I think I’m born for it. As a big film nerd, I have to ask: What made you want to become a filmmaker? Any key directors that had an impact on you? I’m a huge film nerd myself. If I have to attribute it to one thing that made me want to become a filmmaker, I’ll have to give it to Titanic. I was 7 years old when I first witnessed the epic. While I had a great time watching Jack and Rose fall for each other, I was completely blown away by the way James Cameron used such large scale sets and also miniatures to showcase the disaster in the deep sea, creating a lasting emotional experience on a 7 year old kid. I knew right then that I’d be a part of that process when I grow up. There are great many directors who have inspired me through their films - Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Satyajit Ray, Denis Villeneuve and of course Charlie Chaplin to name a few. 2020 was a tough year for many, but some great films were released; did you get a chance to watch any? If so, what was your favourite? Absolutely. I had a great time watching The Invisible Man, The Gentlemen & Bad Boys for Life in theatres before lockdown. 2020 is a very peculiar year for cinema. We didn’t have too many blockbuster films that come out every two weeks. Tenet was the first film I watched on the big screen after a long long time. It was a memorable experience. All in all, it has been a great year for Indie films. Spontaneous, Hunter Hunter, Run, The Vast of Night, Bad Education are some of my favourites that came out last year. Cinemas around the world are facing troubling and worrying times, do you think the cinema experience will live on post-COVID? I’m confident that cinemas will return to their glory at some point. But I doubt that’s going to happen this year. People are worried about health more than anything. Once vaccines become more prevalent, people will be more comfortable to get out. Let’s be honest. We will get tired of watching films at home all day. We would want to get out and hit theatres, grab popcorn and watch our favourite films on the big screen. I feel strongly that that’s the end of the tunnel for cinemas. But that’s not to say that everything’s going to be smooth on the other side. Peoples’ behaviours are changing. We as filmmakers will not only be competing with each other whether it’s indie films vs studio films vs streaming services - we’ll be also competing with other entertainment platforms like Instagram Reels & TikTok. So we need to really really work harder to get people’s attention and get them to watch your film. We cannot make mediocre films and expect audiences to pour into theatres anymore. What can we expect from you in the future? Are there any other projects you have in the works, apart from the sequel? I was stuck in the world of The Glint of Darkness: Revolution for quite some time. I want to explore other things for a while before I revisit this. I’m developing a new psychological drama, set in a high school. It’s a story that takes place somewhere in the late 2000s in the United States. Lastly, are there any tips or words of wisdom you could share for other aspiring filmmakers who might be reading this? Pick a story that’s worth telling. Not every idea that pops in your head for the first time can turn out to be a great one in the end. If the story does not keep you excited for at least a month after you start writing, then don’t waste your time on it. Because, oftentimes, we end up spending months and sometimes years on a story to make it a fully formed film. You’ve got to be excited to tell this story each and every day until it's released. If you get bored of it easily, there’s a danger in losing motivation and might end up doing shoddy work which might ultimately lead to a bad film. The Glint of Darkness: Revolution is available on Vimeo on Demand now: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/godrevolution #TaryllBaker

★★★ Directed by: #ClaraHelbig Starring: #PatrykKról and #DougMaw Short Film Review by Taryll Baker Disjointed centres around the experience of two men working in the food industrial complex. The film deals with a patriarchal paradigm in crisis and offers a performative space to relive and heal from trauma, where work movements become a way of embodying that which remains inaccessible through words and descriptions. The food industry is a huge world in itself. Disjointed takes us beyond the stocked shelves of our supermarkets and gives us a look-in at just a fragment of what happens behind closed doors. Two men, Patryk Król and Doug Maw tell their personal stories of working within this industry, and how grisly and mentally damaging it is. Hearing their tales, with good description and the help of CCTV footage, makes you question how change could be implemented not only to help the workers being crushed by the method, but the animals too. This short runs at 10 minutes and just barely scrapes the surface of a process that I’m certain is much worse than it already seems. Filmmaker Clara Helbig’s low-budget documentary tackles a hefty topic, brings up the subject of evolution (within the two men) and becoming vegan. I’m a meat-eater, but I do not condone the cruelty brought forth to animals. The whole process doesn’t have to be so grim and inhumane, and I’m sure there are others like me who’d agree. The food industry is a big mess but it could be cleaned up, it’s more a question of; do people want to fix it? Disjointed displays some horrible scenes of animal cruelty, enough to make you look away. It certainly did for me. The way the two men describe their lives and how they were personally affected by working in that industry is in some ways interesting. The choice to have them physically act out their routine was odd at first, but somehow made sense. With their stories being cut over this imagery, it added a unique flair I’ve not really seen before in documentaries, at least not on this smaller scale. Helbig’s film sparks up a fiery conversation that should be had. The execution is good, with enough inside information and description from real workers to provoke thoughts in the viewer. Disjointed screens as part of the BFI Future Film Festival from 18-21 February, free on BFI Player: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-disjointed-2020-online #TaryllBaker

★★★★ Directed by: Edem Kelman Written by: Edem Kelman Starring: Robinah Kironde, Keren Osei Film Review by: Jason Knight A mother (Kironde) and her young daughter Keren (Osei) are spending the day together, enjoying themselves. The film begins with the two of them walking through busy streets. They visit a food shop, have fun at a playground and try on clothes at a fancy dress shop. In the evening they end up at a restaurant, where the mother leaves her daughter at the table. Keren is then approached by another woman, who appears to be a social worker, and she leaves the restaurant with her. The film spends a great deal of time exploring the relationship between the mother and daughter, containing many moments of happiness and tenderness. They laugh together and have plenty of fun and it is clear that the mother cares deeply for her daughter. However, the mother appears to be having troubles and resorts to stealing in order to make her daughter happy. The ending sheds some light regarding their situations. Kironde delivers an emotional performance as a loving parent. She loves her daughter deeply and wants her to be happy and wants to be with her. Osei is convincing as a happy, innocent child. In a way, there is also a third protagonist. That would be the blue balloon that Keren and her mum have with them throughout the film, on a string and floating in the air. That balloon is seen at the beginning of the film, before the two leads are introduced and it is half-full, being kicked around by pedestrians on the pavement. In the final scene, Keren lets the balloon go and it floats higher and higher into the sky. Therefore, the beginning shows how it ended up: not floating and not giving joy to anyone anymore. The presence of the balloon could symbolize Keren's happiness. While she is with her mother, the balloon is filled with air and looks lovely. After she is separated from her, she looses the balloon and it ends up an unwanted, unappealing thing. This could signify the deterioration of the mother-and-daughter bond. One of the film's strongest features is the music. The score is dramatic, gentle and sentimental and it highlights the sweet, loving connection and Keren and her mother have. Princess is an emotional story about a woman's struggles and explores themes of love and parenthood. Well acted and directed, with a touching score, this achievement is worthy of a great deal of praise. Princess screens as part of the BFI Future Film Festival from 18-21 February, free on BFI Player: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-princess-2020-online #JasonKnight

★★★ Directed by #MichaelMayer Written by #GuyAyal #MichaelMayer Starring #StefiClema #MichaelAlone #ShaniAtias Film Review by Cat McAlpine Tensions at a Shabbat dinner party turn dangerous when a group of Israeli-American friends, family, and business partners boil over before coffee and dessert. Dangerous egos, backstabbing, cheating in love and money, and a struggle for social power all contribute to a brutal and increasingly absurd crescendo of blood and water. You know, Happy Times. Michael Mayer’s unique view as director and writer, with co-writer Guy Ayal, keeps the horror comedy from falling too flat. The stereotypes Mayer introduces don’t just create a thrilling sequence of clashes, but also bring out fun performances from the cast as a whole. A conceited struggling actor is moments away from losing it. A young man’s lust for a married woman is bound to get him in trouble. A shady business deal fails to get off the ground and clogs the works. The characters in Happy Times are vibrant, and though largely unlikeable, you can’t stop watching their descent into chaos. Michael Aloni bristles with ego and rage as Michael. Liraz Chamami is captivating as Sigal, constantly trying to recorrect the course of the evening with hilarious timing and a casual brutality. Stéfi Celma is a lovely straight man to the madness that unfolds around her as the cultural outsider, Aliyah. The full ensemble brings a delightful sin and indulgence to the scene. As Happy Times continues it starts to lose the plot a bit, with a snowballing bloodlust carrying the final third of the film. But the absurdity is baked in by the final moments. I was left shaking my head and thinking, “Sure. Why not?” Though it is missing some sparkle at the end, there can’t always be a winner in a social situation as messy as this one. The slow burn of Happy Times perfectly builds the necessary tensions to support its later rampage. The true success of this film is in the characters it creates, and those characters are what carry genuine laughter and shock. Whether you love or hate your family, Happy Times is a cathartic release of tensions anyone will recognize. #CatMcAlpine

★★ Directed by: #PidikitiJeetendra Starring: #JessicaSimon, #RajuMuthuswamy Film Review by: Patrick Foley New Year’s Eve parties are godawful. Fact. You’re all partied out from Christmas, having to stand around mingling until midnight, awkwardly out of the way of the TV (because one person wants to watch Jools Holland), until you half-heartedly mumble out Auld Lang Syne and take a taxi home at triple the rate. Quite why the father in Happy New Year is so desperate to attend one is a mystery, but the fact we are in the middle of a pandemic is only one of several reasons to give it a miss. A father (Raju Muthuswamy) and daughter (Jessica Simon) sit in their garden discussing an upcoming family party for New Year’s Eve. Dad is keen to go, but the daughter feels uneasy about the dangers of a gathering during the pandemic. Initially uncomfortable about arguing against the plan, she finds the confidence to stand up to her dad and put their safety first. Happy New Year is a very contemporary short film with an important message about complying with COVID safety measures at its heart. It makes for relevant viewing – especially at a time when public patience with lockdown is growing ever-more strained. A message of hope at the film’s conclusion that brighter days are coming is welcome as we all have to hold on that little bit longer until the types of celebration the family are missing out on can return. The performances from Raju Muthuswamy and Jessica Simon are strong and convincing. Simon’s awkwardness turns to confidence in a moving manner. Her father’s initial resistance gives way for familial understanding in a quietly heart-warming way. There’s not an awful lot for them to sink their teeth into, but the roles are performed well. The film has some production issues – particularly with the sound quality. The actor’s words can be a little hard to hear throughout the conversation which feels like an avoidable flaw. The socially-distanced circumstances of the film’s creation are the likely explanation for this but it does impact on the viewer’s experience regardless. There is not much else to the film beyond the main theme and its purpose is really to inform rather than to entertain. Viewed essentially as an infomercial it is quite efficient, though it does assume the viewer’s understanding of exactly why gatherings are dangerous right now. Ultimately its plea to its audience to stay strong, obey the rules and hold out for better days is made clear and up-front, but a more in-depth explanation as to why it is so important to do so might have allowed it to better convince sceptics. This is a film that runs on emotion, rather than cold facts. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but it lacks an educational base that would have allowed for a stronger message of warning. Happy New Year’s message is an important one, and its mid-pandemic production make it an interesting project during a pivotal moment in history. It is unlikely to convince anyone not already attuned to the rules, however it may encourage those who feel the need to confront doubters to stand up for themselves a little more – something just as important.

★★★★★ Directed by: #JordanBlady Starring: #MattShally Short Film Review by Taryll Baker Director Jordan Blady’s new short is a phenomenal five-act mini documentary, which captures drag performer, actor and activist Matt Shally as he takes us inside his life in Tbilisi, Georgia. This. This is what I absolutely love to see. A filmmaker who enjoys his work, and a subject who enjoys being who they want to be. Not only is that already amazing, Comfort Zone is shot on film and features a fantastic music score. I won’t spend too much time expanding on Matt Shally, as I’d love for anyone reading to watch the film for themselves and hear it from him. I’d love to talk on some of the technical aspects that particularly jumped out to me, as this is a very well made film. As explained in the behind the scenes feature, director Blady shares that he decides to shoot on film for real subjects, and I have always found that it brings out a warmness not always present with digital. DOP Igor Smitka captures five acts spread over six minutes with a striking eye for colour. The sit-down interview style scenes have stunning backdrops, with the centrepiece being Shally. There’s a great contrast between the colourful life he lives within the mundanity of everything else around him. You get the sense that he has indeed found his comfort zone, at least to some degree. Of course the behind the scenes also make mention of having security close-by, which is a frustrating notion, that we can’t feel fully engrossed in the things that make us happy without the judgement/interjection of someone else. The world will always be filled with cruelness, but it’s the sparks of light like Shally that make it special. Working with a range of talented creatives, Blady mentions the music score which I found to be a very unique and quirky supplement. Vazha Marr uses synthesisers and plucky sounds, adding that sense of wonder and colourful exploration. As the film comes to a close there’s a more airy, free-sounding atmosphere which drives home that feeling of being comfortable in your place and setting. The sharp editing keeps the momentum going through every act, yet it doesn’t feel rushed. The six minutes pass and when complete it feels as if you’ve experienced a fairly big chunk of Shally’s life, which is tough to achieve. Jordan Blady has certainly grabbed my attention with this film and I’ll be keen to check out more of his work. He seems like a guy who adores his craft and the grind of filmmaking. There’s really not much else I could dive into without spoiling the beauty of this short, so I do hope you’ll give it a watch. Comfort Zone is a stunning little short. #TaryllBaker

★★ Directed by: Hideo Nakata Written by: Ehren Kruger, Kôji Suzuki, Hiroshi Takahashi Starring: Naomi Watts, David Dorfman, Daveigh Chase and Kelly Stables Film Review by: Rachel Pullen The Ring 2 Film Review So, we have all been asked over for a night of Netflix and chill with a hottie we have a crush on right? But what if the movie they had in mind was some trippy flick which had the ability to kill you in seven days? Would you go? No one needs to get laid that badly. And that my fellow film lovers are the opening scenes to The Ring 2, a story that delves back into the lives of single mom Rachel and her weird, tired-looking son who seems to revel in just being super creepy and old before his time, and after a move out of the city to rebuild their lives after the first brush with the girl, her TV and weird videotape they are ready to embark on a new peaceful life… Wrong! Samara really has it in for these two and once Rachel finds out about the Netflix and chill session gone wrong, she begins to fear for the worst, but unlike normal people and just not getting involved, she gets super involved (rolling around in cursed tapes and wet TV’s level of involvement) and of course, causes Samara to not hijack their TV, but posses her son in order for her to have her own mom. Of course, a race against time happens again and Rachel is left to save her son and self from the damp and slimy grip of Samara…wow, is that not exactly the same as the first film I hear you ask? Yes, yes it is. And here is the first issue with The Ring 2: it’s a lazy storyline, just a retelling of the first film but with a few changes. Rachel’s son is in peril, Rachel has to look into the backstory of Samara, follow the clues and brush shoulders with those who knew Samara when she was in the world of the living…. just…like…the…first film…sigh. Now, I am not claiming to be a storytelling master, but I’m sure there were other avenues that could have been explored; maybe the video made its way into a Blockbuster store, or someone thought it was a Sundance selection and previewed it to hundreds of people all at once, but no, let’s just tell the same story but with different cast members. But once again The Ring cannot be denied its 5-star visual aesthetics, the use of washed-out colour tones flood the screen, the constant presence of water, be it with conversations by a lake or drama in the bathtubs, we are always reminded that Samara is there, her presence lingers in the background, chilling and unwelcome, bringing the uneasy feeling that comes with watching any of The Ring films. We can’t deny that Samara is a creepy and annoying little ghost, but sadly her presence on screen is amped up in this film, which makes her a little less frightening and more like an annoying baby sister who keeps hiding the remote. Ambiguity is key, the imagination is more powerful, and when you see her call Rachel mommy and apply some yoga flexibility to climb out of the well you kind of just go…meh, kick her back in, sell ya TV and call it a day Rachel for god’s sake. Overall this instalment was lacking a lot, but if you’re interested in the origin story of how Samara became to be so goddam evil, then this certainly fills in a lot of the gaps and can make for an interesting watch, but if you’re looking for the chills and thrills of the first film, then like the cursed tape…don’t watch. And so, my loyal readers let’s once again recap what we have pondered this time… Who the hell still has a well on their land? DVDs are the way forward. And if someone is chasing you out of a well, give them a quick boot to the face and let gravity do all the work for you. #RachelPullen #ThrowbackThursday

Filmmaker Interview by Chris Olson with actor Kenzie Klem. How did you become involved with "PN & Friends"? I submitted to a casting call on a NY actors Facebook group. There are thousands of people in the group, so I didn’t think I would get it, but I figured I’d give it a shot! What can you tell us about your character? This character is quirky beyond belief and marches to the beat of her own drum! She doesn’t hold back and says what is on her mind, and that’s what I love about her! She has a freeness and openness that I think we all strive for in our own lives. Why did you want to play this role? I was immediately intrigued by what the audition called for. I had to submit a 2 minute vlog type video: one of myself, and one of a hippy, artsy type character. I don’t usually play the artsy, off the beaten path type roles, and it excites me thinking about bringing this type of character to life. Where can people see "PN & Friends"? YouTube! (The place where I find myself watching wayyyy too many dog videos). The channel is called “Montkillavision”, and you can find all of the episodes in the series there! What do you love about acting? I get asked this a lot, and it’s tough because there is so much about it that brings me endless joy. I get so excited by the ability to explore and experiment and fail and try again. I love that it’s okay to be wrong in rehearsals and it’s okay to do something that scares you. I love how the real magic comes in the spontaneity of a moment. I love how letting down your guard and trusting yourself opens doors you never thought imaginable. What advice would you give to a new actor? Don’t doubt your instincts. Trust them. Don’t let the inner judgement we all have of ourselves get in the way. There is a lot of rejection in the acting industry, so you need to be your own biggest fan. You can’t control other people’s thoughts or views of you, but you have every bit of control of your own thoughts. Make sure they are positive. What's next for you? I’m actually moving to Austin! It’s a huge move. Intimidating and exciting all at the same time. There are a lot of acting opportunities out there and I’m ready for another adventure! What would you say if you were a dolphin? “Alexa, play Johnny Cash on Spotify” Watch PN & Friends on YouTube: www.youtube.com/MONTIKILLAVISION #ChrisOlson #FilmmakerInterview

★★ Directed by #GoroMiyazaki Written by #DianaWynneJones #KeikoNiwa Starring #RichardEGrant #TaylorHenderson #VanessaMarshall Film Review by Hope Madden More than 30 years ago, the great Hayao Miyazaki released a charming animated adventure that shadowed a little witch-in-training and her talking cat. Kiki’s Delivery Service is more interested in children finding their way in an adult world than in magic. The film is magical nonetheless, thanks to Miyazaki’s gorgeous art. This weekend, Studio Gibli—the house that Hayao built—releases Earwig and the Witch. It’s the same movie, really, just not nearly as good. Earwig is left as an infant at a proud English orphanage, where she stays for years tucked in among friends who do whatever she wants and staff who do much the same. But she’s adopted one day by a witch and a demon and she’s quite harrumphy about it all. Director Gorō Miyazaki, Hayao’s son, keeps his focus on this willful little girl who intends to be a witch-in-training no matter what her new guardians expect. Fans of the genre will immediately take umbrage at the animation style. It’s definitely not his dad’s. Don’t expect the little (or sometimes enormous) creatures that populate the fringes of classics like Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro. That’s hardly where the dissimilarities end. Earwig tosses aside the sublime 2D look of traditional Gibli for a CG animation more in keeping with Pixar’s output. But there’s no nuance, no beauty or humanity in the rendering. Anime fans may balk, but will children care? Probably not, which means the film would be fine if only the younger Miyazaki had his father’s (or Pixar’s) grasp on basic storytelling. While Earwig conjures specific story details from Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, it fails to deliver on any of its plot suggestions. There’s a dungeonlike workroom brimming in equal measure with magical potential and filth, a mysterious redhead, a rock band, a shrouded heritage…all of which amounts to absolutely nothing. Nothing ties together, and by the final scene’s reveal you feel like you’re watching the cliffhanger for an episodic series that you probably won’t commit to. #HopeMadden

Filmmaker Interview by Chris Olson Your film Bulldog has been selected for the BFI Future Film Festival. Why did you want to be a part of this festival? The BFI Future Film Festival was one of the first festivals on our list when we developed our festival strategy. Outwards looking in it has always come across as a fantastic event for young filmmakers with brilliant opportunities to connect with like-minded creatives and learn more about the industry through the variety of talks and masterclasses. We’re really excited that our film will be a part of the festival, and I personally can’t wait to watch the fantastic selection of films. For those who don’t know, how would you describe your film? Bulldog explores the stereotypes inflicted on rough sleepers through a visceral and gritty journey set across one night in Manchester. Why did you want to tell this story? The film was born from my own ill-judged assumptions. When I first moved to the centre of Manchester, I found myself continuously jumping to a conclusion when coming across rough sleepers in and around the city. So the film in many ways was a reaction to my own disappointment in myself as well as an opportunity to tackle those shortsighted assumptions that I think most of us can be guilty of from time to time. What are you particularly proud of with this film? With Bulldog, we set out to make a really taught and visceral short where the story was communicated purely through image and sound as opposed to dialogue. So far the feedback suggests we definitely achieved that goal. Also from a personal perspective, I had only made dialogue-based comedy shorts prior to Bulldog, and so I wanted to prove to myself that I could make something more cinematic and visually lead. What were the challenges getting it made and/or getting it out there? There were many challenges from a resource perspective. We were working with a very small budget, and I was keen to make sure that lack of resource didn’t compromise the cinematic quality I wanted to achieve, which I feel can often be left by the wayside with low budget filmmaking. But then again those limitations meant we really had to squeeze every last drop of what we had around us. In regards to getting the film out there, the main challenge was putting in the hours researching the many fantastic festivals both in the UK and abroad to find ones that we felt fit our film. When and where can people see your film? So the film will be available to watch for free on BFI Player from the 18th to 21st of February as part of the BFI Future Film Festival. After that, the film will be screening at the 2021 Manchester Film Festival in March. What’s next for you after the festival? I’m currently in pre-production on my next short ‘Tow-Truck’ which I’ve been itching to make for a few years now. The story follows a young single mum who kidnaps her neighbour's dog to win some prize money at a local dog show. Outside of that, me and my producing partner have also just been commissioned by New Creatives North to make a body horror, black comedy short called ‘Tummyache’. So I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into some more projects. Bulldog screens as part of the BFI Future Film Festival from 18-21 February, free on BFI Player: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-bulldog-2020-online #ChrisOlson #BFIFutureFilmFestival #FilmmakerInterview

★★★ Directed by: #SelimMourad Written by: #SelimMourad Starring: #SelimMourad, #TamaraSaadé Film Review by Alex Matraxia Shifting between film-essay and dramatised tableaus, Agate Mousse (directed by Selim Mourad) is an innovative, unusual ode to life, death, and rebirth. Sometimes grappling with more than it can chew, sometimes undermining itself with misplaced cameral work, the film nevertheless feels like a venture into the unexplored. Selim Mourad performs within his own film, personally guiding us into a solemn visitation with his doctor. It doesn’t look good, and the diagnosis leads Mourad to muse on the ephemerality of life, its inevitable decay; a powerful segment shows Mourad listing the names of various extinct species (including his own name…) during a less-than-ideal Grindr hookup. Visually, Mourad offers us glimpses of classic gay iconography: Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam can be seen in the background of the doctor’s office, and when Mourad silently broods in vulnerable nudity, his foetus-like pose echoes Hippolyte Flandrin’s Young Male Nude Seated Beside the Sea. Creation and tragedy seem fused by the gay sensibility pervading the film. Mourad presents us with his own death (a morbid fascination to many); at this point, the film becomes a sort of worm-hole, a displaced roaming eye shifting between the lives of the living and reborn. Mourad’s image (inexplicably) appears in a series of photos lined on a gallery wall, a set of portraits somewhat warped by a circular frame. In fact, the film’s aspect ratio soon morphs into a similar circle, as if literalising the worm-hole-style structure, some spherical portal into other realms of life and death. It’s unclear whether we’re looking through the eyes of the deceased, or of future ghosts, or some other external spectre overlooking these persevering lives. Poetic and meandering, but also shapeless as a whole; Agate Mousse would be a firmer, more meaningful watch if it was tied together with some semblance of a structure. But the candour, cinematography (of Karim Ghrayeb) and general atmosphere of the film are rich and emotive; generally the smell of balls, poppers, and photo chemicals emanate from the film with a robust aura of mortality. Hybrid filmmaking has a lot to offer, resisting the borders between fact and fiction. Though rough around the edges, Selim Mourad makes the most of a tough situation, an aspiration they wish to impart on an audience who has to remain hopeful in a world of hopeless situations.

★★★★★ Directed by: #MateoVega Written by: #MateoVega Film Review by: Alex Matraxia As one of the shorts to be screened this year at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Mateo Vega creates a mix of mourning and activism, surging club visuals blaring besides vacuous ghost-cities. His short film There Is a Ghost of Me (2021) is only six minutes long, but it contains more power and nuance than most short films. Non-narrative, the film is a set of impressions that slide and traject and collide in defiant memory of ghosts: ghosts of the past that range from fascism, urban ruins, and the artist himself, who throughout the film reminds us that ‘There is a ghost of me’, one who ‘never looks back’. The opening image presents a face subsumed in darkness - only momentarily lit-up by a passing light, like a train moving in front of him. This very same sequence reappears near the end of the film, framing the work as a delirium of memories passing over both the artist and the viewer. Memories so intricately tied to hauntings, to ghosts. Footage (taken from Washington, Lima and Amsterdam) includes political demonstrations and mixed-media metaphors, such as slides which look like they’ve been taken from a dentist’s journal; teeth rotting and torn from the roots, which the artist in voice-over likens to the resurgence of fascism in an age where we thought fascism was long gone, the promises of neoliberalism driving the West towards a white, pearly smile of progress. Such a smile is rotting, cavity-ridden; the film then melds into nocturnal city streets, tunnels, abandoned houses which are said to ‘whisper about the past’ - cut to a set of derelict construction sites, modern ruins that resonate with the central image of ghosts; construction sites are likewise buildings in-between being bodied and spectral, only half-made. The footage is beautifully sourced from Vega himself and his cinematographer Ravi Breukers; both compel the short film with an incredible momentum that is trance-like but also dynamic, building in pace and rhythm through masterful editing; culminating with a dizzying drive through the cityscapes, accelerated until the landscape rushes past in sepia red like a world on fire. Sometimes filmmakers can over-play the look of celluloid; its scratches become part of a nostalgic fetish. But There Is a Ghost of Me is all the more powerful due to the fragility of the medium, the ephemerality of chemical film itself so prone to fading over the years; images scratched and inscribed by time. In fact Vega has even scribbled over some of the faces in his film, a whirling white ball of anonymity like a cloud robbing these urban inhabitants of identity, masking their faces, transforming them into living ghosts, helpless and passive in the wreckage of lost futures. The last scene, a calm after the storm; a man examining a pile of debris on the street, trying to figure out how to sort through and deal with this heap of broken images. Vega’s film deserves attention, short but visceral; preoccupied with a past that is painful to look at, as well as a future that may or may not arrive.