★★★ Directed by: #RogerEdwardsJr. Written by: #RogerEdwardsJr. Starring: #AllisonSimeon, #MarinaVidal, #CamilaBeatriz Short Film Review by: Emily Davison A recently adopted teenager is treated to a an insightful tale from her mother, about a time when she helped an adventurous Bolivian migrant girl return home. LUCHA and the EKEKO (2022) is an award winning American short animation, written and directed by Roger Edwards Jr., which raises awareness for immigration justice and examines the devastating results of the Zero-Tolerance immigration policy on families. This enlightening short opens with shy middle-schooler, Marisol (Simeon), searching for items to sell at her school’s upcoming fund-raiser. When she stumbles upon a peculiar doll, a lucky Ekeko, her adoptive mother, Elena (Vidal), recognises the gift she received a year ago from an undocumented migrant, Lucha (Beatriz). This pleasant discovery prompts Elena to recount the colourful story of how she helped Lucha reunite with her mother in Bolivia, which, in turn, opened up Elena’s heart to eventually receive Marisol for adoption. The film presents a simplistic, clean style of animation to tell its straightforward story, resulting in a nice appeal for both adults and children. It is not clear whether Roger Edwards Jr. intended to include young people in his target audience, however, the character animation is easy to identify with and there are some fun adventurous montages and snappy editing which will likely keep children engaged. The main purpose of the short certainly sways more towards advocacy and educating viewers than entertaining, by exploring the tragic reality of many parents and children being separated as a result of the Zero-Tolerance Policy of 2018, leading to psychological and emotional trauma for thousands of families, many of which have still not been reunited. An original score by Carl Taylor does a fantastic job at conveying the adventurous tone of the narrative, as well as effectively remaining poignant during more serious, dramatic moments. Whilst trekking across the country to reunite Lucha with her mother, the tone remains optimistic and playful, however, when Lucha expresses her individuality to Elena in a memorable moment where she wants to appear as a little girl just needing her mother and not some immigrant statistic, the score becomes tender. The themes of motherhood add much heart to the short, so that it does not only raise awareness of socio-political issues, but also positively enforces foster care and and adoption, resulting in a touching viewing experience. At times, the film does feel a little exposition heavy regarding the story Elena tells her daughter. Running at only eight minutes, the short does have to cram a lot of information in so it can result in a slight disconnect at points, especially in light of the very simplistic animation style. Marina Vidal and Camila Beatriz both deliver praiseworthy voice work for each of their respective roles, however, Allison Simeon as Marisol is a little less convincing, with rather bland and lifeless delivery for most of her lines. All in all, these are only small issues which do not distract too much from the admirable qualities the film does have to offer with its honest intentions to celebrate motherhood and support unfairly disgraced immigrants. #EmilyDavison LUCHA and the EKEKO (2022) trailer:

★★★★ Directed by: #MikeyMurray Written by: #MikeyMurray Starring: #EilisCahill, #SteveOram Film Review by: Emily Davison A disillusioned office clerk who despises her job and lives in a dysfunctional relationship with her slovenly partner, finds herself on the cusp of an affair with her new work colleague. The thrill of the chase distracts her from a problematic life, but will this blossoming relationship solve what is missing? Mind-set (2022) is a British indie comedy/drama, written and directed by award winning filmmaker Mikey Murray and has already gone on to win the Jury Prize for Best UK Feature at the Manchester International Film Festival (MANIFF). The film presents a terrific blend of sharp comedy and poignant drama, focusing on the mundane domesticities of the everyday life of a couple trying to navigate their jobs and their complicated relationship. Within the first five minutes, we already gain an understanding of Lucy (Cahill) and her screenwriter boyfriend, Paul (Oram), who share an intimate sexual scene in bed which feels distant and awkward, the both of them immediately going on their phones once finished. Murray’s choice for black and white cinematography certainly adds a distinct, appealing quality to the visual aesthetic of the movie, highlighting the timeless quality of his screenplay involving a couple experiencing relationship issues. The narrative is grounded in domestic living, with relatable scenarios taking place throughout which many couples will probably be able to identify with, such as a petty argument over who should go and buy bread, or when Lucy thoroughly enjoys the first bite of cheese and bean toast Paul makes for her. These simple moments make for immersive viewing as we are invited into the day to day lives of this couple. Murray demonstrates an admirable talent for the captivating visual storytelling he exhibits in the film, with a certain avant-garde style coming across in his creative framing choices. There are many nice edits between scenes, where a doorway will fade into a perfectly synced long shot of Lucy walking down a street, or a particularly striking moment where Paul dresses up in his old tennis gear and attempts to leave the house, only to become panicked and overwhelmed by his surroundings, the picture softening in contrast and the sound of dogs barking increasing. There are also short sequences featuring serene, coloured film footage of a picturesque park and a black horse. It becomes clear later on in the film that this location is Lucy’s happy place where she feels the most herself, demonstrated by the splash of colour to the footage. The movie involves a touching exploration of mental health in women at the centre of its screenplay, even though there are plenty of funny moments scattered throughout. A special shout out must go to Steve Oram for his hilarious, vulgar line delivery and on point comic timing. His characters comes across as completely inappropriate and stubborn in his ways, stuck in a slobbish lifestyle as he struggles to finish his screenplay. Lucy, who relies on pills every day to keep a sane mind, starts flushing them down the toilet, resulting in her demeanour changing and she becomes more reactive to situations around her, calling people out on controversial opinions and behaviours which lead to plenty of witty moments. However, when she meets Daniel (Peter Bankole) at a party and they begin playing Squash together, her life becomes even more complicated and something romantic brews between them, leading to certain revelations in a hotel room. Eilis Cahill is also brilliant in the film, authentically capturing the different mood swings in Lucy and the changes to her mental state, which Murray examines with genuine care and thoughtfulness. Mind-set is a clever, engrossing comedy drama which does not shy away from delving into the realistic experiences of dysfunctional couples and the struggles of mental health plaguing everyday life. Performances are great across the board and the direction is bold and captivating, making for an hour and a half definitely worth investing your time in! #EmilyDavison

Filmmaker Interview by Chris Olson Thank you so much for speaking with us. Where in the world are you right now? Hi, this is wonderful, thank you so much for speaking to me. I am in my home country Sweden at the moment. Hello from the UK. You made a short film in 2021, Lonely - which you wrote, directed, and starred in. What can you tell us about this film? Lonely is about BB, a woman during the pandemic, she thinks she is safe at home. I wanted to focus on BB and what is going on with her and how everything has changed. There is also a sequel Insane, Lonely that has been filmed and is doing good on the festival circuits. Both Lonely and Insane, Lonely are doing good, I´m so proud. Why did you want to tell a pandemic story? I wrote about bringing the pandemic and the danger in people together. I saw how people acted and some still act today. I do thriller and horror movies and brought those elements into the film. I did not want to say what country or town BB is in, making it so that she can be anywhere in the world. I wanted to bring that she thinks she is safe in her home, she is safe away from her loved ones. When I´m home alone, now I love scary movies, but I sometimes think about how fast the police would come to my home, what if something happens and how safe am I in my home?. What were the challenges getting this made? And how did you overcome them? The rules in Sweden are very different than in other countries but the rules for filming was strict. The rules in Sweden are more of giving information and advice and people follow the rules, we have had some limitations but it was not really a challenge as we were four in the cast and crew. Mark filmed his scenes in London and sent them to me. But it is always a challenge to film, a feature film, a series or a short film even without the pandemic but when you have everything planned and everybody on board then it will work, of course, things can happen but if you look at the problem, you can always find a solution. That's a terrific attitude. You also have a podcast. What’s the show about? The Untitled Show by E-MN is a podcast about the unknown, unsolved murders, mysteries, crimes, missing people and things that are spooky and scary. I have always loved things that are weird, scary and can´t be explained so after doing some short videos on Instagram, I brought it over to do a podcast. It is so much fun, I just released the first episode of season 4 and I´m working on episode 2 at the moment. What’s next for you in terms of filmmaking? At the moment I´m filming a short film that is based on some events after what happened in Toy Box Killers, I´m also writing a script for a #horror series with a writer and journalist Paul Bagnall and am working as an associate producer on a gangster movie with Mark Denham. I have a few more projects in the works and hope to get started soon with them. A dream is to move back to the US and continue working there, I´m working on moving back there. There is this apartment building in L.A. called Hollywood Tower, that would be amazing to film in. Who are your film heroes? Marilyn Monroe, she was the reason why I wanted to be an actress when I was a child and I feel she is more than a comedian and a beauty, she is amazing, just watch Niagara, wow, it will show why Marilyn Monroe is a legend. David Lynch is a hero, he makes amazing work. The silent movies and Golden Age stars and directors are my heroes in #filmmaking, acting and style. Why do you love making movies? I love old movies, silent movies, the Golden Age, the movies, the stars and I feel that they are heroes and silent movie stars and directors. I remember getting grounded and watching Casablanca and Citizen Kane and the movies are amazing, anything with Marilyn is just amazing and silent movies, wow. I love it, during the silent movies, it was filmed fast and released fast, Buster Keaton doing his own stunts, having a house fall on him. The stars were mysteries, the movies were mysteries, the life, the style and I love it. I love making movies, being creative and seeing it start from the story on the paper to then setting everything up with casting, finding locations, filming and when it is time to edit the film. When everything is finished and released, I can relax and feel the joy, I love it, I love everything about making movies. Filming is my job and my hobby, my freedom. Making movies like the silent movie times, are amazing, they were the first. I love creating movies, bringing the past into the future, respecting our past, our history and joining them together. #ChrisOlson

★★★★ Directed by: #MarkMcAuley Written by: #MarkMcAuley Starring: #MarkMcAuley Short Film Review by: Emily Davison During a life changing acting audition for an up and coming movie, Dave struggles with his grief on the day of his father’s funeral. The film opens with an uneasy, tense tone established instantly as we hear the sounds of heavy breathing as if someone is running, before cutting to Dave (McAuley) entering the studio. Filmed in one single take shot for eight minutes, director, writer and star Mark McAuley sets the scene very well through fluid, engaging camera work. Once Dave enters the room, the camera follows his eye line as he glances to the right to the director and film crew setting up, then to the left, where two other men are reading off scripts, practising for their auditions. A startling confession from Dave breaks the natural pacing of the scene, as he has an emotional outburst over being the first to go for the audition, due to his father’s funeral taking place on the same day. Although Dave pays off the two men before him so that he can go first, he remains distracted and irritable, forgetting his lines and needing to repeat the beginnings of the scene again. The scripted line “I couldn’t have done anymore”, resonates with him and the visual presentation of the short suddenly changes as the camera moves towards Dave when he begins to address us, the viewers. This breaking the fourth wall moment is very powerful because of the tantalising theatrical nature and McAuley’s riveting, touching performance as he delivers a monologue about his recent experience of being with his mentally ill, dying father in hospital and muses on mortality in general. McAuley projects much emotional depth here, ranging from frustration to confusion and eventually - sadness. McAuley manages to convey much, in both his performance and direction, for such a short screen time and his choice to use black and white photography is also inspired. The visuals are crisp and capture the overarching theme of grief through the use of heavy contrasts, as well as highlighting Dave’s big moment as he translates his feelings into a creative outlook through his performance. The short reflects on the tangible challenge for many spectators on attempting to move on from losing loved ones through passions, but struggling to cope with pent up emotions. Overall, Throw Your Heart Over First explores its provocative themes of grief and creativity with the aid of striking direction and an engrossing performance from its lead. #EmilyDavison

★★★ Directed by: #BenJaySmith Written by: #BenJaySmith Short Film Review by Huw Buckley Lost & Hound, directed by Ben Jay Smith, is a flawed yet poignant, and emotionally impactful, short film, centred around the undeniable bond between people and dogs. The emotional core of the film is certainly derived from this familiar, nigh-on universal relationship, specifically between Andy (played by Steve Crawshaw) and Freddy (played by a suitably adorable spaniel of the same name). With Crenshaw’s northern twang and the aforementioned relationship at its centre, it would be easy to draw comparisons with the UK’s most famous human-canine duo: Wallace and Gromit. Both levity and depth are clear and present in that relationship from the pair's very first cinematic outing - the short film A Grand Day Out. It’s subjective of course, but there are some highly effective emotive techniques used throughout that film - for example, placing the characters in a potentially dangerous situation, which binds them together emotionally and, thus, solidifies their relationship for the audience. Lost & Hound instead attempts to convince us that Andy and Freddy’s relationship has depth and emotional resonance through a montage driven depiction of their steadily growing rapport. After Andy discovers Freddy, a lost dog who happens to find his way to the elderly man’s doorstep, there is an unsuccessful attempt to engage the services of the local police force in a matter that they ultimately deem unworthy of their time. As a result of this, the two are seemingly stuck together, and they begin to bond, jauntily playing and having fun, presented to us in the form of montage (as mentioned). At one point Andy admits “I haven’t felt this young in years,” an oddly pronounced indicator of the way in which he feels but telling nonetheless, and certainly enough to highlight the importance of this newfound relationship for the human protagonist. Just as the impact of the relationship can be felt by the audience, there is a twist that one would presume was conceived to be gut-wrenching, accompanied by a jarringly dark and oppressive soundtrack. It feels obvious and, to some, may even border on insensitivity, which is a shame because, up until that point, the film conveys emotional depth whilst still feeling somewhat light-hearted and fun. Boldly, some extremely heavy subject matter is introduced at the film's close, which arguably opens the film up to greater scrutiny as it becomes clear that Smith regards his film as a serious piece of art - a high standard against which it can’t quite compare. Despite this, there is enough of interest here to recommend a viewing - particularly the heart-warming character work present in the early section of the film.

★★ Directed by: #AlLougher Written by: #AlLougher Short Film Review by Huw Buckley The Dollmaker’s emotional core is heavily reliant upon the notion that family is a universal theme. This may perhaps be valid but for a dramatic filmic exploration of this theme to be impactful or meaningful, the tone employed in the acting, cinematography, editing, and soundtrack needs to carry a similar weight. This isn’t the case with Al Lougher’s short horror film, which attempts to tell a story of familial loss and the unbearable weight of the resulting grief that results from this. The film is fun and can certainly be considered well produced for a short film, with lavish production values providing a cinematic experience. The film oozes light-hearted entertainment and campy pastiche from the first, with its clichéd nineteen-seventies Carpenter-esque soundtrack setting the tone. The short film’s dialogue is rigidly theatrical and the delivery from the three central actors (Perri Lauren, Sean Meehan and Dan Berkley) feels suitably stunted and robotic. Everything feels deliberate, with no sense of naturalism in the performances given, which means it is difficult to feel emotionally invested in the characters and their respective arcs. This isn’t so much a criticism as it is a point regarding how the short works from the perspective of pastiche - the artificial nature of the whole production may be the point, though it certainly isn’t conducive to horror. It is hard to make a short horror film as an audience’s fear can often derive from the familiarity they have with characters, a by-product of the time-spent together. Without this, narrative abstraction, arresting visuals, and haunting soundtracks may be better suited to providing a verifiably spooky experience in this, a shorter medium. Lougher’s film is not indicative of this approach, however. It attempts to humanise its characters through a depiction of trauma and relies on the audience’s relationship with the characters for scares. The ambition to tackle such complex, tonally heavy themes is commendable and should be applauded. However the execution is sadly lacking in the substance required to truly grapple with such ideas in a way that is emotionally satisfying and narratively convincing.

★★ Directed By: #PrashastSingh Starring: #PrashastSingh Short Film Review by Huw Buckley Lev Kulushov’s theory of montage, developed during the 1910s and 1920s, explored the relationship between different images and how the sequence in which they are presented can be crucial to our interpretation of what we are seeing. Prashast Singh’s Agent Electron, a potentially Avant Garde take on the superhero genre, reminded me of this as I tried to piece together the short film’s story and decode the themes the filmmaker wished to convey. The piece itself is presented in reverse-chronological order, which lends itself to this kind of discussion, as the audience’s interpretation of what is happening is completely warped. This is a short silent film - clocking in at just under 3 minutes - which comprises of a collection of captioned still images, with a shaking effect added to the images in post-production. This, coupled with a grating industrial soundtrack, results in an uncomfortable viewing experience, short as it may be. The film’s length, or lack thereof, coupled with the lack of dialogue or even some kind of indication of the only character’s emotional state within the captions, leaves the film feeling rather like an experiment in montage, with the visuals mostly holding the key to audience interpretation. Unfortunately, the central performance, also given by Prashat Singh, in my opinion lacks the clarity or quality to adequately convey such depth, which will likely leave the audience feeling somewhat bewildered as a result. This isn’t necessarily a criticism. The film is completely original and unique in its approach to the medium, and it is certainly a brave effort. Intentionally or not, the film feels somewhat sinister, with its offkey tone and nihilistic subject matter, playing rather like a Robert Eggers horror film, as opposed to a superhero movie, as billed. It may well leave you feeling somewhat cold, gripped by nihilism (I certainly felt this way). If the measure of good art is its ability to elicit a reaction, then the Singh’s short film certainly succeeds, though it’s difficult to say whether this was the kind of reaction the filmmaker was searching for. For the sheer experience alone, I would recommend giving Agent Electron a go. It may be that you are able to take more from the film than I, and the subjectivity of the cinematic experience is arguably what keeps filmmaking, and its subsequent viewership, fresh and ever engaging. It could simply be that, on this occasion, this piece of art was beyond my intellectual grasp.

★★★★ Directed by: Tom Gornican Written by: Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten Starring: Nicholas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Sharon Hogan Film Review by Robert Stayte Whilst Nicolas Cage has had a recent comeback, he has not totally shrugged off the comedic image that the internet has given him. And it took a long time, but finally a mainstream comedy has been made that decides to make that the central premise. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent seems like a gift-wrapped piece of humour, but an idea like that could fall apart if handled poorly. Luckily, the writers and Cage himself make this idea fun and clever. Nick Cage (Nicholas Cage) is invited to an island owned by rich fan Javi (Pedro Pascal), in a job that he takes due to needing to pay debts and hitting a dry spot in his career. Javi turns out to be involved in criminal activity and Cage is accosted by the CIA, who ask him to become a mole in order to save the kidnapped daughter of Spain’s president. This involves befriending Javi, who has big ideas about wanting to do a film with him. Massive Talent goes for a number of different genres, the meta narrative, the movie satire, the buddy comedy, the crime comedy, even a family comedy drama with Cage’s wife and daughter. These elements blend together better than expected because of the central anchor being on Cage and Javi’s growing relationship, which thanks to the chemistry between Nicholas Cage and Pedro Pascal, feels genuine and offers a lot of funny moments. The meta-aspects are well done too, as fiction and reality (and our reality) blend together in some unexpected ways. And despite the humour on display, which does get varied (some being just dialogue and others being references), there is a lot of genuine heart as well. Cage’s family arc, although cliched, is still nicely handled, as is the friendship between Cage and Javi. It’s got a lot of love for movies and acting, rather than feeling like an excuse to mock Nicholas Cage. It makes fun of Cage’s image through this fictional version of himself yet clearly has love for him as an actor and gives him the opportunity to show that whilst he might be known for dramatic or just OTT acting, he is legitimately great at comedy, whether it be in dialogue or physical acting. The brief inclusions of “Nicky”, his imaginary friend, also gives him the opportunity to act opposite himself and contains maybe the funniest and weirdest moment in a Cage film recently. Tom Gornican does a decent job helming the film, it’s not amazingly well shot but he knows how to keep it moving and not be bogged down, as well as manage the tonal tightrope and even pulling off some action scenes. There are a couple of awkward interjections early on that feel out of place when we don’t know the full context, not to mention the runtime does sometimes feel longer than 100 minutes, though this is more of a general issue than because any scenes are too long. Lastly, the acting from everyone else is pretty good, from Pedro Pascal being naturally funny to Sharon Hogan being a convincingly frustrated wife to Cage. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is both an enjoyable comedy and a good treat for Cage fans that thankfully avoids either being a mockery or a collection of references. It might not be the craziest film you could make with this premise, but it is more sincere and well written than it could have been under the wrong hands.

★★★ Directed by: #CateJones Written by: #CateJones Starring: #AshleyMandanas, #CateJones, #JessiKyle, #KassieGann Film Review by: Emily Davison An eccentric new roomate from LA shakes up the lives of three, small town aspiring actresses. Chicken House (2022) is an American subversive comedy, shot in nine days on a $17k budget. Director/writer Cate Jones also stars as the unusual new roomate, Cat, who quickly makes a strong impression on her three acquaintances when she turns up on their doorstep and not long after warns the others of an evil presence in one of the bedrooms, stating that there is a poltergeist living there. The overall tone of the movie is definitely striking as original and daring, with an array of bizarre circumstances and character interactions taking place throughout the almost ninety minute running time, with our four leads all having unusual or quirky traits about them. Before the mysterious Cat even arrives, we are introduced to intriguing characters with the three oddball roomates. Charlie is the awkward, yet friendly one who struggles with her sexual identification as a lesbian; Beth is a religious fanatic who has covered her room in artefacts and a painting of Jesus above her bed and April spends her time recording voice over auditions about vaginal health. Cate Jones certainly has a unique vision when it comes to her filmmaking, presenting a captivating visual aesthetic with different styles of cinematography and experimenting with various, clever uses of the camera to tell her unconventional narrative. Jones largely shoots with black and white photography for flashbacks in the house, with more grown up versions of the cast being interviewed about their experience in full colour. She also makes use of home video style film footage with a grainy quality to the image, as we hear of each character’s background through voice over. Jones even changes the aspect ratio from widescreen to academy 4:3 later in the film for one scene. The black and white photography works at enhancing the surreal quality of the film, as well as the dedicated performances from the cast, especially during a dreamlike intimate sequence between Cat and Charlie. There is generally a high quality, stimulating experience to the movie, with Jones incorporating a lot of hand-held camera to flit between characters talking and delivering on the dark sense of humour found throughout. A simple conversation between Charlie and Cat becomes more engaging and thought-provoking when Jones opts to include a mirror in the background, allowing viewers to see her reactions instead of cutting back and forth between over the shoulder shots. Although the film does have its technical and performance highlights from everyone involved, there is a downside when it comes to the narrative, which will not be accessible to most. The originality and bizarre quality of the film does make it strangely compelling, however, it is not always clear what is going on and if any of the odd events are leading up to anything. Many times the plot does feel like a series of comprised circumstances, though different chapter title cards does give the movie some sense of structure and a hilarious twist ending involving an exorcist and misunderstandings leaves you with a strong impression. Overall, Chicken House is a quirky little film exhibiting great direction and admirable performances, but it does somewhat struggle to keep its momentum with an often confusing and shaky plot. #EmilyDavison Chicken House (2022) trailer:

★ Directed by: #GabrielBologna Written by: #JosephBologna #ClaudioLaniado, #JosLaniado Starring: #JosLaniado, #KarinaSmirnoff Film Review by: Emily Davison Fearing his Hebrew school is on the verge of bankruptcy, a Hasidic Rabbi and amateur Hora dancer enters a glamorous televised Tango competition to win a big cash prize. Tango Shalom (2021) is an American family friendly comedy drama set in Brooklyn, New York and explores interfaith between religious communities and the values of love, tolerance and peace. It has reportedly made a milestone in cinema by being the first film in history to feature a joint collaboration with The Vatican, a Hasidic Synagogue, a Sikh Temple and a Mosque. Since its release, the movie has also garnered praise for its direction, screenplay, cinematography, sound design and performances, having won fifteen awards and being nominated for thirteen. Moshe Yuhuda (Jos Laniado), gentle and empathetic husband and father to five children, struggles to find a decent job opportunity once he begins to face financial difficulties. By a lucky chance, he stumbles across a promising Argentine Tango dance lesson, led by the elegant Viviana Nieves and his natural talent for Hora dance quickly impresses her. She is enthusiastic to enter a televised Tango competition with Moshe, however, due to his orthodox religious beliefs he is forbidden from touching a woman (apart from his wife!). Moshe’s decision causes him to become at odds with his family, as well as the Grand Rabbi of his orthodox sect and entire Hasidic community of Crown Heights, questioning his own spiritual faith. He seeks advice from a Catholic priest, a Muslim imam and a Sikh holy man and together, they hash out an inventive solution to Moshe’s issue. The film features a light-hearted, if slightly unrealistic premise and seeks to make a joyous celebration of Jewish life, but its many flaws drastically hinder a potentially inspirational, engaging story. The movie was marketed as a comedy, however its attempts at humour very often fall flat due to poor performances and , for lack of a better word, cringeworthy execution. Most of the cast are noticeably bad in their roles and the plodding, patience testing screenplay does not help things. There is barely any character development across the board and the plot feels too simplistic and lacking in any compelling depth, which is disappointing considering the promise of the themes set up. The film struggles with pacing problems, taking too much time on basically every element of the plot, with one hour and fifty minutes bound to make many viewers restless and impatient as a result of an ill-conceived stretched out narrative. One of the only redeeming features is a nicely choreographed and directed sequence during the dance competition, which certainly stands out against the mostly low quality of what came before. Tango Shalom is well intentioned in its attempts at promoting interfaith and peace, but ultimately suffers from too many flaws in its poor screenplay, performances and directing. Unfortunately, it is baffling to consider why this movie received the praise it did. #EmilyDavison Tango Shalom (2022) trailer:

★★★★ Directed by: #ToniVGenov Starring: #ToniVGenov Short Film Review by: Alexandra James This short delves into one of my favourite genres: psychological horror. The nail-biting tension and thrilling scenes which send shivers down your spine is something which really entices an audience and has them begging for more. The Elevator is simple yet effective, with no dialogue and just one location, director Toni V. Genov could fill the scene with an eerie and strange ambience. This was a great short horror which reveals the underground communities within the dark web and exposes the people that enjoy watching others in fear. The Elevator shows a lot of promise, it can clearly be developed into a longer feature length film as the ending is left open to a lot of different pathways the director can choose to go down. Toni V. Genov has explained that he is planning to connect this short with one of his other pieces of work 2088, which would be great as there is a lot of potential to this piece. I think what is terrific about a good horror is that you do not always need to overcomplicate the plot or even provide a huge backstory. The audience are thrown into the midst of the drama and that is all we need to focus on. The main character enters a lift and is trapped inside for many hours, unable to communicate with anyone, no phone signal, water, food until a robotic voice explains that ‘supplies’ will be sent down to him. However, these ‘supplies’ will only lead him to a grisly end. A huge phobia of being trapped in a confined space and an epic twist to really ramp up the tension is a simple yet extremely effective premise for a good horror. This is because it plays on our most basic fears, in this instance claustrophobia, and most people can picture themselves within this scenario and really empathise with the sweaty fear of our main character. The story ended on a climactic twist which was bittersweet in a way as it was great to have the twist revealed but also the audience are left wanting more and to find out the final fate for our protagonist. The ending was clever and fits in with a lot of the modern-day horrors. It plunges into this subculture of seedy and sadistic people who hide behind a computer and enjoy observing pain, violence and even death. The Elevator is a great short piece and really highlights the fact that you can create a good horror with a small budget and even just using one location. There were elements which made the viewer feel uncomfortable and definitely had a mysterious vibe which made you want invest more, highly recommend taking a look at this short.

★★ Directed by: #JohnMcDonald Starring: #TheAnimalsofShetlandRescue, #Sarah Short Film Review by: Alexandra James This short documentary is about a small farm for animals who have either been abused, abandoned or are just unable to perform as they once could. Not Forgotten Yet shows the struggles Sarah, the owner of the farm, must face and her duty to take care of the animals and make sure they are safe, well fed, healthy as well as focus on the overall upkeep of the farm. It is a difficult lifestyle to adopt, and this documentary allows us to see the daily labours and how Sarah has managed to help so many animals. The farm seemed very quiet although there were a few animals who managed to make an appearance in the documentary, poking their heads out the stalls to say hello! Sarah looks after a variety of animals, from all different homes and backgrounds. Chickens, horses, pigs and many more, it was lovely to see that the animals were all together, none of them were isolated or alone in their pens. This was heart-warming to witness, as a lot of the animals had either been mistreated or neglected, so there was a sense of family, and the animals were happy enough to stick together. As a documentary, it is always best to project an honest representation of the theme or subject you are speaking on. This documentary highlighted the good with which the owner, Sarah was able to produce but it also showed that she was struggling with the amount of work and dedication which is required to be able to keep the farm ticking over. It would have been beneficial to have an interview style documentary, in which the audience can see Sarah clearly and her interaction and emotional responses to the questions being asked. Of course, it was great to see there were clear shots of the farm itself and the animals which are being cared for. However, the farm would not have come into being without Sarah there to build it and get the message out of the good that they can provide. At the end of the day, she seemed to be the driver, source of dedication and hard work which is put into the farm day in and day out, so allowing her that voice and showing her face would have really elevated the documentary and shown the audience what commitment really looks like. Unfortunately, this is what made the documentary very simplistic. Narration combined with an interview style, as well as interaction with the animals would have made for a more moving piece and really would have the audience become much more invested in Sarah’s story and the farm. Nevertheless, this was a great way to promote the kindness and message for The Animals of Shetland Rescue, that no animal is left behind or ever forgotten.