Official Selection
Drama/scripted – 10 minutes or under
Nominee
Life, Edited
Director: Charlie Penny
When Ella’s memory starts failing her, she and her sister Grace set out to film everything, only to disagree on what exactly ‘everything’ means.
OREB
Director: Sigfrido Giammona
A street actor has been locked in his apartment for over a month in complete solitude. Looking out the window, he feels nostalgic for his city and for the places he has always frequented for work and affection. He realizes, day after day, how his city is no longer the same.
Documentary/Factual – 10 minutes or under
Nominee
Nominee
In the Depths of the City
Director: José Rocha Pinto
Nominee
Symphony of Spheres
Director: SJ van Breda
A short poetic documentary, shot on iPhone X with FilmicPro, that attempts to show the process and the world of abstract sculptor Brendon Edwards. It is less about the facts of Brendon’s life and more about his work, his philosophy, and what he would like his art to represent.
Lockdown with Dom
Director: Emma Franklin
A short mockumentary following the life of protagonist, Dom, during lockdown and his pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. We gain insight into his struggles and obstacles, particularly whilst living in such close quarters with people he hardly knows (his parents).
One Year
Director: Kitty Camilleri
An ICU doctor gives her account of the past year.
Quiet Night Thought
Director: Kaiyue Guo
International students are used to being lonely – they came alone to the new environment, have no relations, they not only have to make new friends but also focus on their studies. Many relieve their stress and loneliness by staying up late to watch dramas and play online games.
Drama/scripted – over 10 minutes
Nominee
Nominee
Adira’s Dream
Director: Oliver Williams
A girl uses a typewriter to write a script about her life. In the process she makes aspects of her life ‘better’, rose tinting it in much the same way we do when we use Facebook or Instagram to make our lives appear better to other people. Trouble happens when she chooses to do this to someone else.
Documentary/factual – over 10 minutes
Nominee
Nominee
I Wish to Have an Airline Ticket
Director: Hao Wang
The interactions of three very different characters, a young Chinese woman Chu, a British homeless man Chris and Brazilian Jaqueline, form the basis of a portrait of the director, a Chinese student stranded overseas.
A Very British Lockdown
Director: Caoimhe Sturgess
The Great British Public have been fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic with a powerful weapon – their unrivalled spirit and determination. A cross-section of UK society – everyday heroes –film their own stories on camera phones with funny, touching and emotional results.
How Essential Am I?
Director: Leonardo Scripilliti
After having his scooter stolen and turned into ashes, a Brazilian delivery driver questions himself about his importance in society during the COVID lockdown in London.
Lockdown Diary
Director: Hana Mufti
A meditation on solitude, identity, and home shot on my iPhone 8 Plus over the course of seven months.
Experimental & Other
Nominee
Pharmakosis
Director: SL Pang
We live in a world where looking and being looked at has become a kind of currency, where ‘likes’ have literally become income. This film uses structural, narrative and documentary aspects to articulate the position of the ‘Pharmakos’ – the figure in ancient Greek religion who was ritually expelled from the polis in the belief that such sacrifice would bring about purification.
Nominee
An Apparition
Director: Nagaraju
The coronavirus pandemic has made social distancing essential in battling against it. This film showcases the implications and effects of Lockdown, using cockroaches as projections of humans and their actions.
Hats On!
Director: Ann-Marie LeQuesne
A Lockdown performance outside Warren Street station in December 2020. Plan A was to cross the road as a socially-distanced group wearing unusual hats, masks and winter coats. Then COVID intervened so the participants were asked to cross the road where they live and send in their videos.
I Am Not Upset
Director: Gabriela Wondracek Linck
The Pandemic begins. A child talks with her mother about death and art in Heidelberg. The mom misses her family in Brazil. Working for a bio-supermarket in a city nearby during the Pandemic, she tells her story in an experimental way through empty landscapes, impressions of the weather, motherhood, and audio messages that describe the actual situation in Brazil, through testimonials of family, friends and doctors.
Sweet Dreams
Director: Hui Anna Fifi
It is hard to find happiness when you are lonely and living in this society. The only way to imagine is when you are asleep. Can you stay in your sweet dreams? Do you want to?
Unspoken Goodbyes
Director: Liberty Chang-pin-tive
A short poem about grief and loss during these hard and trying times.
