Amidst the pomp and circumstance afforded to the selected few (the shenanigans of such guests as George Clooney, the numerous glitzy premieres and a red carpet that’s probably been slightly worn out by now) it’s easy to forget the London Film Festival is home to hundreds of films from across the world, from the deliciously twisted Greek feature Dogtooth to Andrew Kotting’s excellent new feature Ivul. But it’s also a chance to look out for some excellent short films, which are not only brilliant pieces of work in their own right but also indicate those directors who will be leading the film industry into the future.
Dogtooth
As his comedy counterpart Julian Barrat makes waves in the short film world with Curtains, Matt Berry (probably best known for his turns in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and The IT Crowd) stars in The Search, a beautifully measured film about a member of the SETI research team whose search for aliens disguises a desire to find something much closer to home. Those used to Berry’s comedy theatrics will find him deliver an understated and engaging performance in a film that’s a moving and tender piece of work.
Love Hate
More biting is Love Hate, a fun and nasty comedy about a man who comes face to face with the embodiment of his own hate. Ben Whishaw is splendid as Tom, a man who is walked over more than the park lawn, and Hayley Atwell has fun as the rather voluptuous manifestation of his inner hatred. It gets a little bit silly, but there are some well aimed barbs and everyone is clearly enjoying themselves. More serious stuff is abound in After Tomorrow, a tense and emotional affair which blends suspense with intense family drama. It’s a quite beautiful piece with excellent pacing and should be a favourite for awards in 2010.
Kid
Meanwhile Kieren O’Brien (probably best known for his turn in 9 Songs ) and Ralph Laurila (who – after his performance in the BAFTA award winning short film Ralph is gradually proving himself to be one of the hottest young actors in the UK) had amazing chemistry in Kid, a tale that blends an almost Oedipal battle between father and son with a depiction of illegal immigration in the 21st century. It’s a little long, and the themes don’t integrate as well as they could, but strong performances carry this through.
Away from fiction, Pollphail proved to be an excellent documentary about the disastrous plans for a Scottish power station that hoped to build a community but ultimately became a folly. Use of archive footage is sensitively handled alongside current interviews to create an absorbing story. There were also plenty of gems from outside of the UK with a particular highlight being The Six Dollar Fifty Man (main image), a tale of a small boy who attempts to deal with the injustice of school life. This New Zealand film takes a well worn tale and imbues it with a freshness and vitality with a dark sense of humour at its core.
Don’t Look Back
Naglinn (The Nail) was a extremely black comedy from Iceland about an important figure who – you guessed it – gets a nail through his head. Surreal and disturbing, it’s a unique short that goes for both laughs and scares. Also unique was Don’t Look Back, a fun little Polish affair that was filmed on a mobile phone. Quick and funny, it was an intriguing use of new technology and great to see it as part of the LFF programme. The French film Une Pute et Un Poussin (A Whore and a Chick) is a nice examination of the way in which people can judge each other on appearance whilst The Mill was a mysterious Irish a film about a small boy who goes wandering during a family trip.
The Australia film Hawker is a beautiful and stylish film that used very little dialogue in it’s depiction of the life of a travelling salesman whilst Arena – a Portuguese film about a layabout who becomes embroiled in a fight with local youths – was another excellent effort that was marked by some excellent cinematography. Other stand outs were Siltage (Seeds of the Fall) a very funny Swedish film about a couple who wonder whether one of them should sleep with the next door neighbour’s wife and Team Taliban, an intriguing documentary about a pro wrestler who takes on the persona of a Taliban sympathiser to antagonise the crowd.
At one point, to escape the intensity of the LFF, I decided to head towards Brick Lane where Kino London held the 10th of its Open Mic Film Nights. With no pre-selection, Kino simply ask filmmakers to abide by three simple rules: the films must be under six minutes, must feature the Kino London logo and must be presented on DVD. There was a fun atmosphere in the room as people had very little idea of what to expect, and whilst everything presented was slightly rough and ready, it was a real pleasure to be in a place where filmmakers and audiences were supporting each other and generally having a lot of fun.
There was some really nice films on offer too, including Ben Slotover’s Zantrox and Stockbroker, a really funny film about a stockbroker who teams up with his old toy to fight crime and Mariano Melman’s politically charged animation The Evolution of Puppetry. There was also a great live performance from musician Angrydan and even free bagels. Result! If you’re a filmmaker looking to show your work (as long as you abide by the rules of course) or just looking for a fun night out at the movies, then you should get along to the next Kino event which runs on November 18th.
Like many festivals, the shorts on offer at the London Film Festival are never really given the attention that they deserve. A shame as there was plenty of shorts that had as much flash and flare as the supposed ‘biggies’. One would expect that at least a few of the filmmakers with work in this year’s shorts programme will be finding themselves walking the red carpet in the next few years.
