Firstly I would like to say just how friendly and helpful the staff were at the New Adelphi Theatre at the University of Salford, and just how fantastic a venue the theatre is. It was the perfect setting for this film festival, professional yet relaxed, the perfect starting point for these students, some of whom I feel we shall be hearing and seeing more off in the coming years.
Sat at the back of the packed auditorium amongst a majority of third year students, as well as some smartly dressed proud parents, we were treated to six short films written, produced, directed and starring these talented individuals all in their final year of the BA Media And Performance degree course. Usually such a combination of roles can spell disaster for many film-makers, however these students took it in their stride. The films screened in order were Immortalis Somnum (Dir. C J Zaphi), Just Business (Dir. Thomas McCullough), Clickbait (Dir. Weronika Okroj), Last Thing I Heard (Dir. James Thiara), Unnatural Selection (Emma Rose Callaghan), and Remote (Dir. Amie Fretter). It is safe to say that these students were extremely skilful in their filmmaking and I do not doubt that their talent will carry them far and wide. However the praise does not end there; all those involved in the making of these short films ought to be proud of themselves and what they have accomplished.
My top three picks for the night would have to be Immortalis Somnum, Just Business and Last Thing I Heard, with the latter winning the imaginary award in my head for best picture.
Immortais Somnum is set in the not too near future (2029 going off the date on the camcorder footage) in a world where people dare not sleep for too long. We join a group of friends/ survivors(?) cooped up in a theatre whilst our main character looks for a way to wake up her boyfriend whilst a new and suspicious member joins the gang. The films employs a good use of colour and lighting, best realised in a surreal sequence towards the end of film. The use of harsh cuts and editing between a dream world and the real works really well in capturing the tumultuous atmosphere between everyone and their somewhat decaying mental stability. All this goes hand in hand with the wonderfully atmospheric soundtrack by Edwin Sealey (a person who deserves a special mention and much recognition). The performance of the cast was exceptional, who portrayed their characters with much emotion and conviction.
This was immediately juxtaposed with Just Business, a rather surreal light (both tonally and visually) comedy that in parts echoed the zaniness of a Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker film, which follows five young individuals of varied backgrounds taking part in a employability and skills seminar headed by a comically insane and detached leader, taking part in numerous tasks with hilarious consequences. What this film lacked in creative lighting and camerawork, it made up for in jokes and gags and consistently packed punches never leaving a moment where the audience were sat in silence. There was a good mix of close-ups and flat wide shots conveying the intensity and bewilderment in the characters. Although a small cast, each member gave 110% and left an equally memorable impression on us.
My third pick of the evening was the beautifully shot Last Thing I Heard, which was screened immediately after the interval, and rightly so. It was viscerally awakening and engaging with its use of extreme close-ups, rich primary colours and twist ending (spoilers). Last Thing I Heard tells the story of a woman looking for a girl we believe is her sister, who has gone missing after a night out. Through the use of evenly spaced out brief flashbacks we learn that the young girl had found out her boyfriend had been cheating on her with her friend, and after a violent argument is almost raped by the (now) ex-boyfriend’s flatmate, but not before being found by her sister, who it turns out isn’t her sister but some sort of deranged captive. The present day segments of the film employed a good use of greys and off-whites, whilst the flashback scenes were filled with glowing colours which worked really well in capturing the descending madness of the freedom against the bleak reality of the situation. Again, this was performed exceptionally well with the talented small cast and the use of some location filming in a café offers the audience some verisimilitude. These factors make it my film of the night.
However this is not to say that the other films screened were not as good as these three, but film, like art is a matter of taste. If we were to look at some negatives, in a few of the films there were some issues with sound editing and performance, nevertheless unless one was really looking these issues were not, for the most part, noticeable. Every film maker has their problems during production and post-production. Another slight problem I had was more to do with the audience. The majority of the audience were the students involved in these films and their friends and I can fully understand that three years of hard work which had lead up to this moment may emotionally take over us, but when some people laugh and cheer when they see their friend in what is supposed to be a serious or emotionally charged scene it does take you out of the moment a bit. That said, as I have already mentioned before it was an informal and casual evening so it would be unfair of me to make a big issue of it. Everyone should be proud of the work they have done. These six short films were entertaining, captivating and competent.
Reviewer - Daryl Griffin
on - 17/5/19
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