London Calling: Small Films In The Big City

For the past ten years, the London Film Festival, in collaboration with Film London, has been presenting the LONDON CALLING program of new short films by emerging British filmmakers. On Monday evening at the National Film Theatre, the movie mecca on London’s Southbank, a capacity crowd filled the NFT’s largest cinema to view the world premieres of six short films that showcased the talents of these up-and-comers.

Film London (www.filmlondon.org.uk) is the capital’s film and media agency. Their activities cover a wide range of services, including investment in new and established filmmakers through specialized production schemes; training and business development; showcasing London films and talents and promoting London and the region to attract investment; and providing logistical support for local and international producers looking to shoot in the region. For the LONDON CALLING initiative, Film London works closely with a number of governmental and private agencies, including the UK Film Council and companies that provide complimentary access to equipment, film stocks and other services. 

Production budgets are between 4000 to 12,000 pounds sterling and all six of the films presented were shot on digital formats. This year’s selection had a range of genres and topic areas, including one documentary in the mix and five narrative films. The lone documentary BURIGANGA by director/producer Michelle Coomber is a gorgeously shot meditation on the lives of inhabitants of the Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. RITE, written and directed by Michael Pearce, is an intensely felt film about a father’s desperate attempt to reach out to his estranged gay son. ALBATROSS by Kim Albright uses music as its central motif in recounting the story of a pianist who is haunted by memories of a troubled past. ASSESSMENT, written and directed by Mark Gutteridge, tells the tale of an inter-racial relationship between two teenagers who face conflicts in their relationship and challenges in their personal goals. In the mysterious NORTH ATLANTIC, writer/director Bernardo Nascimento brings a Twilight Zone moodiness to this tale of a young air traffic controller in the Azores who attempts to make contact with a plane he sees on his radarscope. The heated interchange between a coffee addict and a gum-chewing barista at a café makes for interesting interplay in Marc Hardman’s WE ARE WHAT WE DRINK.   

As part of its commitment to showcase both established and emerging talent from the British film scene, the  London Film Festival offers audiences and attending professionals a sparkling survey of the diversity, quality and technical expertise of contemporary British cinema.

 Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Circuit Editor

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