Beyond Shorts: Screening + Q&A

BFI NETWORK South West want to champion the future stars of filmmaking, and recognise that making the leap from short film to long-form projects can be daunting and difficult to navigate, particularly for those based in regions where connection to the industry can be limited.

That’s why BFI NETWORK South West are pleased to launch Beyond Shorts, a career-development programme designed to elevate South West-based film producers and directors who have a strong track record in screen-based work and are ready to take the next step into making features or high-end TV.

To celebrate the programme and inspire applicants, we're screening a selection of short films made by previous participants of the scheme (formerly known as Shorts2Features) in partnership with Encounters Film Festival. We'll be screening:

The Golden West (24min, dir. Tom Berkeley)

1849. Having fled the Great Famine, two warring Irish sisters seek their fortunes in the gold rush. But with winter fast approaching and nothing to show for their efforts, their age-old feud soon threatens to become deadly.

Margin (12min, dir. Daniel Rands, prod. Chuckie McEwan)

In an after-school, last-chance, catch-up class, 16 year-old student Ria's struggle to better herself clashes with her teacher Emily's battle to get through an English lesson evoking racial tensions and societal issues that they soon find to be all too relevant.

Alo (9 min, dir. Xenia Glen)

Alo, an undocumented overseas Filipino worker, is struck by a latent seizure which jeopardises his status in the UK.

Outside Noise (8min, dir. Ethan Evans, co-written by Jess Bartlett)

An overwhelmed woman listens to a sleep ambience app to unwind before bed, but when the sounds eerily begin to blend with reality, she suspects it has conjured something frightening into her room.

BFI NETWORK South West is a project delivered by Watershed.

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