Cheltenham International Film Festival
On the Dark Side: CIFF Shorts- part of the Cheltenham International Film Festival
This screening forms part of Cheltenham International Film Festival, which marks its 5th anniversary in 2023. The festival will screen new films from around the world, plus film classics and is adding television, and new live events to its programme, along with guest celebrities.
“On the Dark Side” is five short films directed by emerging directors with a bright future. Cheltenham International Film Festival is committed to support young directors, who through their film shorts wish to make a statement – in this case a statement about the human experience.
Last year the film festival showcased a new, young talent by screening his short. That talent was Tom Berkeley who went on to win an Oscar and BAFTA this year for his short film “An Irish Goodbye”. Perhaps, the next Oscar winner is among our five young directors…
BUBBLE
Still reeling from the recent death of her mother, Leah spends much of COVID lockdown engaged in a zoom relationship with a younger man. But past traumas, hang-ups and insecurities prevent her from connecting with him beyond their onscreen relationship, causing her to spiral downwards into a mental despair.
BUBBLE explores love, loss, isolation and mental health during the covid pandemic and asks “who are we when no one’s watching?’
Luke Andrews, Stacey Daly, Jonathon George, Daniel J Harris – Drama, Thriller: UK (15min)
ANIMAL PIE
Chris is enjoying the best house party he’s ever thrown. He’s high on life (and drugs), and madly in love with his girlfriend Georgie. His housemates Sally and Tom are on the cusp of sealing a well-worn will-they-won’t-they and things simply couldn’t be more EPIC. But the halcyon days of careless fun are brought to an abrupt halt with a dark discovery the morning after the party, rocking the foundations of happy-go-lucky Chris’ world. Forced to confront some painful truths about himself and the fear of losing a friend, the merriment of the night before suddenly seems but a distant dream. It just wasn’t supposed to end this way…
Ben Plumb, Ashley Hodgson, Antonia Tootill, Delilah Tahiri, Gabriele Greggio, Chloe Osborne – Drama: UK (17min)
RAIN IS A CITY
A jaded drug debt enforcer seeks redemption by saving a vulnerable family from his violent accomplice.
Thomas David Jones, Jack Waterman, Catherine Snow, Owain Emyr Morgan, Rhydian Evetts – Drama: UK (15min)
MIDNIGHT RIDE
A drug-dealing, Italian delivery rider resorts to robbing a South London burrito joint after his bike and drugs are stolen, little knowing he might be the one taken for a ride all along.
Alessandro Farrattini Pojani, Lionelle Galloppa, Nancy Farino, Alessandro Maria Rossi, Francesca Addonizio, Stephen James Dunn – Drama: UK/Italy (13min)
ROSE
Rose works as a dancer in a club. Now in her late thirties, she’s worried she’s getting too old for the job – but she has a teenage son to support at home and rent arrears piling up. So when Rose was diagnosed with bowel cancer six months ago, she decided to keep it a secret, for fear of losing her livelihood.
Following treatment, Rose’s prognosis is good, and it’s time to get life back on track. She returns to dancing, masking her lingering pain with the help of her alter ego, Roxy, the woman with the bright purple hair. But it’s not long before a horrifying incident at work forces this mask to slip, leaving Rose to truly confront not only her illness, but the world around her.