The Shorts Out! LGBTQ+ short film festival was a roaring success! Huge thanks to the filmmakers who joined us for the Q&As, and for everyone who came to watch their films.
Shorts Out! debuted as a TV show on Brighton’s TV Channel Latest TV, where filmmaker Deborah Espect curated and introduced over 30 international LGBTQ+ short films, animations and documentaries.
SUNDAY 28th JULY 2019
FAMILY – 2pm – 4pm
THE MORNING AFTER (USA, 13:34)
Director: Lauren Minnerath
A young woman introduces her African American girlfriend to her conservative father, the morning after the 2016 presidential election.
THE BEST MAN (USA, 13:59)
Director: Joseph Lamb
The Bonds of Brotherhood are tested after James’ younger brother comes out to him, causing him to re-evaluate his relationship with him.
OCTOBER (USA, 7:56)
Director: Mae Mann
October follows a Ugandan teen named Dembe, as she comes out to her mother as transgender and tries to navigate her identity in a society opposed to it.
THE BROTHER (UK, 4:00)
Director: Kai Fiáin
The Brother is a short surreal comedy filmed on Super 8. The morning after the night before, Frances finds herself a little bit more involved in a situation than she would want to be – the kind of situation where you don’t ask too many questions. The beauty of London’s East End is that you never quite know who you’re gonna meet.
BODIES (IRAN, 15:00)
Director: Morvarid Kashiyan
Hamoon, an actor and trans woman, is in love with her director, but he fails to see her for who she really is. As she struggles with her unrequited feelings, she also has to deal with the rejection from her conservative father, who refuses to accept her as trans.
CHILDREN ALIKE (SWEDEN, 5:00)
Director: Julia Boström
Johannes introduces his new girlfriend Wilma to his sister Hanna. However, Wilma and Hanna are anything but strangers…
SEQUINS (UK, 17:45)
Director: Michael Beddoes
Paul Bigsby, 17, wakes up early every morning to practice his (somewhat haphazard) drag act. A chance encounter with jaded Blackpool queen Mimi Le Purr sets him on a collision course with his parents, bullies and the school talent show.
SELF – 4pm – 6pm
MANKIND (UK, 13:00)
Director: Layke Anderson
A restless young man wants to leave love and the Earth behind. Mankind is a short film that reflects the idea of humans being explorers by nature, and the consequences of standing still for too long.
FLASH FLOOD (CANADA, 6:00)
Director: Alli MacKay
Deep within a dream, a cataclysmic flood washes over the planet, and reveals three unique perspectives on gender and identity. Flash Flood was rotoscoped from stock footage by 7 animators from across the globe, brought together by the internet and a shared passion for trans welfare.
DIC PIC (UK, 11:43)
Director: Kit Griffiths
A vigorous, humorous and tender self-portrait, in which you are invited into artist Kit Griffiths’ home to explore voice, gender and trans-narrative.
HEADSPACE (UK, 4:00)
Director: Jake Graf
Headspace gives a rare and intimate glimpse into the trials and tribulations faced by trans folk on a daily basis. The film’s all trans cast includes activist and model Munroe Bergdorf, model, singer and star of US reality show ‘Strut’, Laith Ashley, Youtuber and fitness model Kieran Moloney, Captain Hannah Winterbourne of the British Army, and writer and director Jake Graf. Headspace offers an as yet unseen insight into the everyday transgender experience, and will hopefully promote much needed acceptance and understanding.
CONSENSUS (UK, 9:41)
Directors: Louise Morton Murray & Michelle Tofi
This mockumentary follows David, a young gay man living just outside of Cardiff in Wales with his traditional, white collar parents and ‘alternative’ older brother. In this difficult political climate, David seeks to find his place in the world to express himself as best he can… Will his parents be able to stomach David’s decisions and the shame they could bring on the family?
BACCHUS (DENMARK, 5:08)
Director: Rikke Planeta
Alex, a young woman bored with modern life, is lured by Bacchus into a colorful and mysterious world to explore her deepest desires.
MY LONELINESS IS KILLING ME (UK, 16:30)
Director: Tim Courtney
Moodily shot in the night time world of Scottish clubs and bedrooms, this expressive drama brings together two very different queer folks who want what the other seems to have: femme and sensitive Elliott, stuck in hookup culture but seeking a real connection, and brutish Jake, stuck in a marriage and seeking escape. Touching on the hot topics of hookup culture and toxic masculinity, My Loneliness is Killing Me explores loneliness and division among gay and queer men. Winner of the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Short Film.
MISDIRECTION (USA, 13:58)
Director: Carly Usdin
Camila is your average college freshman with obsessive-compulsive disorder and a big, gay crush on her roommate. After both situations come to a head in a near car crash, Cam is stuck trying to find a distraction. A chance encounter with a street magician teaches her to channel her misguided energy into a new hobby, and to open her heart to new possibilities.
LOVE – 6pm – 8pm
TOP 10 PLACES TO VISIT IN SAO PAULO (BRAZIL, 13:40)
Director: Akira Kamiki
On a Sunday, two photographers walk around São Paulo trying to connect with the city, and slowly fall in love with each other.
THE HALF WALL (NORWAY, 6:25)
Director: Ida H. Eldøen
A couple’s lunch break does not go as planned when they start a discussion about how they could renovate their cabin bathroom. They suddenly find themselves in a heated argument, which leads to a series of misunderstandings.
CRASHING WAVES (UK, 3:39)
Director: Emma Gilbertson
Two young working class men explore the intimacy and vulnerability of relationships in a combative dance against the backdrop of an inner city estate, risking all under the scrutiny of a tight knit, ever judging community.
ASEXUAL STORY (USA, 3:01)
Director: Megan Delany
It’s not always easy to find love, especially when you are asexual.
YOU SAY GOOD MORNING AT MIDNIGHT (CANADA, 5:09)
Director: Sarah Rotella
Long distance relationships are tricky.
OTHER LOVING (USA, 6:23)
Director: Lise Angelica Johnson
After a heartbreak, a woman finds comfort in an unconventional place.
BOBBI AND SHELAGH (CANADA, 12:00)
Director: Barb Taylor
A lesbian meets a mythological creature. A traditionally animated short created with thousands of hand painted cells and pencil crayon backgrounds.
TEAR JERKER (USA, 14:43)
Director: Amy Adler
Elliot (38) has seen better days. He has recently been dumped by his ex-girlfriend who has decided she wants to exclusively date “real” men. His mother is descending deeper and deeper into the progression of her Alzheimer’s disease. And the testosterone he takes regularly seems to have made his body forget how to grieve. Tear Jerker is a portrait of a trans guy faced with difficult life circumstances trying to find new ways to express old and familiar feelings.
BEARABLE (UK, 3:57)
Director: David James Holloway
What if your tribe within the gay community defined you. What if you lived with a real bear?
THE DATE (UK, 14:59)
Director: Emmalie El Fadli
Lizzy and Olivia might be total opposites when it comes to careers and dress sense but they do have one thing in common… they both swiped ‘right’ on each other. The two hit it off almost immediately but there’s still one thing left to do…meet.