New Shorts: A Winter's Matinee of Romantic Films
Sunday, 16 January 2022
Image: Naughty Spot, Jean Costa, 2021
Warm, fierce, and (perhaps) delusional narratives about love emerge in this eclectic programme, embracing the sensuality of touch and the fragility of a romantic declaration. From a journey of self-discovery starting at the counter of a futuristic sex shop, to the underground Corsican gay scene, these films champion the plurality of pleasure and care. Under a blazing sun, a phantasmagoric coming of age romance unfolds weaving tenderness and mystery. This selection features RCA Alumni Inari Sirola (Eating in the Dark) and NFTS Alumni Renee Zhan (Soft Animals).
The Right Words
ADRIAN MOYSE DULLIN
15'
2021
France
Kenza (15 years-old) and her little brother Mahdi (13 years-old) regularly humiliate one another on social media in cruel ways. Today, as they travel by bus, Kenza puts her naive and romantic little brother to the test: to profess his love for Jada; a girl that Mahdi loves but that does not know him. Placed under pressure by his sister, Mahdi ends up confessing.
The Girl From Saturn
Gonçalo Almeida
16'
2021
Portugal
A man relives a treasured episode from his youth in this phantasmagoric rumination on the construction and aestheticization of memories.
First Kiss (With A Girl)
Clodagh Chapman
3'
2021
United Kingdom
Exploring that special sort of 11pm-tipsy-nightclub magic of late adolescence, First Kiss (With A Girl) is a kitschy, low-fi, bubblegum-sweet glance at queer intimacy.
Soft Animals
Renee Zhan
3'
2021
United States
Two ex-lovers cross paths in a train station.
Naughty Spot
Jean COSTA
20'
2021
France
It’s Tonio’s first time in Corsica. He wanders across the island and on dating apps until stumbling upon the Oracle, a user who tells him about gay life in Corsica. Their conversation is reenacted with an actor who seems to connect deeply with the Oracle’s story.
Communion
Luca Asta
9'
2021
United Kingdom
Holding a baby, holding someone, holding something, holding faith are spaces of comfort felt within embodied gestures of communion.
Agnes and Boris
Talia Jawitz, Mateusz François Bielinski
17'
2021
Belgium
Agnes and Boris flee their responsibilities through their screens, ever present in their lives. They are forced to face with their deep anxieties when their apartment suffers a power failure.
What About Me?
Lois Stevenson
3'
2021
United Kingdom
What About Me? is a playful take on the many faces of heartbreak; a manic journey of self-discovery and a force of feminine energy. Inspired by an original concept by knitwear designer, Megan Sharples (Knit Lyf), it follows Sanaa, a heart-broken woman possessed by a destructive being, The Love Monster, who largely narrates the film through an internal monologue.
Eating in the Dark
Inari SIROLA
9'
2021
United Kingdom
Through snakey dildos, setting boundaries and a journey through a mind bending forest, we follow Siro's quest for self discovery.