New Shorts: There Was A Factory
Tuesday, 18 January 2022
Image: Look At Us, Hussina Raja, 2021
There’s an arresting tenderness to these films that flies in the face of conventional portrayals of labour. Though concerned with the socio-economic, political and moral impulses of their characters, these films nevertheless find hilarity, softness and beauty in their often-challenging settings. There’s dance to be found in the brutal angles of a dockyard, outlandish characters at an abandoned lido and defiance in the face of gentrification. Singing with spirit and coloured by nostalgia, these shorts are cinematic depth-charges – incendiary and vital despite their brevity.
Curated by Varun Raman
Bulldozer
Stella Scott
13'
2021
United Kingdom
Ray’s estate is being bulldozed. On the way to fireworks night, Ray and her daughter take a detour through the new development that is being built in its place.
Carrying Us
Elsa Monteith, Hazel Davis, Adam Laurence
5'
2021
United Kingdom
Carrying Us is an audio-visual patchwork that explores the past, present and personal of Brighton’s high street through spoken word and video collage. Imagining the high street as a vessel - a container of both commerce and community - three young Brightonians interrogate what pockets we want to preserve and protect. This is their high street, a place of potential, imagined and collective hope for a different future. The film is a collaborative project created by Elsa Monteith, Hazel Davis and Adam Laurence, participants of the Lighthouse Young Creatives programme.
Look at Us
Hussina Raja
4'
2021
United Kingdom
A homage to those who came before us, and to the Pakistani diaspora who remain resilient in the face of adversity and prejudice in 'Great' Britain.
You Can’t Automate Me
Katarina Jazbec
20'
2021
Netherlands
Before container-ships leave port, lashers secure the containers using heavy metal bars. They are the last port workers to do such dangerous jobs surrounded by self-driven vehicles and remotely operated cranes. Each body tells its own story: from grieving for a colleague who died on the job to just keep going. Stowaway animals appear as visions of a more natural world.
Fish Fingers
Lars Mulle
8'
2021
Switzerland
Summer is over and it's hard to let go.
Salt Water Town
Dan Thorburn
15'
2021
United Kingdom
As rising sea levels loom across the coast of Wales, a father and son clash over the future of their failing caravan park.
Hanging On
Alfie Barker
10'
2021
United Kingdom
A docu-drama spotlighting the strength of community in a neighbourhood united when faced with eviction.
Happiness Is A Journey
Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan
13'
2021
United States
On the night before Christmas a warehouse of workers in Austin TX rush to process new papers for delivery before driving out to trace the desolate streets delivering to their few and far between customers.