Amelia is a 7 year-old dyslexic who has learned to transform her shortcomings into creativity; when confronted with the unforgiving restrictions of the classroom she will use her imagination to overcome her obstacles.
This short film tells the story of Ash, a mixed-race girl from Old Trafford, Manchester, UK. On a youth referral scheme, we see Ash travel to the iconic Salford Lads Club where she takes up boxing as a way of dealing with her troubled past. By portraying Ash’s experience of the sport, the film highlights how the boxing ring can be a neutral space where race and neighborhood politics are left outside.
The film looks at not only Ash’s own experience of racism, but also the preconceptions she and others hold about other people and places.
Clench demonstrates how boxing can become the ultimate visual tool for communication between generations, highlighting that every person has a story to tell regardless of how they look.
Communion is a story of sibling love and rivalry, set during the violent period of the 1970s Troubles in Northern Ireland. Family man Michael feuds with his wayward, rebellious brother on the day of his little daughter’s Holy Communion. For 6-yr-old Anna, it may be the last time that she will see her Uncle Patrick.
Seven years ago, Faith dumped her rape child on her sister. Now, pregnant with a second child, she desperately wants her daughter back. But, her boyfriend and her sister have conspired to have the girl adopted. Agoraphobic and bordering on the edge of sanity, Faith's seemingly hopeless attempts to win her daughter's trust result in disaster. Haunted by demons and unable to accept her past or her present, Faith's only solace is a childhood dollhouse, a fantasy space where 'bad things never happen'. A place where she plays at being a real mother. Luring her daughter into this make-believe world, the dolls begin to reveal themselves as thin veil covering the shocking secrets of her past. With reality crashing in on her, she finally has to face the truth about herself. A revelation that will transform her life.
Thrown straight into the emotional turmoil of the Faith's fragmented and disturbing world, the narrative gradually reveals itself as the pieces fit together. Told in a distinctive visual style through Faith's distorted perspective, we experience her anger, horror, fear, pain, and finally joy as she battles to be a real mother.
Rachel and Chloe are done with being innocent 14-year-olds. They head into town on a secret night out, dressed way beyond their years and oozing a sexuality they barely own. There, they find themselves pushed to extremes and the boundaries between innocent play and dangerous seduction start to blur.
In 1315, two young men encounter a traveling philosopher who proposes a very strange idea: there might not be a God or indeed any life other than this one. Magic, terror and comedy ensue.
Locked In is the story of an ordinary family on a deceptively ordinary day. The initial warm and quiet atmosphere takes a very disturbing turn and by the end of the afternoon the lives of this family will be changed forever.
Two teenage brothers must face their prejudices head on if they are to survive the perils of being young British Arabs on the streets of gangland London.
