Wilderness

Director: Michael J Bassett

Year: 2003

1917. The Western Front. A million or more Allied and German troops face each other across the shattered landscape of northern Europe. A world of mud, entangled by a wilderness of barbed wire, scarred by miles of trenches, soaked with the blood of the fallen, the air fetid with the suffocating stench of death and gas. Hundreds of thousands of young men are already buried in this terrible wasteland; hundreds of thousands more will die here before the slaughter ends. It is here that one young man must face the truth about himself; that he is a coward, unable to face the coming horror of battle. Private Charlie Shakespeare is frozen with fear. Forced over the top at gunpoint he is hurled into the chaos of battle, witness to the decimation of his comrades; bodies shredded by machine-gun fire, others are blown apart by stray shells. He is alone, desperate to turn and flee. Then the poison gas drifts over the nightmare battle field and all he can do is fumble for his mask, press himself deeper into the mud and pray for dawn. When the battle is over, Shakespeare and the handful of other survivors from Y-Company are utterly lost somewhere in enemy territory. Their only shelter is an abandoned German trench. It's a claustrophobic maze of blind corners and underground tunnels, overflowing with war dead and infested with rats. Here, exhausted and terrified, they seek refuge, waiting to be rescued. But no one will come and as the night draws in, one by one, the young men of Y Company begin to die. An unseen enemy is stalking them, driving them insane with fear until they begin to turn on each other. Is their refuge possessed by something even more terrible than the war that surrounds them? In this cursed, lonely place, Private Charlie Shakespeare must find the strength to overcome his own deepest fears if he is to survive.

Director: Adrian Maganza

Year: 2025

A rescue dummy gets forgotten at the bottom of a swimming pool. Behind his single expression, a whirlwind of emotions flood his plastic carcass as he fantasies about being picked up and brought to the surface in the strong and reassuring arms of a swimmer. Official Selection London Short Film Festival 2026

Director: Wapah Ezeigwe

Year: 2025

The film narrates the complex journey of a young woman as she is promised in an arranged marriage to a wealthy aristocrat. As she navigates this new social landscape, she unexpectedly finds herself drawn towards another woman from her town. This secret affection creates a conflict within her, torn between fulfilling her marital duties and following her heart. Through its poignant portrayal of love in the face of societal expectations, the movie explores themes of identity, independence, and the struggle for authentic connection amidst tradition-bound constraints. As the protagonist grapples with these competing forces in her life, viewers are drawn into a captivating tale of self-discovery and the courage to embrace one's own desires. Official Selection BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2025