Zero Intention of Living Quietly

Director: Edward Lovelace

Year: 2024

Often attacked by people unable to cope with his extreme disfigurement, Adam glimpses a path from isolation to social inclusion through his love of cinema. On a quest to become a new type of movie hero and wanting to reach out to others in adversity, Adam finds salvation when confronted with Ellie, a young girl who also dreams of being a star but who has to face the reality that she has the same genetic condition as him - NF1. As kindred spirits bound together by both their condition and their aspiration, Ellie and Adam search for a path forward towards a moment when they can truly press play on life.

Director: Edward Lovelace

Year: 2022

An immersive cinematic experience about a young Deaf boy's emotional journey to express himself; a love letter to the power and magic of human communication. Lawand is a young Kurdish boy, deaf since birth. After a treacherous journey and a year in a Dunkirk refugee camp, the help of a deaf volunteer brings his family to Derby, where Lawand joins the Royal School for the Deaf. As he grows older, the film follows his dramatic progress in learning British Sign Language, revealing a bright, charismatic, and inquisitive boy who discovers friendship and a new way to express himself. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2022 - World premiere Official Selection Hot Docs 2023 - International premiere Grierson Awards 2023 - Nomination - Best Single Documentary – Domestic

Director: Siobhan Silén

Year: 2027

An animated VR short inspired by autistic musician Jen Msumba, who defies a system designed to erase her through synaesthetic music-making. It explores the universal need to be accepted for who we are. Participants journey through Jen’s life, from childhood, when the world feels confusing and “wonky”. Music is her safety and compass. While others read notes on a page, Jen sees visual maps that help her express emotions and navigate uncertainty. As a teenager, Jen’s mother becomes ill and her anxiety overwhelms her. Years of psychiatric institutions and medication leave her sedated, unable to play instruments. Her family sends her to the Judge Rotenberg Center, whose practices will later be described by the United Nations as torture. Over seven years of confinement and painful electric shocks, Jen is taught to believe she is “wrong”. Secretly composing music in her head becomes her refuge. Realising the centre will not support her independence, Jen writes to a judge and wins her freedom. She rediscovers music and invites us into her musical map, where participants touch and transform notes through movement, shifting melodies from classical to punk rock. We end with Jen performing on stage.