UK SHORTS UNCOVERED Showcase

BULLY ME, BULLY WHO
Dir: Bruce Wall
26 mins, UK, 2003

Bully Me, Bully Who is a study on bullying and how drama can be an effective object lesson in the defence against such within criminal justice regimes. The film is produced under the Dreaming Will banner, a joint venture between the London Shakespeare Workout (LSW) Prison Project and Prisons Video Magazine, launched in January 2003 and piloted with ex-offenders and professionals in November 2002 at Cambridge University.
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ICA CINEMA 2: SUNDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER, 6.30PM 

PARADISE LOST
Dir: Inge Blackman
25 mins, UK, 2002.

Director Inge Blackman takes a personal journey to Trinidad where she spent her high school years. She discovers what it is like for gay people living in a country still steeped in Catholicism. She shows that even though the Bible is used to oppress homosexuals it also contains homoerotic texts. The film contains interviews with her parents as well as gay people living in Trinidad.

ICA CINEMA 2: MONDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER, 6.30PM

BROWN GIRL
Dir: Leanne Rahman
9 minutes, UK, 2003

Brown Girl explores the experiences, thoughts and feelings of a youngster being raised in the Caribbean with a violent father.

ICA CINEMA 1: TUESDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER, 4.30PM 

BROWN LIKE ME
Dir: Wade A. Jacks
8 mins, UK, 2003.

Brown Like Me is a tale of forbidden love, race and generational conflict.  The film presents a light hearted look at the dilemmas facing second generation Asians in 21st century Britain.  The filmmaker surrounded by a network of mixed race relationships, attempts with this film to uncover a slice of urban culture.

INTERLOPER
Dir: Robert Ford
Producer: Erinma Ochu
7 mins, UK, 2003.

The story revolves around Fola, a man driven to the edge after years of rejection from the world he desperately wants to become a part of. Taking inspiration from Shakespeare's Othello, Fola executes a plan that will bring him the attention he craves, whatever the cost.

LAND OF NOD
Dir: Chase Johnston-Lynch
10 minutes, UK, 2002

This is a story of a simple man who one day begins to notice something strange - a nod. Indeed, a friendly nod between strangers. We”ve all seen it? Have you ever wondered why black people do it?  This white man goes on a journey to uncover the reasons why.  But what happens when that which you are looking for begins to follow you?

THE N7
Dir: Jenny Lee
15 mins, UK, 2003

The N7  is a short film which demands empathy as it chronicles the journey of two young homeless men who decide to sleep on a night bus rather than on the streets of London for safety and warmth.

SNOT
Dir: Noel Vimal Stephens
8 mins, UK, 2003

Kofi, a mean African gangster and his sidekick Cockney Dave discover that Connor, a crafty little Scottish crook, has double-crossed them.  They take him away to the middle of nowhere to pay a fatal price for his betrayal.  With a knife against his throat, and no way out, the thin line between life and almost certain death turns out to be a dangling string of snotÖ.!

WHY I HATE KARAOKE
Dir: Ed Kellie
12 mins, UK, 2002

Max is a sophisticated, self-assured black man.  He is horrified to see Alice, his white wife, weaken to kitsch suburban crooning of a Karaoke singer called Barry.  Barry, named after his hero Barry White, is a white Barry White fanatic and is only too happy to have someone with whom to share his love of Karaoke.  Max plots to win with ëreal romance”, but blinded by jealousy, his attempts only make things much worse.

Supporting Short

CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE
Dir: Lloyd Rainford

20 mins, UK, 2003

After being denied access to their son Prince Anthony Grant, both the parents of Prince were horrified to find out that their son had died within the walls of Kings College Hospital, London ñ he was 14 months old.  And this was after the hospital repeatedly told the father that his son was not there. Born out of frustration, Caul Grant set up the Campaign for Truth and Justice. This documentary reveals the sinister side to institutions that he once respected and trusted.

ICA CINEMA 1: WEDNESDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER, 6.30PM  (including Q&A)

MULATTO SONG
Dir: Topher Campbell
7 mins, UK, 1996

Poetic short film which tells of the Polish Barbadian slave George Polgreen Bridgetower, who played first violin in the Prince of Wales” private orchestra.

ICA CINEMA 1: THURSDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER, 4.30PM

CHEATED DESIRE
Dir: Don Allen, 22 mins.

Michael lives in a stylish apartment with his beautiful, smart, witty girlfriend.  He is having a wild and passionate affair with a seductive woman.  He is tall, dark and handsome.  He believes he has it all. He will soon find out exactly what he doesn”t haveÖ..

KILLING TIME
Dir: Zadoc Nava, 8 mins.

After committing an unspecified act of violence a young prostitute, frightened and desperate, turns to her mini-cab drivers, for help.  A relaxed but cautious man he would like to help out but is concerned about the risks involved the ending is deliberately ambiguous and the audience can only speculate about the final outcome.
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MELVIN: PORTRAIT OF A PLAYER
Dir: Lawrence Coke,15 mins.

The Player is an entirely improvised spoof documentary based around a fictional character called Melvin Cartwright (player by Damian Carter).  Melvin believes that he is God”s gift to women, but in reality nothing could be further from the truth.  As the film progresses, a picture is slowly painted in Melvin as serial cheater with serious problems managing his finances.  The action also centres on Melvin”s twin brother Martin (played by his real-life twin brother Duane Carter)
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TARGET
Dir: Dee Allen, 10 mins. With Wil Johnson.

This 10 minute short looks at the mysterious world of the professional assassin, as two long term friends meet for what will be their final hours together.
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THE PHONE CALL
Dir: Julius Amedume, 25 mins.

The Phone Call is about a young man called Quentin who is awoken one morning by a phone call from his old school friend called John.  John uses the remaining strengths of their long but faded friendship and he asks Quentin to do him a favour.  The film follows the repercussions of this favour. 

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Dir: Elias Bewketu, 18 mins.

Shot in West London, the aptly-named University Challenge is based on a true story and follows the trials and tribulations of a final year undergraduate who is under pressure to submit a vital dissertation paper. Along the way, our anti-hero must contend with his inner demons as well as his outer before his fate is decided. Using DV cinematography, the story is told using a hybrid of slapstick, silent movie & musical. And all this in less than 15 minutes!

PRINCE CHARLES CINEMA: THURSDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER, 8.00PM