Spring Breakers heralds what is being described as Korine’s most mainstream film to date. Personally I’d have to disagree with that categorisation, more liking is that it’s a tag applied to the film because of the presence of Disney’s finests, Selina Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens within the cast. The title pretty much sums up the film’s contents. For those unfamiliar with the custom, Spring Break is a singularly American past time, the premise of which seems to be that the vast majority of US university students go away over the Easter holidays to a hot beach destination. From my (limited) viewpoint, the poor go to Florida, the rich used to go to Cancun but now go to Boracay and the people in the middle fill the Cancun void. Once they arrive, they basically drink excessively and in between pour booze all over themselves (what a waste). I assume they also take loads of drugs but can’t say I witnessed that. I did however see girls remove their bikini tops and invite boys to pour drinks over their breasts, whilst the boys behave like they’re ballers when in reality they’re being (to use their vernacular) total douchebags. If you’re wondering how I gained my first hand insight into such japes, I can confirm that some very annoying Spring Breaking Americans irritated me whilst I was in Boracay. In case it’s not clear, I found the whole real life experience of Spring Break exasperatingly dull.

Spring Breakers the film follows four girls (Hudgens, Gomez, Rachel Korine and Ashley Benson who manage, against the odds, to go from their shit hole, one horse town to Florida on Spring Break. Once there, they get up to all the usual Spring Break shenanigans including sniffing coke off naked women. Unfortunately for them they get caught and end up in prison in just their bikinis. They’re bailed out by Alien, a real life gangster rapper played by James Franco. Undeterred by their brief spell in the slammer they follow Alien in to a life of crime.

Let me be clear; Korine could have made a really good film if he hadn’t allowed himself to get distracted by fake tits, massive arses and girls throwing alcohol around (such a waste). There were parts of the film detailing teens frolicking on the beach which could have been lifted straight from Cunningham’s Windowlicker promo – the light saturation and cinematography reminded me of the infamous beach scene, minus the grotesque face. As you may have gathered from my Boracay experience, watching stupid kids do stupid shit is trying at best and really fucking boring at worst. Korine dedicates around a third of the film to following the girls around when instead he could have wrapped it up in a ten minute montage and we’d have still got the measure of the girls and the debauched Spring Break experience.

Franco however makes this film and holds you mesmerised every second he’s on screen. As with every role Franco takes on, he throws himself so whole heartedly in to it that you wonder why he doesn’t sport corn rows and grills all the time. Alien is the gangster as described in hip hop. He has a slick drugs operation, guns on his walls and most importantly any Calvin Klein aftershave he wants. The girls become enamoured with Alien and his lifestyle whilst the watcher wonders what his motives are for rescuing the girls from their hopeless situation. As times goes on, the girls shed numbers until Alien is left with his core girls who are just as gangster as he is. Whilst Franco is amazing the girls could be played by anyone in a bikini. I can only assume that Gomez and Hudgens took on the role to shed they’re squeaky clean images. I’m not sure if it’s worked or not as Hudgens’ acting comprises licking things in a provocative manner whilst Gomez cries and rings her grandmother. Rachel Korine obviously is pretty much a shoe in for any film her husband makes, whilst I’ve never heard of Ashley Benson and I don’t think she’ll be winning awards any time soon.

Ultimately, despite assertions to the contrary, this is not a mainstream film. The themes are too uncomfortable and at times the cinematography feels too exploitative. Spring Breakers is mostly entertaining, but I won’t be imploring others to strip down, get their drink on and join the party.

What Richard Did is the third film from Lenny Abrahamson , a director we’ve had our eye on ever since he sat down with MarBelle to discuss his critically acclaimed (and financially lucrative) second feature Garage. The film examines the culpability of the well to do teenagers at its centre and the moral compass of individuals.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be well aware that many countries are currently embroiled in a recession so deep, it’s hard to even imagine the light at the end of this dour tunnel. Often held up as emblematic of the crazy lending culture that simply could not continue is Ireland, but even in the time of the Celtic Tiger there was always an unspoken chasm between classes. Whilst never explicitly stated it’s clear that Richard (played by an excellent Jack Reynor) comes from an affluent family; he’s 17 years old, on the cusp of beginning his university career and spends his days driving around Dublin in a brand new Golf, sporting designer sunglasses and hanging out in the family’s large home on the Dublin coast. He is the alpha male of not only his school mates, but his rugby club too and for these reasons behaves as he wishes and is revered by friends and peers alike, along with some of his elders. However, Richard oversteps the mark when he steals Roisin Murphy’s Lara from his team mate Conor. Whilst most in the group would acquiesce to his claiming their girlfriend like so much chattel, Conor stages a sort of fight back and from this flows Richard’s self-justified desire for revenge and its consequences.

Whilst I’m not completely enamoured with What Richard Did, I was taken with its characterisation of people’s reactions to events somewhat out of their control. Richard’s father’s (played amazingly by Lars Mikkelsen, brother of Mads) behaviour is particularly questionable and made me considered the push/pull of feelings parents invariable experience when they discover their child has spectacularly fucked up. Equally, Richard (as so many of us secretly do) believes himself to be a hero for much of the film, despite his comportment being far from heroic. Ultimately, events in What Richard Did don’t coalesce into a big finale but instead leave the audience, if you’re anything like me, pondering questions of morality.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God looks at the cover up of sexual abuse by the Catholic church. It seems no one knows exactly when the cover ups began, but what is certain is that they’ve been ongoing for a long time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (aka Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), was not only complicit in that cover up but a fundamental part of it. Gibney’s documentary begins by examining the sustained abuse of deaf boys at a Catholic school by a priest. The story bares out the pattern of abuse that we’ve become familiar with through numerous newspaper exposés; a person in a position of trust abuses children safe in the knowledge that children are seen and not heard. In this case, the abuse was made all the worse as when the children came forward they were further disbelieved due to their disability. Abuse of children is always shocking, but when you discover the hearing community didn’t believe the children, in part because they were deaf, it makes you wonder how blinded by bigotry a community can be.

As the abused children became adults they launched an action against the church that went all the way to the Vatican. What Mea Maxima Culpa uncovers does not just relate to their abuse but abuse worldwide. From the priest who assaulted the deaf children being known as an abuser and retired due to ‘ill health’ instead of being brought to justice, to the attempted rehabilitation of paedophile priests it can be strongly argued that the church was more concerned with ensuring its reputation remained untarnished than the welfare of its most vulnerable worshippers.

The revelations are shocking even to those who have been following the abuse scandals since they hit the news. At times the revelations have the feel of an episode of Brass Eye. If Chris Morris came up with the idea of sending all paedophile priests to an island in the Caribbean so they were segregated in paradise we’d laugh at the clearly preposterous idea. Not so in the Catholic church as this was actually a mooted solution.

Sight unseen, some may dismiss the revelations presented in this documentary as scaremongering and perhaps not entirely true. To those people I suggest watching it with an open mind – it’s not the scandal alone that could bring down the church, but the substantial payouts which are likely to follow any findings of liability. With an extremely limited release in the UK it’s probably not in a cinema near you but seeing as Mea Maxima Culpa is a HBO documentary I’m hoping that it will hit DVD soon and iTunes maybe even sooner.

Colin Trevorrow’s film tells the fictional story of Kenneth (Mark Duplass), who places the advert, and three magazine workers who make it their business to find him and tell his story – at least that’s the line they feed their editor. It just so happens that Kenneth lives where reporter Jeff’s (Jake Johnson) high school sweetheart now resides. He seizes this fortuitous opportunity to try and hook up with the one that got away whilst making interns Arnau (Karan Soni) and Darius (a lead debut for Aubrey Plaza) do all the work. Darius acts as ‘woman bait’ for the clearly ostracised Kenneth. It’s pretty obvious from the beginning that Kenneth is the outsider of the town; for a start, he believes in time travel and secondly he looks a bit odd and dresses like Axel Rose circa 1988. In reality, Darius and Arnau are just as ostracised as Kenneth; Darius has never really fitted in and Arnau is a paid up nerd with bad dress sense to boot. Jeff, on the other hand, seems to be quite popular. When he hooks up with his sweetheart he measures this popularity by his material gains since they left high school. When she prompts him to tell her about his life he says, “I just did”, having inventoried his possessions.

As Safety Not Guaranteed progresses you begin to wonder who is truly the deluded individual; the guy with an obsessive need to travel back in time to make something right or the guy with an obsessive need to amass possessions to illustrate he’s a success? One also starts to wonder if Kenneth is as much of a nut job as you first thought.

Perhaps it’s because I’m at the start of my 2013 film watching but I liked Safety Not Guaranteed. For me, it was a film that makes the characters, and you, examine what’s really important. It’s not a subtle film – Jeff is clearly the superficial character who values good looks and possessions over everything else, whilst the interns and Kenneth appreciate true friendship because they lacked it growing up. As the film progresses, Jeff has an epiphany and realises that driving an Escalade is probably not the be all and end all. Life is about appreciating what you have but also grabbing what you can, when you can. Jeff recognises that the interns are inhibited by their still adolescent naivety and encourages them to seize the day and do all the things they want without remorse or over analysis.

The performances are good and after around half an hour I’d overcome the urge to quote lines from New Girl and Scott Pilgrim vs The World at the screen – no mean feat when you’re as amused by Nick Miller as I am! Safety Not Guaranteed does become a little unbelievable as it progresses but perhaps that’s simply because, judging by my 2012 Top Ten, I’m not calibrated for saccharine sweet endings.

As is now traditional, in the twilight days of 2012 I peered into the past year asking myself, “What films have stayed with me, what am I still thinking about?”, even if they niggled a bit. This is my criteria for the films I have chosen for my top ten. I have (as is also now traditional) *slightly* broken MarBelle’s stringent rules for film selection, but I haven’t included any artworks this year, all films were released in 2012 and I saw all but one of them in the cinema.

If I was going to go hell for leather and completely break the rules I would include The Shining which I saw on re-release on the big screen in 2012. In all the years since its release it’s lost none of its brilliant creepiness. When I first read the book as a teenager it terrified me so much that I had to put the book out on the landing at night. I loved watching the film again and I urge you to watch this short doc that Kubrick’s daughter Vivian made during production – I’m also eagerly awaiting Room 237 about the legacy of the film when it comes to my base and home from home, Broadway Cinema.

I went to see two future cinema productions – Bugsy Malone and Grease – these immersive, cinematic experiences bring films off the screen and right into the audience. Being pelted in the face with a cream pie by my cackling eight year old as the end scene of Bugsy Malone unfolded was a real highlight. Truly brilliant.

2012 was also a stellar year for Sheffield DocFest which has gone from strength to strength and is now well established as an absolute must attend date for the documentary industry. Their opening double bill was the scorching live rendition of the – British Sea Power soundtracked costal oddessey From the Land to the Sea Beyond – which can now be watched in full here and the multi award winning Searching for Sugarman. If you have even a passing interest in film go in 2013!

Seven Psychopaths is the tale of Marty (Colin Farrell), a borderline (more on that later), alcoholic screenwriter who is currently facing writer’s block. Marty has a brilliant idea for a script called Seven Psychopaths. Thus far he has one page written and one psychopath. And maybe another psychopath in development. Problem is, he doesn’t want his film to be about psychopaths, Marty wants it to be about peace a concept that doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand with psychopaths.

He lives with his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) who does yoga and attempts to keep Marty away from his wayward best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell). Billy is an actor. Not a very successful one. To keep a roof over his head he runs a dog stealing business with Hans (Christopher Walken). Obviously ‘business’ is a stretch, due to the illegal nature of the operation perhaps ‘racket’ would be a better description. The idea is pretty simple; steal a dog, hold it hostage until a ransom poster is put up and then return the dog. It’s a victimless crime, that is until they steal the dog of psychopathic gangster, Charlie (Woody Harrelson). Charlie loves his dog, Bonnie, more than anything else. So much so that when Bonnie is stolen a crime spree of epic proportions commences, which may or may not influence the script Marty is so desperately trying to produce.

Various accusations have been levelled at Seven Psychopaths; that it is a film which is less than the sum of its parts but that the parts are extremely good (what does that even mean?!) and that it owes more than a small debt to Tarantino. Whilst I can not deny that the film has shades of Tarantino in it I do think it’s an original piece of and not the blatant rip off some have suggested. There are also shades of other writers in the film, Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation sprang to mind in particular due to its meta nature and Marty voicing his anxieties of what he doesn’t want the script to become whilst it unfolds as his worst case scenario. Again, this is not such a blatant rip off that you end up questioning McDonagh’s ability. I believe that most scripts pay homage to what has gone before, the mark of a good screenwriter is in their ability to take those elements they admire and mashing them up in to one great superscript. Sometimes it goes wrong, sometimes it goes right, in the case of Seven Psychopaths it goes right. Very right.

If you’ve seen In Bruges (if not, why not? It’s amazing!) then you’ll know that McDonagh isn’t one to shy away from gung ho killings. I stopped counting the kills after the first two, which happened in the first scene. Whilst there is a lot of violence it’s so intrinsic to the film that it never feels gratuitous but instead is often used as a comedic device.

The film’s stellar cast is augmented with cameos from Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Pitt and Michael Stuhlbarg. For me, there were showboating performances, Farrell, Walken and Rockwell blend brilliantly as a team and never vie for centre stage. As testimony to their acting, I went from laughing out loud to being on the verge of tears in a matter of minutes, with the exploration of the relationship between Hans and his wife being particularly touching.

For me, the film explores exactly what a psychopath is. There’s an ongoing joke that Marty is an alcoholic which can’t really be helped as he is Irish after all. It’s his heritage but he should really try and curb the bourbon intake. This sage advice is doled out by Billy, who for his own part comes across as completely deranged, and Hans who, whilst not deranged, is certainly not a ‘normal’ individual. Advice received from such people should be questioned, however, they don’t not see themselves as psychopaths and so they believe their advice should be heeded. (I’m Irish. Marty was fine. For an Irish person).

Some of the psychopaths are deemed crazy because of their violent tendencies. In my opinion, it is not their actions but their motivations that make them psychopathic. Then again, some people might consider me a maniac. So my (maniac) advice to you is go see this film. It is brilliant.

***Kind Of Plot Spoilers Maybe***

Following the film Martin McDonagh and Producer Graham Broadbent took to the stage for a Q&A. There were a few questions relating to the the ‘other’ McDonagh brother. What you can take from them is the following:

They don’t really read each others scripts until the film is pretty much done and they’re happy for each other’s success.

Most of the questions related to McDonagh’s dialogue. Prior to writing films he was a prolific playwright with a reputation for writing meaty roles that gave actors something to chew over. One might imagine that writing a play and writing a film require different approaches. In the case of McDonagh this isn’t the case. He tends to sit down and bang out a script with very few re-write or changes. Which means that he must be a naturally funny and sweary man. The main difference he believes between plays and films is the sheer scope that a film allows for location.

Seven Psychopaths is set and was filmed pretty much in its entirety in LA. Nowadays films that are set in LA are generally not filmed there due to funding. There are various tax breaks in other states for the film industry and so filming somewhere else is a lot more attractive than filming in LA. However, in the same way that Bruges was a character in In Bruges so too is LA a character in Seven Psychopaths. For this reason, it was important to remain in LA and have the authenticity that comes from being in the actual city.

Funding was also touched upon when someone asked how they managed to procure such an amazing cast on what was a comparatively small budget. Broadbent was cagey on this topic merely saying what has been said by so many before; if an actor likes a film but the pay isn’t as much as a Hollywood blockbuster they’ll take a cut to support a small film and have the opportunity of being challenged. The success of In Bruges was a draw for many of the actors involved as they knew the quality script McDonagh would produce.

And finally, someone asked how auto-biographical the script was. McDonagh admitted that on the face of it there may be some similarities but in real life he is nothing like Farrell’s character. One commented that perhaps it’s more reflective of Colin Farrell; he has been embraced by the Hollywood machine but is yearning for something a bit more worthwhile than just another Hollywood blockbuster, hence attaching to films like Seven Psychopaths. McDonagh admitted that that’s the first time he’s heard the theory and of the two, it’s the one he prefers most!

Whilst Tina and Chris are not the most conventional of couples, they do have their own moral code to which they adhere and expect others to do likewise. So whilst they trail around, Yorkshire litterbugs, posh people and anyone they believe in breach of their moral code end up quite, quite dead. It may be about now that you’re thinking perhaps I was mistaken when I said Sightseers screened in the LFF Comedy Gala. I’m not. The gruesome murders are interspersed with genuine laugh out loud humour that reminded me of the work of Chris Morris or Julia Davis.

Sightseers is exceptionally well written and extremely clever in its execution. At the start of the film it’s safe to say that Chris wears the trousers in the relationship but as things progress power slowly shifts so that by the end you’re left pondering if perhaps Tina was always much more of a mentalist than she initially appeared and her holiday with Chris was just the thing she needed to tap into her inner psychopath. Judging by the post-screening Q&A responses it took Lowe and Oram a long time to write the film, although they couldn’t quite confirm how long. The ‘Tina and Chris’ dynamic began life as characters played by the pair at comedy nights and honed by audience reactions as to what did or didn’t work. They then made a short to use as a platform for feature funding, after which Wheatley, Film4 and Big Talk Productions climbed on board.

Wheatley has become famed for his bleak, dark work and in the Q&A stated that this film came as light relief even if there were a few deaths along the way. One thing I’ve noticed from Wheatley’s previous work is his ability to shoot a murder so it appears just as realistic and gruesome as real life violence. That sensibility is still present in Sightseers and on more than one occasion I felt compelled to look away from the screen. I should have also covered my ears, as the sound department perfectly matched the visuals with stomach churning cracks and thumps which rendered the murders all the more horrific. I’m confident this wasn’t down to some kind of frail sensibility on my part, as I can confirm that MrSubs leaned forward and groaned in sympathetic pain at the exact same moment as when Tina hit Chris very hard and very precisely in the nads.

Sightseers is brilliant and I’d recommend anyone who’s liked Wheatley’s previous work to go and see it. Even if you haven’t seen Down Terrace or Kill List I’d still say that this is the Wheatley gateway film for you, especially if you enjoy dark comedy that does much more than ‘boy meets girl and woes her through not so hilarious situations’ – then after you’ve watched it, do yourself a favour and dig out the other films too!

Listen to DN’s pre-Cannes interview with Ben Wheatley. Sightseers pulls into UK cinemas on 30th November

I’ve always been suspicious of couples who have a schtick in constantly talking to each other in baby language or the like. Apologies if you’re one half of said couples but I can’t help my opinion and there it is. The reason these besotted lovebirds draw my suspicions is because I can never shake the feelings of contrivance such behaviour produces, it being the nonsensical equivalent of saying, “LOOK AT US. WE ARE SO INTIMATE AND IN LOVE WE DON’T EVEN HAVE TO SPEAK PROPERLY”. If you have to convince each other of your intimacy by speaking like an 18 month year old toddler then I doth my cap to your unshakable besottedness, because when you do it in public you don’t care who knows you’re an idiot.

Margot (Michelle Williams) and Lou (Seth Rogan) are one such couple, which was not the first alarm bell that Sarah Polley sounds in Take This Waltz. The opening scene sees Margot at a folk park where history is acted out asked to flog an actor who has ‘Adulterer’ written across him. OK, let’s not pretend the opening’s subtle, but everything else about this film is. I loved it.

Margot and Lou are married but Margot is discontent with her lot. On a flight she meets an extremely handsome man, Daniel (Luke Kirby), who serendipitously lives across the road from her. As the film progresses it charts Margot’s betrayal of Lou. The couple are childless and live together in a Toronto suburb. Lou endlessly cooks chicken for a recipe book that you get the distinct impression will never be written. Margot talks to him in the above mentioned baby language and wistfully searches for something more as she starts to spend an increasing amount of time with Daniel. Whilst she doesn’t physically cheat on Lou, the meetings are so cloak and dagger and the attraction between them so obvious, that the viewer is left in no doubt that she is betraying her marriage. Set against this are the relationships that orbit their marriage, such as her friendship with recovering alcoholic Geraldine (Sarah Silverman) and Lou’s family. Eventually Margot makes a decision between her marriage and the handsome stranger.

For me, two scenes stand out in particular in Take This Waltz, the first being Seth Rogan’s reaction to what I assume is Margot telling him she’s leaving. We never see what causes him to breakdown but the result is breathtaking acting by Rogan. I’m so used to his rubber face contorting itself in to various comical guises in mediocre Hollywood comedies that this delivery is both heartbreaking and relentless. Cinematographer Luc Montpellier shoots the scene so that we only see Margot’s final response to his tears and it’s cut in such a fashion that it almost seems like out takes of raw emotion. Montpellier should also be applauded for the film’s vivacious colours which immediately struck me for their Instagram-like beauty. My second favourite scene charts Margot and Daniel’s relationship in two minutes. It is so cleverly done, starting with a bed in the middle of the room as their shared possessions multiply around them denoting the passage of time and the item that is fundamental to their relationship. As time passes the bed becomes less integral, reflecting the change inherent in all relationships as they mature.

You may know Sarah Polley from her acting days. She’s been in lots of films but my favourite is Go where she plays an accidental drug dealer. Polley has directed a variety of shorts and for this her second feature, she once again took on the combined writer/director role as in the Oscar nominated Away From Her. However with Take This Waltz it seems that Polley has crafted a somewhat divisive story. There are many people who believe the film is written in such a way as to encourage you not to judge Margot for cheating on her husband. It’s true that the betrayal is portrayed so subtly and slowly that when the physical act takes place you’re not shocked by it. However, I did judge her. Not as an adulterer but as an individual who will forever be discontent no matter who she has a relationship with. Some people are built to always be looking for the next thrill and if it isn’t imminent they leave. This is what Margot does. Whether that makes her a bad person or not is for the watcher to decide. Sarah Silverman’s Geraldine (who is extremely well cast, plays it straight and is as good as most ‘proper’ actresses around) tells Margot something that she should really pay heed to:

“Life has a gap in it… It just does. You don’t go crazy trying to fill it.”

Pushing Boundaries
Although Luciano Foglia’s Geometric Porn would have made an incredibly interesting addition to the Apple app library, we instead have to settle for his provocative short animation that replicates explicit sexual acts with simple geometric shapes and hopefully makes its viewers consider exactly what should be deemed as ‘explicit’.

Newcomer
Whilst the pleasure of the Newcomer category is often that of discovery and Michael van der Put’s Callum was a pleasant addition to our ‘shorts watched’ list, Jonathan Gales’ GAMMA sneaks in as our favourite with its mix of stolen footage, CGI and well delivered ‘witness’ testimony.

Short Film
Not chosen simply because he featured in our latest DN interview, Mustapha Kseibati’s Painkiller is a well-scripted drama, full of assured performances and confident directing. In a category also featuring the impressive black comedy Long Distance Information from Douglas Hart and the unusual fashion film Skirt by Amanda Boyle, it’s a glowing recommendation for Kseibati’s directorial talents and Selina Lim’s writing prowess that their film tops the category.

Music Video
It was hard enough getting down to three music video picks never mind a single selection. That being said, as much as we enjoyed Jake Gyllenhaal loosing his shit or wanted to drift away with Olivia Merilahti, we truly believe AG Rojas has made not just a promo, but a short which will be considered an exemplar of the form for many years to come.

International
Shot in glorious 35mm, Arnaud Brisebois & Francis Leclerc’s visually stunning short Trotteur mixes sumptuous cinematography with well-executed CG effects to make a stunning directorial debut from this creative duo.

Long Form
It feels bad choosing a film that you can’t watch and currently doesn’t even have a trailer online, but take that as an expression of just how much Peter at the End impressed us. If you do get a chance to see Russ Lamoureux’s long short definitely take it, your family and friends will appreciate the calls you feel compelled to give them as the credits roll.

Animation
Whilst Dan Ojari’s slow-paced, stop-motion Slow Derek would happily grace the winners’ circle at any short film festival, we’ve championed the inventive style of Joseph Pierce since stumbling on his first short Stand Up back in 2008. His latest animation The Pub is the final film in his rotoscoped trilogy and once again provides a playful insight into British society.

Documentary
Roger the Real Life Superhero overcame my cynicism and Centrefold informed at the most personal of levels through its combination of interviews and animation, but Afarin Eghbal’s mixed media documentary Abuelas successfully employed a host of creative techniques without ever loosing sight of the tragic story at its core.

Abuelas – Afarin Eghbal

Combining stop motion, pixilation and live action with real-life testimonials from members of the ‘Grandmothers of May Square’, Abuelas frames the injustice of Argentina’s General Videla’s military dictatorship in the story of a grandmother who has waited over 30 years to see her granddaughter after she and her parents became members of the 30,000 ‘disappeared’. Afarin Eghbal’s approach of confining the story within the grandmother’s home is inspired; the device of individuals being excised from family photographs just one of many effective methods of demonstrating their forced absence.

Roger the Real Life Superhero – Cathy Macdonald

Even after seeing Michael Barnett’s real life superhero documentary Superheroes last year, I still approach the concept of people dressing up in spandex to ‘do good’ with a heart attack inducing amount of salt. That being said, I’m willing to make an exception for Roger, the star of Cathy Macdonald’s heartfelt documentary which saw me transformed from sceptic to banner waving supporter of its mild mannered hero.

Centrefold – Ellie Land

Spurred by reports read in the national press, Ellie Land’s Centrefold recounts the stories of women who have undergone labiaplasty surgery; not as a superficial vanity move, but rather as a way to restore self confidence in a world obsessed with physical appearance. Land’s combination of first person accounts with stylized animation gives an intimate account of the feelings of women normally too embarrassed to share their concerns.

Slow Derek – Dan Ojari

Having toured the world since its premiere at the Royal College of Art show in 2011, Dan Ojari’s Slow Derek – a film about a man struggling with the true speed of planet earth – is an animation with a reputation quickly gathering pace. Animation is not a medium renowned for its use of the slowly unwinding storyline, but with Slow Derek focusing on a man seemingly stuck in the mundane rigors of everyday life, the confident pacing of Ojari’s short really stands out. Set in a meticulously detailed industrialised world and shot using stop-motion techniques, Derek’s world suddenly catapults into life with the simple discovery of an informational card in his morning cereal.

Pythagasaurus – Peter Peake

If you know even a little about the animation industry in the UK, the name Aardman should be instantly recognisable to you. Infamous for their claymation work, the studio has been creating animations for over 40 years and show no signs of stopping in the near future. Whilst their feature films will always hog the limelight, the studio has also been producing some outstanding shorts in recent years (Luis Cook’s The Pearce Sisters being an excellent example). Featuring a maths-loving dinosaur and two hapless cavemen, latest short Pythagasaurus, from director Peter Peake features all the fun you’d usually expect in an Aardman film, whilst also injecting a huge dose of style with some beautifully realised animation from the CG department.

The Pub – Jospeh Pierce

I first stumbled across the work of Joseph Pierce at the London International Animation Festival back in 2008, where his short Stand Up blew me away with its dark humour and distinctive style. Pierce’s recognisable approach to animation is back once again in his latest short The Pub. The third in a trilogy of rotoscoped shorts, this latest instalment of weirdness from the award winning animator submerges us in the murky slipstream of a North London pub.

Peter at the End – Russ Lamoureux

Some trips home come charged with a stack of emotional baggage; things unsaid, family left behind, exes and friends fondly remembered but not active parts of your present all wait for you there. The stakes of Peter’s trip home are as high as can be when he heads back to say a final goodbye to those he loves. In the wrong hands Peter at the End could easily have headed into mawkish territory but Russ Lamoureux expertly delivers Jon Heder’s performance as Peter wrapped in a hug I wished could last just a little longer.

The Father – David Easteal

When I met Australian director David Easteal at the London Film Festival, he handed me a copy of The Father with the encouraging words “You might like it if you don’t mind a shaky about camera kinda style“. I don’t know if he was attempting to lower my expectations, but he needn’t of worried as his tale of dereliction of duty laced with a shot at redemption was Impressive enough for him to join the DN interview alumni.

Cowboys – James Alexandrou

James Alexandrou jumped into his debut short Cowboys feet first and more than a little green about certain aspects of filmmaking; “I had ideas, that’s a start but how do you actually write a script? How do you structure it? Once you’ve done that how do you get from there to filming it, then how do you edit the thing?” I’d say he passed his trail by fire with flying colours and has delivered a semi-autobiographical short on the destructive nature of gambling addiction laced with true emotion and creative flair.

Trotteur – Arnaud Brisebois & Francis Leclerc

Trotteur, Arnaud Brisebois & Francis Leclerc’s first venture as a directing team is a cinematic, metaphorical short where a settling of accounts between a young man and a locomotive turns into a diabolical race against a merciless opponent. Shot in glorious 35mm by DoP Steve Asselin and featuring stunning FX that call on Brisebois’ experience as the head of the art department for films such as 300, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Fantastic Four, Trotteur’s striking visuals and intriguing story make it a stand out short in any competition.

Dr Grordbort presents: The Deadliest Game – James Cunningham

Welcome to the steampunk world of Dr Grordbort, inventor of rayguns, armourer of the free Earth and general bastion of society. Created by 11 students of the Media Design School, this heady mix of live action and CGI is not only a shining example of the work emanating from this New Zealand institute but a standout short fiction film. Overflowing with outstanding visual effects, Dr Grordbort presents: The Deadliest Game transports us to a world of alien creatures and old-school attitudes in one of the weirdest safaris ever seen on screen.

The Hiccup – Matt Smukler

Ninja swords, horny friends of the family and unexpected deaths feature in The Hiccup by director Matt Smukler, as Two friends desperately trying to skip town find that an overheated radiator is the least of their problems.

Spiritualized: Hey Jane – AG Rojas

Promo directors rarely get to craft stories as well as AG Rojas’ NSFW 10 minute film for Spiritualized’s Hey Jane, and that’s probably a good thing as I don’t think I could handle the intensity of the journey he puts his transvestite protagonist through every time I wanted to watch a promo. Emotionally epic, whilst being laser focussed on a life you’ve probably never considered before, Hey Jane will undoubtedly be cited in years to come as one of the standout promos from music video history.

The Shoes:Time to Dance – Daniel Wolfe
Ever since El Vez posted Daniel Wolfe’s Time to Dance promo I’ve had an irrational fear of people wearing fencing gear. Scratch that, there’s nothing at all irrational about my fear after seeing how convincing Jake Gyllenhaal is as a psychotic murderer stalking Dalston hipsters. Remind me to turn down the next party/club night invite I get.

The Dø: Gonna Be Sick – Nez
Least you think it takes a killing or two to making it into my picks, let’s finish off with the all together calmer (well until the storm hits) but highly inventive Nez directed promo for The Dø’s Gonna Be Sick. The black and white cinematography and title cards play perfectly with Olivia Merilahti’s sea swept performance, and the hurricane section has to be the best use of silk sheets in history.

Painkiller – Mustapha Kseibati

With Paul Andrew Williams, writer and director of London to Brighton as his mentor, you’d expect good things from young up and coming director Mustapha Kseibati. His latest short Painkiller – the story of a convenience store robbery that quickly goes wrong – is not only a showcase of his confident directing style, but also of the writing talent of Selina Lim. Brimming with well considered dialogue, dramatic twists and the odd flash of comedy, Kseibati opts against quick edits and short takes to perfectly highlight Lim’s script and the strong performances from his cast.

Long Distance Information – Douglas Hart

Not content with being the first bassist and founding member of the band The Jesus and Mary Chain and director of almost 30 music videos for the likes of The Stone Roses, Primal Scream, The Horrors and more, Douglas Hart has now expanded his repertoire with his first foray into short film with the black comedy Long Distance Information. Starring Peter Mullan, one of the UK’s most underrated actors, Hart’s semi-autobiographical short explores the relationship between an emotionally distant father and his son.

Skirt – Amanda Boyle

Commissioned by Mulberry, recent winner of the fashion category at the Vimeo Awards 2012 Skirt from director Amanda Boyle, is the odd yet heartwarming tale of a couple sharing an apartment. As time goes by, one impromptu tidying of the other’s belongings soon develops into a bizarre routine of possession stacking and a way for them to baffle, fight, flirt and maybe even fall in love with each other. Largely dialogue free, Boyle’s short has the feel of the art-house about it and could have easily come from the mumblecore school or even from the new wave of Greek cinema we’ve recently witnessed with Dogtooth and Attenburg.

GAMMA – Jonathan Gales

GAMMA from Jonathan Gales of multi-talented outfit Factory Fifteen, is one of those pieces that not only stands up to multiple viewings (we first spotted in February) but also becomes more impressive the more you know about its production. A well crafted monologue which falls somewhere between eye witness testimony and plea of desperation playing out over the crumbling destruction of Pripyat and snatched glances of its weary narrator.

Callum – Michael van der Put

Michael van der Put’s Central Saint Martins graduation film Callum, sees its lonely protagonist find love only to have it snatched from him into tragedy, he then has to deal with the conflict of a gang that demands his silence and his own guilt over his inaction. The script follows the expected conventions of the genre but van der Put makes good use of his mixed timelines, whilst James Tarpey delivers Callum’s grief/guilt convincingly.

Extranjero – The Queen

It was less than a week ago that I finally watched Sundance London winning short Extranjero, so it’s still clear to me why this low budget film would rise (sorry) to the top of any selection it found itself in. All joking aside, its etherial, dreamlike qualities remain even when you already know how things play out.

Rushes Soho Shorts’ Pushing Boundaries category features films with innovative ideas that test the filmakers’ creative borders, as well as audience expectations. Populated with adverts for well-known brands and experimental pieces, the shortlist contains a few standout films that may already be familiar to regular DN visitors.

Shift – Max Hattler

When it comes to pushing boundaries, there aren’t many that do it better than experimental animator and media artist Max Hattler. We’ve featured Hattler’s work on the site numerous times in the last four years and his experimental “moving art” never fails to impress. With two films shortlisted in this category, his standout piece is Shift – a stop-motion animation that uses objects to explore science fiction themes.

Grindin’ – Rogier van der Zwaag

In terms of technique, painted blocks might not sound like the most revolutionary tools in creating a boundary pushing film. Yet, the technique displayed in Rogier van der Zwaag’s music video for Nobody Beats the Drum track Grindin’ is so flawless, you probably wouldn’t realize it wasn’t computer generated until somebody told you.

Geometric Porn – Luciano Foglia

The use of sexually explicit images in film has always courted controversy, but what if those visuals were made of plain shapes of colour? This is the approach UK based visual artist Luciano Foglia takes with his animated short Geometric Porn, in which he poses the question – when do images become explicit? An animation based around shapes might be something you would expect to find on children’s television, but these are shapes and concepts the younger generation certainly won’t understand.

TCOLondon is the creative agency behind Little White Lies and Huck magazine. Last Wednesday heralded the opening of their basement space with the exhibition ‘What We’re Doing; What We’ve Done’. The exhibition is a look back at the last seven years and consisted of pretty much the most beautiful prints I have ever seen encased in a space which is both sparse and arresting at the same time. The exhibition space is 100 square metres and hides a screening room with surround sound, a workshop and a lovely place just to hang out.

The exhibition space itself is a large white room with plenty of scope to mould it how you see fit. The Church of London had hung prints from LWLies and Huck magazine along with some choice decal type quotes from previous interviewees such as Ryan Gosling and Adam Yauch. Outside the space is a perfectly formed area ripe for having a post work beer or a productive afternoon freelancing. The tables with old school gas taps for bunsen burners were a big hit with everyone, especially us as we sat watching the world go by. Upstairs is the 71a shop specialising in magazines curated by magCulture along with some other random, fun stuff.

As the night drew to a close and it was time to go home Liz from TCOLondon got chatting to us and explained their hopes for the space. Ultimately they want it to be a mix of screenings, exhibitions, lectures and a general cool place to hang out. With the state of the art sound and screening system in place the team are open to any ideas for events and I can confirm are very lovely, open and most importantly enthusiastic.

As we filed out we picked up our 71a tote to bring around town. The exhibition is open from the 11th to the 19th June between 11am and 4pm. I recommend you get yourself down there to marvel at the gorgeous prints and see a poignant quote from Adam Yauch, along with a beautiful photograph.

If that’s not enough and you want more join their mailing list to keep up to date with goings on. You won’t regret it.

Animation

Probably one of the strongest categories this year; Fabian Grodde’s Crossover could win for the intricate attention to detail on show, whilst Nelson Boles’ Little Boat could grab top spot for its mesmerising transformation from simple to complex animation . However, we’re going to plump for Malcolm Sutherland’s Umbra scooping the award in this category, as its uniqueness and oddness makes it feel like nothing we’ve seen before.

Advertising

The category of work that most of choose to actively skip, but the finalists brought home what we miss when we head out for that cup of tea. The balls to the wall approach of Caviar’s K-Swiss – Kenny Powers Mfceo had us laughing till we cried, while the effects heavy Plot Device and Gatorade’s Go All Day kept us glued to the screen. However the 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, in 1 minute that comprise Rick Mereki’s Move, made us nostalgic for journeys we haven’t even taken yet and so is our pick for the Advertising category.

Remix

Anyone who’s listened to dodgy b-side mixes knows that remixing isn’t a simple case of dropping a filter on existing material. In this category we got to see the simultaneous launches of 135 NASA rockets in Grand Finale 2010-11, a love song to 80s’ movies in Synchronize and iconic movie characters walking across screen in Cinezoïque – The Movie Time Line, but it’s the stitched together time-lapse genius of Jeff Desom’s Rear Window Timelapse which had us take a completely new look at something we thought we were completely familiar with.

Action Sports

The Action Sports category gave us breath taking feats of climbing in Yosemite in On Assignment, falling, spinning and gliding in Experience Freedom and the poetic meditation on wave riding of Dark Side of the Lens, but it was Orlando Von Einsidedel’s measured view of Afghanistan skate school Skateistan that topped this category for us.

Music Video

Having already scooped two awards at the UK Music Video Awards, it’s probably crazy not to back the DANIELS’ ‘life-spanningly complete’ promo for the Manchester Orchestra’s Simple Math, but we’ve always been one for backing the outsider here at DN towers – which is why were predicting a win for Sean Pecknold’s The Shrine/An Argument. Whilst it may not pack the visual impact of Simple Math or Is Tropical’s The Greeks, the way Pecknold’s images combine with the sounds of the Fleet Foxes track elevate this to something more than just another music video.

Experimental

Whilst there were some strong visuals on show in the three other shortlisted films in the Experimental category, the gripping and somewhat uncomfortable narrative of Vadim Gershman and Ryan Powell’s Phaseone – Sugar makes it the standout piece in this selection of boundary-pushing shorts. Part music video, part documentary & part drama, Phaseone – Sugar could have easily been just a film of many contrasting parts, but Gershman Powell combine elements perfectly and end up creating a totally immersive viewing experience.

Motion Graphics

Another tough category, but whilst animation fans will love The Adventures of Tintin, film fans will admire The History of the Title Sequence and historians will relish the Gettysburg Address. It’s the epic work of director Mischa Rozema and graphic designer Si Scott, creating a dystopian vision of the future for Year Zero – OFFF Barcelona 2011 Main Titles that seems most likely to get this award.

Fashion

Fashion films have become an ever increasing part of our coverage in here on DN so the diversity of the Fashion category has warmed our hearts greatly. Whether it’s the dress explosions of Experiment No.9 ‘Dynamic Blooms, the groundhog dayesque progression of La Prochaine Fois or the stamp, tap skills displayed in Step, Clap, Go!, we’ve taken this category of films to our hearts. But who could refuse chooseing the girl you can’t live with but also can’t live without of Mulberry ‘Skirt’` for your favourite in the Fashion category?

Series

The Series category is the only one that gave us extended time with the stories of the final four finalist. So we were emotionally invested in the life struggle of Often Awesome The Series, thrilled by the visual spectacle of Joerg Daiber’s Little Big World and fell into the random events in M E M O R Y B O X , but we ultimately learn towards dreams given visual form in Dreamstates as our favourite in this category.

Documentary

This was a tough call as we’ve been long time fans of the work California Is A Place has put out over the last few years, Temujin Doran is one of our favourite working directors at the moment. The story of the chess playing lead in Odysseus’ Gambit gave us pause for the difficulties of life, but Andrew Hinton’s exposition free documentary Amar best transported us into the life of it’s protagonist through onscreen action.

Narrative

Possibly the most diverse range of films the Narrative category had us time travelling with a ham sandwich, spying on a lone girl where she most felt safe and righting wrongs with a four legged friend. However, the plight of BLINKEY, the robot that just wants to please is the one that took us on the greatest emotional narrative ride.

Lyrical

Even though we’re huge fans of Everynone’s work here at DN, we’re going to throw our support behind Michael König celestial short Earth to be victorious in the Lyrical category. Earth is a truly out of this world experience and the breathtaking imagery on show in König’s film means it is likely the other 3 entries will be left in this powerful short’s orbit.

Captured

Showing us what we missed because we weren’t there is what the Captured category is all about. So whether it’s wifi light painting, video painting with electronic rollers or a recording of a light sculpture. we got to see events that happened in our absence. Joy of the Box’s Quad Time though is the film that most put our now into the then and so is our pick.