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LOCAL SHORTS

SCREENING

Block 1 – Saturday 29 June – 13.00

COMMUNITY CINEMA
64 High Street
Ramsgate CT11 9RS

ALL AT ONCE


SYNOPSIS
‘All at Once’ is a coming-of-age drama that explores how creativity can be used as a healthy outlet to process childhood experiences and past trauma. Focusing on music, we explore how our lead character uses her complex past to fuel her creative career. Told through the female perspective of a mother-daughter duo, this story of self-discovery explores the idea that it’s never too late to start again with our creative endeavours.

We wanted to create a story that resonated both with the filmmakers in our incredible team and the intended audience. The message of the story speaks to each member of the crew as a reminder that creative work is hard and sometimes deeply personal, but with resilience and time taken to ground yourself, it allows for the space in which the past can be explored through creativity

Writer/Director: Kate Dominic
Producer: Christopher Jones
Cast: Elise Verney, Helen Knox-Johnston, Zaria Knox-Johnston


MEET THE DIRECTOR

Writer and Director Kate Dominic is a first-time filmmaker keen on telling stories through her music and interest in dramatic performances. Her first film All at Once’ is a token gesture to her passion for the arts, and the creation and collaboration of her film has thus made her want to continue with film and music. She is so grateful for everyone involved with All at Once’, without their trust and support, none of this would have happened.

TAKE CARE


SYNOPSIS
At a coastal care home in England, two migrant care-workers form an unlikely friendship over the course of one night. Dagmara and Analyn rarely interact outside of their weekly handover, but when the son of a resident challenges their competence, they form an alliance in the face of hostility.
Set against a backdrop of brewing tension in a pre-Pandemic, post-Brexit world – over the course of two days and one night, TAKE CARE examines the quiet revelations of solidarity between ageing and immigration, through the sense of both isolation and community inherent to both; moving away from a familiar home to create a new one.

Writer/Director: Katharine Stocker
Producer: Rosie Litterick
Cast: Izabela Zwierzynska,

MEET THE DIRECTOR

Kathy is a filmmaker and filmworker based in London.
TAKE CARE was selected as one of three short films that BBC Drama chose to produce in 2022 as part of their Visual Development Fund. It was produced by Rosie Litterick, who is a community arts practitioner and sits on the board of Capital Age Arts.
Kathy works in development & production; previous credits include the Wes Anderson feature films ASTEROID CITY and THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR, as well as UK indie feature films LIVING, MOTHERING SUNDAY and THE LAST TREE.

 

NO FRIENDS BUT THE MOUNTAINS


SYNOPSIS
A young asylum seeker, Waysor Muradi, plays a fictional version of himself. The film follows him on his first night in the UK where he meets an ex-prisoner and forms an unlikely connection.

Writer/Director: Seth Hope Barnard Chodzko
Producer: Karol Dominika Zawadzka
Cast: Waysor Muradi, Moey Hassan, Ruth Berkoff

 

 

MEET THE DIRECTOR

Seth Hope Barnard Chodzko is an emerging filmmaker, currently studying at the Northern Film School in Leeds.
“In 2021 I made a documentary called “Common Ground” about a football team which was set up for refugees and asylum seekers. Through that I met a young asylum seeker called Waysor Muradi. We became good friends and collabrated on making “No Friends But the Mountains”. I found his story inspiring and particularly wanted to communicate his experience of arriving in a completely new country, feeling alone and isolated.”

BASEMENT DWELLERS


SYNOPSIS
Out on the town on a Saturday night, Courtney takes a shortcut through an alleyway where he is kidnapped. Waking to being tied to a chair, surrounded by rusty tools, and face-to-face with Sid – the local serial killer still at large, known as “The Mutton Murderer.” he finds himself in a deadly situation.

Director: Leonardo Krolo
Writer: Ant Wright
Producer: Ant Wright
Cast: David Whitely, Ant Wright


MEET THE DIRECTOR

Leonardo Krolo is a young, and promising filmmaker, coming all the way from Croatia. He moved to the UK to pursue his directing career by enrolling in BA film production in Canterbury.
The short film; “Basement Dwellers” (2024) was his directing debut. Basement Dwellers was filmed in Ramsgate over three days on zero budget. In May 2024 he completed his second short film “Shouts & Whispers”. Outside of directing, Leonardo has taken part in the production of many short films which have won numerous nominations and awards in various festivals. He was also a member of production on high-end films & television series, such as The Crown and Empire of Light.

Block 2 – Saturday 29 June – 15.30

COMMUNITY CINEMA
64 High Street
Ramsgate CT11 9RS

THE LAST MAKER


SYNOPSIS
A son’s meditative observational portrait of his father, Steven Lowe, and his critically endangered craft of Last Making.

Writer/Director/Producer: Edgar Lowe
Cast: Steven Lowe


MEET THE DIRECTOR
Edgar Lowe was born in Tooting, London, in 2001 but spent most of his life growing up in Bexhill-on-sea. At school and college, he always had a keen interest in film. At 19, he went to study at Brighton’s Screen and Film School, where he produced and crewed on a wide range of films. For his graduation film he told the story of his dad, Steven Lowe, the last independent Lastmaker in the United Kingdom.

 

THE DEVIL MAKES WORK


SYNOPSIS
A prisoner reflects on life as he approaches the end of his sentence. The Prison Chaplain raises questions on morality whilst the parole board force him to face his own actions.

Writer/Director/Producer: Colin O’Reilly 
Cast: David Philpott, Ben Shockley, Lucille Ferguson

Trailer


MEET THE DIRECTOR

Colin O’Reilly is a Director D.O.P from Folkestone. He studied Film, Radio & Television Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University and was trained as camera department trainee by Screen South and Kent Film Office on the set of Maeve Films third feature ‘The Calling (2009). Colin gained valuable experience in the lighting department of Hindi film Rustom (2016) and has a background in music video production. THE DEVIL MAKES WORK is Colin’s directorial debut and he has ambitions to be a Director D.O.P for independent feature films.

PUT ON THE COSTUME


SYNOPSIS
The transformation of a Drag Queen.

Director: Ian Floodgate

MEET THE DIRECTOR

Ian Floodgate has worked in film for over a decade. He started his career as an actor, performing supporting roles in both British independent films and international major studio productions.
Ian was one of the founding members of the Rochester Film Society in Kent, and this led to his interest in film criticism. In 2017, he began writing for Cineccentric, an online publication that mainly focuses on auteur and independent cinema. A year later he became one of the staff Senior Critics, and has covered the BFI London Film Festival, Flare Festival and Glasgow Film Festival.
In 2021, Ian joined the team of the newly formed North East International Film Festival as Communications Manager. He was part of leading the negotiations for accruing special screenings of Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman and Sundance Award Winner Son of Monarchs.
Ian’s film Macbeth’s Dream was selected for multiple festivals in 2022/23, including Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare Shorts, and was nominated for Best Art Film at the Portobello Film Festival.

 

A ROOM OF OUR OWN

SYNOPSIS
Drawing from personal experience A Room of Our Own is a show that I created in 2023 to be performed live and tells a story through music (self penned), narration and dance. It reflects on living a closeted life, and progresses through the challenges and the joys of hope, of health, liberation and finding our own place in the world, accepting of and irrespective of our gender or sexual orientation. While being highly relevant today, it is set in the early 1980s and as such, is also a very personal piece of social history, that I feel is important to share with future generations. This short film captures a part of that story highlighting those aspects. The intention still is to perform this story live but also to produce a full length version of the film in 2024/25.

Director: Clare Unsworth
Writer/Producer: Jude Adams
Cast: Jude Adams

MEET THE DIRECTOR
Clare Unsworth
is a Folkestone-based filmmaker who has been collaborating with artists, communities and arts organisations for 12 years to produce short films exploring mental health, social inequality and the power of creativity; often drawing on lived experience of mental health challenges. Always striving to work with curiosity and care, they have been developing their artistic practice with a socially conscious, community-minded approach to projects, participants and collaborators. Poetic, poignant and playful, their film work gently explores human experience to acknowledge and demystify the darkness with an eye to letting go of fear and encouraging connection.

 

ILL FARES THE LAND


SYNOPSIS
A young boy finds a mermaid washed up on the shores of his seaside home while his older brother is swept up in the rising tide of far-right nationalism.

Writer/Director: Patrick Ireland
Producers: Annabella Casaburi, Jessica Romagnoli 
Cast: Noah Silverstone, Ruaridh Aldington, Smilla Erlandson 

MEET THE DIRECTOR
Patrick Ireland (32) is an award-winning filmmaker who has produced and directed content, spanning a range of formats and genres, for the likes of ITV and Channel 4. His short films have garnered critical praise and screened at festivals across Europe.From 2014-2016 he studied a Masters in Filmmaking at the London Film School. Before then, he read his Bachelors in Politics & Philosophy at the University of Sheffield.
In 2015 he completed the documentary film Anonymous: A Million Men which was later picked up by Shorts International for distribution. The film was also screened in the UK Parliament, followed by a Q&A conducted by Chi Onwurah MP. Later that year, he worked closely alongside Channel 4 in producing the first ever Youth Leaders Debate during the 2015 General Election.
In 2017 he graduated from the London Film School with the short drama One in a Million, shot in his hometown of Herne Bay, Kent. The film went on to win the Best Social Realism Film Award at the 2017 New Renaissance Film Festival, as well as being nominated for awards elsewhere, including for Best Film and Best Director. In 2018 he wrote, directed and co-starred in The Director – a satirical dark comedy about homelessness and prejudice. The film premiered at the 2018 London Independent Film Festival.
His latest short film, Ill Fares The Land, wrapped in 2023 and is currently going out to festivals. The film is Patrick’s best and most ambitious project to date, combining social realist drama with folk fantasy and political commentary.
Since 2019 he has been a Producer-Director at ITV working across popular daytime shows such as Good Morning Britain and This Morning.

WHERE THE PAPER BOATS GO


SYNOPSIS
In the wake of a harrowing event, Jake, grapples with his mental health. As he navigates the complex terrains of grief, family dynamics, and the intricacies of friendship, his support network endeavours to ease his journey. Jake has to confront a profound realisation: the mystery of what lies beyond life is a path he must tread alone. This film delves into the challenge of acceptance faced by those left behind and the nuanced process of healing in the aftermath of loss.

Writer/Director: Konstantinos Xanthopoulos
Cast: Harry Doolan, Carrie-Ann Simmonds, Ant Wright

MEET THE DIRECTOR
Konstantinos (Kostas) Xanthopoulos
is a passionate indie filmmaker and visual artist whose journey began in the historically rich city of Thessaloniki, surrounded by ancient walls that whisper stories of the past. This ignited his fascination with storytelling and visual expression. Seeking to broaden his horizons, Kostas ventured to Canterbury, another city framed by historic walls, nestled in the heart of Kent—England’s garden. Kostas specialises in projection mapping art, visual culture, and mixed media, blending traditional techniques with modern technology to create immersive art experiences. His latest project, the short film “Where the Paper Boats Go,” is a debut visual poem exploring themes of loss, mental health, and resilience through a queer lens. The film is a journey through the human psyche, highlighting the power of memory and the enduring nature of love. Kostas’s work invites audiences to navigate the profound seas of identity, mental health, and healing, celebrating the strength found in vulnerability and the beauty of shared human experiences.

 

175


SYNOPSIS
Inspired by true events.
Rural England, early 2013. Ruth and Juliet are waiting for the British Parliament to legalise same-sex marriage so can get married. But Juliet suffers from a terminal illness and doesn’t have long to live. They are racing against time.

Writer/Director: Kasra Karimi
Producer: Kathryn O’Reilly
Cast: Lizzy McInnerny, Suzanna Hamilton, Francesca Zoutewelle

MEET THE DIRECTOR
Kasra Karimi
is a multi award-winning filmmaker and the the founder of Stranger Than Paradise Productions. Originally from Iran and now based in London, UK, Kasra completed his Masters in Film Directing at Bristol University in 2011. Passionate about storytelling, he quickly made his mark, joining the esteemed BBC in London as a camera operator, editor, and director. Collaborating with top film and television production houses in the UK and US, his works have been recognised in prestigious film festivals worldwide.
In 2016, Kasra embarked on a new chapter, founding Stranger Than Paradise Productions, an art house production house, dedicated to the art of independent filmmaking.
Some of Kasra’s notable directorial works include ‘The 8th Person’ (2009), ‘The Time Machine’ (2011), ‘Trials of An Impure Heart’ (2011), ‘Far From Any Home’ (2014), and ‘A Pinprick of Light’ (2017). The latter was screened at Cannes Film Festival, Short Film Corner, selected for the Bafta and Oscar qualifying festival LA Shorts, and is now available on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and US.
Kasra’s creativity knows no bounds as he delves into new projects. His latest LGBT short film ‘175’ is set to captivate audiences, while he diligently works on the script for his much-anticipated first feature film, ‘Evil Hours’.

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