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The LSFF: Night of The Living Dead Docs Mon 9th Jan 2016 Picturehouse Central
Feature by Amaliah S. Marmon-Halm
Back for it’s 14th year, the London Short Film Festival is in full swing and showcasing some of the best of the best in the short film world. In the first of two parts, Night Of The Living Dead Docs brings you shorts that make you feel, make you laugh, make you question and just plan to shock. Each of these films are designed to leave it’s mark in some way.
AUTOMATIC DREAMS by Florence Kennard
In a tale of all things twinkly and musical, Automatic Dreams pays homage to the humble and often forested joy of a music box. Following the makers in Rouge Factory in Switzerland, we watch the process of making the combs for the music box and how they are tuned. Watching the machines cut and work, it is almost as if they are dancing through the film. Through different perspectives; the maker, the collector, the restorer, we see the magical charm a music box can offer.
SHEFFIELD GAS by Grace Harper
In quest for happiness, a quest we are all too familiar with, a mysterious man with a red beard takes us on a journey in his world of illegal highs. Just as the drug is about to be made illegal, this delivery man tries to explain what he brings to the people of Sheffield. Describing the drug as giving you that feeling of joy – the fun of getting ready for a night out and by doing this, he’s fulfilling his own need to be happy and spread happiness.
LA DERIVA DEI CONTINENTI (CONTINENTAL DRIFT) by Pietro Novello
The desire to escape hardship and persecution will make a person do anything to survive. Many people have already made that life changing choice and in La Deriva Dei Continenti aka Contintental Drift, the scale and trauma is all too evident. We follow Aziz, a former immigrant, who uses his own experiences to help others like him. He has now become a key member of the operations of rescue and disembarkation in one of the provinces most hit by the phenomenon, Siracusa. This film is a heartbreaking and poignant short that details many of the experiences still occurring today.
SWAN by Lindsay Brown
April is a young girl, bursting with life and energy. She would love nothing more than to listen to music, dance and bounce on her trampoline. Her mum would do anything to make sure she lives her life to the fullest, and as April reaches her 16th birthday, she battles to maintain a sense of stability for her vulnerable daughter. This snapshot in their lives is a story that goes right to your heart, even if you don't have a relative with disabilities.
ONE LAST DANCE by Will Rowson
Heartbreaking from start to finish, and told from a daughter's perspective, we see the pain of loss and dementia through her father's eyes. One Last Dance explores how it felt watching her father slowly forget everything he knew. The watercolour animation only adds to the feeling of fragility and beautifully illustrates this story of loss.
LAND OF DREAMS by Jamie Edmundson
Paul is very proud of his home but lives in one of the most deprived areas of Glasgow. In an effort to make his home more attractive, he works to make an open space on the outskirts more attractive for all.
THE RAY CAT SOLUTION by Benjamin Huguet
“How to create a symbol that travels through time?”. That was the question being tackled by semiologists. As the US government were thinking of ways to dispose of nuclear waste which can last for a millennia. However, stone, symbols and language can fade beyond recognition. In 1981 semiologists proposed the idea of a cat genetically engineered to change colour in the presence of radiation. Now, thanks to the power of the internet, the ‘myth’ is taking hold, and science may follow suit soon enough.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DOTS by Carol Lynn & Michael Gardiner
Ferank Manseed is obsessed with dots. Completely and utterly obsessed with dots. To create his art, he uses the ancient method of hand poking tattoos with a needle and a stick. Specialising in spiritual motifs, swastikas, and sacred geometry, all his pieces share the same unique quality – they are made up of thousands of dots.
INK, COCK & ROCK'N'ROLL by Matthew Harlock
One of the more controversial offerings in this selection, graphic artist Steve Martin is being interviewed about his alter ego. A crazy, perverted lounge lizard monster that is known popularly as Krent Able. From his day as an alt-rocker to comic master, he uses his work and love of dick-jokes to shock, amaze and leave you asking “what the hell did I just read?”. This short’s main mission is clear – to establish where does Krent stop and Steve start, or are the lines more blurred than we think?
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