Edinburgh International Film Festival · 2010
A selection of bite-sized films from around the globe... a good place to spot the feature film directors of tomorrow.
79 films · 55 reviews
The cast deliver good performances, but not enough for the burden they're expected to carry.
(Country: UK, Jordan; Year: 2010; Director: Regan Hall; Writer: Sam Snape; Stars: Diana Adel, Mohammed Jawad, Nasser Mutar, Naseem Baha, Rafat Basel, Abdullah Amer, Hind Kamel) , Official site
UKFC Completion Fund Shorts
Darren Bolger and Caroline Campbell's film is a portrait of an individual crime lost amidst other tragedies.
(Country: Ireland; Year: 2009; Director: Darren Bolger, Caroline Campbell) , Official site
Document 2: Reflections & Memories
A beautifully shot little film.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Marianne Elliott; Writer: Abi Morgan; Stars: Amelia Shelley, Maxine Peake, Luke Treadaway)
UK Shorts 2
There's time to wonder if this might have played better as a sketch in some other show.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Edward Dick; Stars: Stephen Mangan, Gina McKee, Raquel Cassidy)
UK Shorts 1
Compelling, intriguing, and brief.
(Year: 2010; Director: Des Hamilton)
Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening
While this is a short film it carries within it the seeds of dread, hope, and waiting.
(Country: UK, Iran; Year: 2010; Director: Roxana Pope)
Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening
Entertaining, amusing, like a humorous conversation overheard on the train.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Tara Manandhar, David O'Neill) , Official site
Document Shorts 1: Occupational Therapies
Unsettling, concerning, rewarding.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Stewart Comrie; Writer: Stewart Comrie) , Official site , Trailer
Digicult, McLaren Animation 2
Make no mistake, this is an immensely creepy picture.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Daniel Mulloy; Stars: Arta Dobroshi, Daniel Kaluuya)
Cinema Extreme
A triumph, albeit an uneasy one.
(Country: Denmark; Year: 2009; Director: Daniel Joseph Borgman; Stars: Malou Reymann, Nicolei Faber, Nikolaj Dencker Schmidt, Hassan Preisler)
International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes
(Country: Hungary; Year: 2010; Director: Sándor Csukás; Stars: Antal Cserna, Fanni Abonyi, Ágoston Csehi, Márton Csukás, Noé Barcza)
International Shorts 3: Discomfort Zone
Haunting, intriguing, compelling.
(Country: France; Year: 2009; Director: Joyce Nashawati; Writer: Joyce Nashawati; Stars: Agathe Bonitzer, Ulysse de Gregorio, Christophe Lemaire, Rubis Loyzance)
International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes
The script and direction are solid, the performances great.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Joe Rosen; Writer: Abigail Blackmore; Stars: Abigail Blackmore, Cavan Clerkin, Matthew Blackmore, Zeben Jameson) , Official site
UKFC Completion Fund Shorts
A mixture of humour both visual and bodily that will amuse children of any age.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Craig Knowles, David Ridges) , Official site
Family Shorts Programme, McLaren Animation 1
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Matthew Lenton; Writer: Ronan Blaney; Stars: Kate Binchy, Pauline Goldsmith, Jonathan Harden, Gerard McDonald, Fintan McKeown, Brian Milligan, Mark Ryder)
Coming Up Scheme
Good intentions abound, consequences too.
(Country: Romania, Netherlands; Year: 2009; Director: Adrian Sitaru; Writer: Adrian Sitaru; Stars: Adrian Titieni, Clara Voda, Vlad Voda) , Trailer
International Shorts 1: Strings Attached
Andrew Walker's script is short on words but has plenty of depth, and Jonathan Harris' direction is assured.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Jonathan Harris; Writer: Andrew Walker; Stars: Steve Evets, Jennifer Hennessey, Jonathan Mason)
UK Shorts 2
(Country: Croatia; Year: 2009; Director: Goran Odvorcic; Writer: Matija Klukovic, Goran Odvorcic; Stars: Asja Jovanovic, Andrea Rumenjak) , Official site
Beautifully shot, with some excellent tracking work, it's visually impressive.
(Country: Germany; Year: 2009; Director: Till Kleinert; Writer: Till Kleinert; Stars: Julius Kunze, Charlotte Wnendt)
International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Tristan Goligher; Writer: Tristan Goligher; Stars: Luke Evans, Cara Horgan, Neve Faulkner)
UKFC Completion Fund Shorts
Short, lyric, a minor epic.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Robert McKillop)
Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Nicky Lianos; Writer: David Lemon; Stars: Alice Lowe, Dario Bernal) , Official site
Visually it's a delight, but spectacle is not enough.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Ross Neil; Writer: Ross Neil; Stars: Glenn Doherty, Thom Glover) , Official site
UK Shorts 1
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Lisa Gornick; Writer: Simon Lewis; Stars: Robert Sheehan, Said Mohamed) , Official site
Coming Up Scheme
(Country: France; Year: 2009; Director: Edouard Deluc; Writer: Edouard Deluc; Stars: Yvon Martin, Philippe Rebbot)
International Shorts 3: Discomfort Zone
This is an alternate reality, let us say, but a convincing one.
(Country: UK, US; Year: 2010; Director: Ben Lavington Martin; Writer: Ben Lavington Martin, Jon Spira; Stars: William Hope)
UK Shorts 2
(Year: 2010; Director: Michael Lennox; Stars: Zoe Tapper, Andrew Buchan)
Coming Up Scheme
An unrelentingly emotionally tense and harrowing experience from start to finish... one of the most accomplished short films I have seen this year.
(Country: Poland; Year: 2008; Director: Magnus von Horn; Writer: Magnus von Horn; Stars: Radomir Rospondek, Marek Kossakowski, Piotr Skiba, Dorota Segda, Leon Charewicz, Kamila Sammler, Mariusz Siudzinski, Ewa Suchanek) , Official site , Trailer
International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes
It's the script and the visuals that really sing.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Kate Burton; Stars: Tuppence Middleton, Christopher Simpson)
Digicult
Shot in ultra-closeup on occasion, confined, claustrophobic.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Susanna Wallin; Writer: Susanna Wallin; Stars: Nathan Etherington, Scott Etherington, Alan Jackson)
UK Shorts 1
(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Danny Robashkin)
Family Shorts Programme
(Country: Brazil; Year: 2009; Director: André Queiroz, Thaís Bologn)
Family Shorts Programme
(Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: Hannah Hilliard; Writer: Hannah Hilliard, Greg Logan; Stars: Callan McAuliffe, John Batchelor, Diana Glenn, Steve Le Marquand, Pippa Grandison, Ivy Latimer, Tiarnie Coupland, Chum Ehelepola, Jay Ryan, Ben Ingram, Luke Hobbins, Greg Logan)
Family Shorts Programme
(Year: 2010; Director: Destiny Ekaragha; Writer: Abby Ajayi; Stars: Naana Agyei Ampadu, Bunmi Mojekwu, Ellen Thomas)
Coming Up Scheme
With sandy docklands, rusting hulks, the taxi we follow drifts through an unfathomable landscape.
(Country: Russia, UK, France; Year: 2009; Director: James Rogan) , Official site
Document Shorts 1: Occupational Therapies
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Sam Donovan; Writer: Geoff Bussetil; Stars: Terry Haywood, James Burrows, Faraz Ayub)
Coming Up Scheme
(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Kirsten Kearse; Writer: Kirsten Kearse; Stars: Kirsten Kearse) , Official site
As a feat it's impressive and as a film it's entertaining.
(Country: Sweden; Year: 2009; Director: Ruben Östlund; Writer: Ruben Östlund; Stars: Bahador Foladi, Ramtin Parvaneh, Leif Edlund, Rasmus Lindgren, Lars Melin, Henrik Vikman, Per Olof Albrektsson, Maria Blad, Alice Edvardsson, Mats Edvardsson, Ylva Gallon, Anna Harling, Maria Hedborg, Ida Hellström, Mona Lantz)
International Shorts 3: Discomfort Zone
From a gentle start In The Meadow gets very dark, very quickly.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Dave Alexander Smith; Writer: Dave Alexander Smith; Stars: Chris Larkin, Tuppence Middleton, Mark Duncan, Sophie Hunter)
UK Shorts 2
The risk for a film that focuses on film is that it'll reference something that does what it's trying to do better.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Gregor Johnstone; Writer: Gregor Johnstone; Stars: Stephen McCole, Angus McInnes)
UK Shorts 1, Digicult
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Harry Wootliff; Writer: Pete Jordi Wood; Stars: Iwan Rheon, David Leon, Paloma Faith)
Coming Up Scheme
When these men die, this film may be all that remains as testimony to their experience.
(Country: UK, France; Year: 2010; Director: Simon Kreitem; Stars: Harry Hart, Louis Martin, Harry Swanson, Edna Martin, Eric Gibbons, Nicholas Haines, Mike Howard, Mike Blair) , Official site
Document 2: Reflections & Memories
There's certainly potential, and talent, but nothing comes of it.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Loren Slater; Writer: Loren Slater, Matt Palmer; Stars: Natalie Press, Vicky McClure, Glenn Doherty)
UK Shorts 2
A lovely little portrait of a nocturnal community.
(Year: 2010; Director: Bertie Telezynski)
Document Shorts 1: Occupational Therapies
Socha is excellent as always, but Alex Howson as the reappearing resident compels.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Michael Keillor; Writer: Kenneth MacLeod; Stars: Michael Socha, Alison Peebles, Alex Howden, Lauren Lamarr)
Digicult
In just under half an hour we get a glimpse into scores of lives, all just after major changes.
(Country: Poland; Year: 2009; Director: Tomasz Wolski)
Document Shorts 1: Occupational Therapies
Luca Cuiti's photography is good, strikingly so.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Luc Rioche; Writer: Luc Rioche, AJ Rivers Nakasila; Stars: AJ Rivers Nakasila)
UKFC Completion Fund Shorts
A gentle, touching, a portrait of a woman with a calling.
(Country: UK, Spain; Year: 2009; Director: Anne Milne) , Official site
Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening
The soundtrack is loud, the picture crisp, the performances good, it's not to be faulted.
(Country: Denmark; Year: 2009; Director: Fenar Ahmad; Writer: Fenar Ahmad, Jacob Katz; Stars: Eva Thompson, Sarah Boberg, Jonatan Tulested, Nicolei Faber) , Official site
International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes
A heartwarming little portrait.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Julian Krubasik) , Official site
Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening
This is an impressive film, managing to imply and suggest with a graceful economy.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Luke Rodgers; Writer: Luke Rodgers, James Tyler; Stars: Tim McInnery, Lauren Socha)
UKFC Completion Fund Shorts
A clear debt is owed to Ferne Pearlstein, whose cinematography is of such quality that the film appears to have fallen through some documentary vortex untouched by time.
(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Jeremy Engle; Writer: Jeremy Engle; Stars: Vaughn Bowman, James Cartwright, John Diaz, Marion Matthias, Xavier Pineda, Alejandro Polanco, Bryant Reis, Gustavo Valdes, Reymond Wittman) , Official site
International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes
(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Todd Hemker; Writer: Todd Hemker) , Official site
Family Shorts Programme
At times this appears to be a documentary about looking things up on Google.
(Country: Australia; Year: 2010; Director: Matthew Bate; Writer: Matthew Bate) , Official site , Trailer
Document Shorts 1: Occupational Therapies
Entertaining throughout, with moments of both wry amusement and vocal laughter.
(Country: Spain; Year: 2010; Director: Pablo Larcuen; Writer: Pablo Larcuen; Stars: Sergio Huguet, Richard Kiel, Montse Martínez, Jordi Romanós, Pablo Vázquez) , Trailer
International Shorts 2: Little Earthquakes
This is one of my favourite performances of the year.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Scott Graham; Writer: Scott Graham; Stars: Sean Harris, Agnieszka Bresler, Kate Dickie, Kirsty Strain)
Cinema Extreme
(Country: Germany; Year: 2010; Director: Halina Dyrschka; Writer: Guido Schmelich; Stars: Ben Litwinschuh, Tim Litwinschuh, Sylvia Schwarz, Martin Ontrop)
Family Shorts Programme
Tremendous.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Jennifer Stoddart)
Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening
(Country: Canada; Year: 2009; Director: Kazik Radwanski; Writer: Kazik Radwanski; Stars: Peter Bavis, Jeanne Souter, Carmen Craig, Marta Legrady, Joe Ring) , Official site
International Shorts 3: Discomfort Zone
Both compelling and haunting.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Ruth Paxton; Writer: Ruth Paxton; Stars: Martin Compston, Finbar Furey, Elisa Lasowski, Missy Malone)
UK Shorts 2, Digicult
Features a nice, if melancholy score and excellent photography.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Tony Grisoni; Writer: Tony Grisoni; Stars: Matt Berry, Stanley Townsent, Josef Altin, Olive Supple-Still, Anamaria Marinca, Ray Cooper)
Cinema Extreme
History replicated in the editing suite, composition compelling, illuminating.
(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Amy Grappell)
Document 2: Reflections & Memories
This is a film that sets out to challenge the way families like Ben and Louisa's are perceived. The trouble is that it doesn't really have much of an argument to make.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Vika Evdokimenko) , Official site , Trailer
Document 2: Reflections & Memories
Rob & Valentyna In Scotland feels genuine, even heartfelt.
(Country: US, UK; Year: 2010; Director: Eric Lynne; Writer: Eric Lynne, Robert Chester Smith; Stars: Kimi Reichenberg, Robert Chester Smith, Laura Main, Thorston Manderlay, Sam Sneade) , Official site
International Shorts 1: Strings Attached
Constrained by medium to sight and sound, it suggests the other senses, beautifully so, with elegant composition of scenes.
(Country: Italy; Year: 2009; Director: Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza; Writer: Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza; Stars: Marco Correnti, Marta Palermo)
International Shorts 1: Strings Attached
(Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Cameron Sawyer; Writer: Cameron Sawyer; Stars: Jake Nutty, Hailee Steinfeld, Anthony Matthew Scott, Stephani Drapeau, Cameron Sawyer, Erin Sossamon, Troy Romzek, Todd Mitchell, David Chandler, Lou Mulford, George Dickson, Rya Meyers, Dylan Custard, Trevor Gilmore, Tatyanna Cormier)
Family Shorts Programme
A documentary of sorts about a documentary out of sorts.
(Country: Australia, Russia; Year: 2009; Director: Andrew G Taylor; Writer: Andrew G Taylor; Stars: Michael Kitschke, Paul Healy) , Official site
Document 2: Reflections & Memories
Gorgeous scenery and subtle performances.
(Country: Poland, Norway; Year: 2010; Director: Magnus Arnesen; Writer: Magnus Arnesen; Stars: Kjersti Elvik, Jorunn Kjellsby, Andrine Sæther, Jan Devo Kornstad, Sylwia Juszczak, Jon Ketil Johnsen, Kjersti Sandal) , Official site
International Shorts 1: Strings Attached
Kevin is personable, talented, able, and Christopher Lewis Cook's film captures his time in Stockbridge brilliantly.
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Christopher Lewis Cook; Stars: Kevin Harman)
Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening
A fascinating little film.
(Country: Finland; Year: 2009; Director: Arja Pettersson)
Document Shorts 1: Occupational Therapies
(Country: Philippines, Singapore; Year: 2009; Director: Eric Flanagan; Writer: Eric Flanagan, Putnam Trumbull; Stars: Latasha Calvin, Quincy Dunn-Baker)
International Shorts 3: Discomfort Zone
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Jason LaMotte; Writer: Jason LaMotte, Mike McCormack; Stars: Gary Lewis, Ciaran Flynn) , Official site
UKFC Completion Fund Shorts
(Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Carolina Giammetta, Schuman Hoque; Stars: Adam Hunt, Carolina Giammetta, Ellie McElroy)
Family Shorts Programme
It might have a simple moral but it's still a well-framed piece of work.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Iain Gardner; Writer: Iain Gardner) , Official site
Digicult, McLaren Animation 1
The opening is strong, the end fair, there is mystery and wonderment - it becomes hard to single out anything because it's all good; brilliant, even.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Karni Arieli, Saul Freed; Writer: Karni Arieli, Saul Freed; Stars: Patrick Gibbs, Natasha Alderslade, Maureen Wild, Audrey Holt, Carol Kirkland, Agnes Davidson, Emily Duggan, Inma Azorin, Lily Mai Holloway) , Trailer
UK Shorts 1
It's powerful, stunning, the whole film is haunting.
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Paul Wright; Stars: Emma True, Gillian Bradbury, Andy Gathergood, Charlotte Donnelly, Hannah Moss)
UK Shorts 1
A touching portrait of women with a calling.
(Country: Italy; Year: 2009; Director: Mattia Colombo)
Document Shorts 1: Occupational Therapies
(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2009; Director: Chun-Chieh Lin)
Family Shorts Programme
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Alex Garcia, Wayne Yip; Writer: Tom Bidwell; Stars: Gareth Farr, Lucy Gaskell)
Coming Up Scheme
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
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