Our jury has put forward the following films as Official Selections, Finalists & Semi-Finalists for this month’s edition of The People’s Film Festival!
official selections
I DON’T FIND ANY OF THIS VERY PEACEFUL
Directed by Sam O'Mahony
London. Lockdown. With her partner missing (again) anxiety-prone Katharine hits a catastrophic low. Her mother tries to persuade her to use the time to re-engage with her art, a passion long-suppressed by Katharine’s controlling partner. Katharine tries but quickly gives up. Soon the claustrophobic nature of their flat coupled with an abundance of newly-arrived houseflies and her growing anxiety about post-lockdown life, forces Katharine to consider the fatal option. One night, at the point of no return, a lost dog forces its way into her home. Relenting to its demands, Katharine allows it to stay, forgoing, her previous plans. As the long lockdown days drag on, Katharine becomes intrigued by her strange new house guest. Spurred on by the needs of another, Katharine begins to taste something of life once more. But as lockdown comes to an end, and the houseflies begin buzzing once more, Katharine is forced to reckon with the one last obstacle standing in the way of her her freedom.
I Don’t Find Any Of This Very Peaceful is a low-key psychological thriller about the darkness we must embrace before we can truly accept who we are. With echoes of Haneke and Hitchcock the film’s heightened cinematic style attempts to draw the audience into Katharine’s small world and experience her journey out of the darkness.
I DON’T FIND ANY OF THIS VERY PEACEFUL is an Official Selection in the Micro-Budget Category
THE ANGEL OF HISTORY
Directed by Eric Esser
A border in Europe. A painting by Paul Klee. A poem by Walter Benjamin. A film about yesterday and today, and how difficult it is to recognize one behind the other.
THE ANGEL OF HISTORY is an Official Selection in the Low Budget Category
RUMORI
Directed by SÄMEN (Ludovico Amen Galletti & Sami Schinaia)
Visually exploring the emotional complexity of a breakup, Rumori has at its core how the lack of understanding and communication between two people can destroy a relationship. Introspective, subtle and beautifully melancholic, the short film stands as a summary of the endless conversations and sleepless nights experienced as two people gradually drift apart and disappear from each other's minds.
Set in a house in the Italian countryside, we find the characters in the film, played by Andrea Arcangeli and Matilda De Angelis, stuck in a loop of internal arguments. They share the same space, yet they are unable to see and perceive one another. They live for each other, yet they are blind to each other's needs. Feeling trapped and alone within this space, the house becomes a metaphor for their stagnant and decaying relationship.
As a true reflection of our world, Rumori argues that to stand still is to disappear. The only way out of a toxic dynamic is to embrace change, transform and move forward.
RUMORI is an Official Selection in the Sponsored Category
finalists
Micro-Budget
HOMESTAY directed by Elliot Taylor
S*IT directed by Simon Wegrzyn
Low Budget
BRONAGH directed by Jessica Courtney Leen & Megan Haly
ROBERT THE ROBOT directed by Jonathan Irwin
Sponsored
APPETITE directed by Xuemeng Li & Katrin Larissa Kasper
SQUALL directed by Mark Brennan
Semi-Finalists
IT’S A WRAP directed by Brian Unwin
JUDAS directed by Adam Palmer
SAME TIME NEXT WEEK directed by Gigi Burgdorf
SO LONG directed by Jo Jo Lam
STOP AND SEARCH directed by Harry Jackson
WHAT SETS THE PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL APART?
✔️ Win £1,000 in funding for your next short film
✔️ Free feedback w/ every submission
✔️ Categories based on budget vs genre
