Somewhere you should go… London Short Film Festival
How’s the head? Have you remembered your name yet? Still feel like sitting in a quiet room after New Year’s Eve? For about a week. Then fear not dear fragile reveller, the antidote is at hand – a festival of the finest short films from this sceptered isle. I can’t think of many better ways to recharge and seek inspiration for the year ahead (and ‘figure the losses, figure the gains’ of 2012 as Kerouac would put it) than sitting in a dark room feasting on cinematic delight. Naturally, it all kicks off with comedy before things get darker and stranger – clearly the festival organisers are adhering to the old principle ‘if you first make them laugh, you will then make them cry’. And on further reading of the programme, it sounds like tears were in abundance last year. The second offering is ‘Fucked up Love’ promising to ‘tell it like it is’. Apparently there were complaints last year at the no-holds-barred severity of it all. Wonderful!
Other standouts include the ‘Femmes Fantastiques’ offering at the ICA, featuring shorts by actors Romala Gorai and Kate Hardie; Alice Lowe (of ‘Sightseers’ fame) in conversation with long term improv partner Jacqueline Wright and ‘Midnight Movies’ for those of a twisted disposition.
This third offering of the festival promises to be as varied and intriguing as the previous years’ programmes and with any luck you’ll finally make it outside halfway through January, just February to get through, until spring. (Words: Ed Spencer)
The London Short Film Festival runs 4 Jan – 13 Jan at various venues. For more info visit http://www.shortfilms.org.uk
