London Lift-Off Film Festival 2023 - Network Round Shorts

Thursday 11th January - Thursday 18th January

1.

A Dishonourable Death.
Dir. BLOK
UK
Logline: "A Dishonourable Death” is a darkly comic, debut short film, satirising traditional manifestations of honour through a warped masculine lens… exploring varying degrees of prejudice across the board: class, race, sex and the perception of ’the hero’. The film toys with the concept of heroism. What exactly is that? Who is the hero here? Is there one? Or are there only victims? Can heroism in its traditional form exist in such a dark and twisted chaos, where the foundations of moral value are built on what may or may have not been said in a pub… once upon a time. Is it worth it? And to whom?

2.

Winner Fights The Moon
Dir. Lucas Jones
UK
Logline: Arris (25) has recently been released from prison after serving a five year sentence. Having never met his daughter Riley outside of a prison visitation room, Arris is desperate to make up for lost time. In an effort to reconnect with his daughter and ex-girlfriend Lauren, Arris promises a long overdue family day at the beach. But the young family soon discover that the past doesn't always stay in the past.

3.

Now and Then
Dir. Harris Alvi
UK
Logline: While moving house, a middle-aged Muslim woman finds a box of old tapes filled with the memories of her husband's previous relationship and becomes increasingly obsessed

4.

The Drop
Dir. Jack Parr
UK
Logline: In a gripping slow-burning crime thriller, the lives of two police officers, two drug traffickers, and a dealer converge within three cars. As their journeys intertwine, the lines between law and crime blur, unveiling their shared humanity and complex desires. Against a backdrop of tension and introspection, they confront their moral compasses in a quest for redemption and a better future.

5.

Naiku
Dir. Pijus Mačiulskis
Lithuania
Logline: Ten eccentric hooligans recklessly drive a jeep around abandoned industrial neighbourhoods. The one sitting on the roof holds a kite, which allures a passer-by, Adomas, to join them. He is drawn into a game, which turns out to be a violent tournament.
The winner may wield the kite. However, due to the nature of the game maintaining humanity becomes a struggle.

6.

Alethia
Dir. Milo James Tucker
UK
Logline: Two girls make a deal- but is it the one they thought they were making?

7.

Nothing Happened
Dir. Emma Jane Gray
UK
Logline: Short film exploring the grey areas of sexism, where it’s so on the line, you could say ‘nothing actually happened’.

8.

The Star to Every Wandering Bark
Dir. Patrick Traynor
Australia
Logline: In a futuristic alternate world where humanity has abandoned love and intimacy, a young man and woman discuss whether they should begin a romantic relationship.

9.

How to Build a Life
Dir. Matthew Reese
UK
Logline: Louis, a young man with Asperger’s, talks candidly with his older brother about the decade of bullying that nearly ended his life. For the first time, he shares the details of his harrowing journey from the depths of depression, to finding hope through his dog best friend and renewed passion for Lego, in the form of stop-motion.

10.

Paw
Dir. Richard Elson
UK
Logline: Cassian is terrified of his abusive father Cain. Cain sees son as a weak burden who doesn’t understand his Welsh heritage. Cassian runs away to a far corner of the failing farm and meets an enigmatic vaudeville performer named Lottie. Lottie has the power to grant wishes so Cassian hopes to make the scariest scarecrow ever to help save the family farm. Lottie obliges, with terrible consequences.

11.

Pushing Daisy
Dir. Leah Revivo
UK
Logline: Pushing Daisy is a short comedy film following over-zealous, business student Daisy and her first foray into the working world at a local funeral parlour.

12.

Eyes on the Nightstand
Dir. Hannah Gordon
UK
Logline: A surrealist drama about a young woman coping with her past trauma while an eclectic group of characters find themselves influencing her actions.

13.

R.E.M.EMBER
Dir. Alana Michelle Patey
Germany
Logline: Ms.Sanders lives alone with her most peculiar device that can record dreams to be watched back in waking life. With no phone number or doorbell on her door, she receives piles of letters each morning requesting her services. One very confusing case from a grieving young girl opens Ms.Sanders' eyes to the things about love and reality she still is yet to learn.

14.

Paradise Valley
Dir. Abby Garratt
Australia
Logline: Following the sudden death of her husband, a young widow in a 19th century Australian settlement faces eviction from her property; an unexpected visit from her untrustworthy brother-in-law further complicates the situation.

15.

Final Days
Dir. Joseph McDonagh
UK
Logline: When a family he used to know mysteriously disappears, A church Pastor helps detectives piece together the family’s last days.

16.

For Years to Come
Dir. Micah Stuart
USA
Logline: A gay man falls in love with his dead mother's hospice nurse, while struggling to reconcile with his elderly father...who's secretly a porn director. This new romantic dramedy stars veteran character actor Richard Riehle.

17.

The Letter
Dir. Pubali Chaudhuri
India
Logline: An elderly lady living alone in Kolkata spends her time lost in memories and forgetting. Her solitude gets a welcome break with the intrusion of a salesman. But is the man out to take advantage of this ageing woman? And why doesn't the lady let the man leave?
With both the characters trapped in each other’s lies, ‘The Letter’, explores the possibility of forging human connection in the age of isolation.