London Lift-Off Film Festival 2024
Network Round Shorts
Monday 6th January - Sunday 12th January
1. Hide and Seek
Director/Writer: Rositsa Trayanova
Producer: Dessy Tenekedjieva
Country of Origin: Bulgaria
Synopsis: It’s summertime. Rosie is solving mathematics while her grandmother is baking cookies. Both of them leave the tasks and the biscuits to “rise” to go and have some fun while playing “hide and seek”. Rosie is hiding first but her grandma is finding her way too quickly. After that, they switch. Counting with her eyes closed, Rosiе doesn’t realise that her life is moving as fast as the counting. Reaching 10, Rosie opens her eyes and realises that there is a change in her life that she is not ready for.
2. Beautiful Country
Director/Producer: Charlie Mars,Christian Harrison
Writer: Billy Ray Brown
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: While setting up for a concert in Lafayette County, Mississippi, musician Charlie Mars learns about the history of Brown Family Dairy, and the lasting legacy of renowned author, Larry Brown.
3. The Closest Point
Director/Writer: Dilesh Korya
Producer: Ajay Parekh
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: Wong Kar Wai stated that “even at our closest point, we are still 0.01 cm apart from each other”. This seems very close, yet it can be impenetrable. In 'The Closest Point' a couple have to make the hardest decision any parent could face, not only on the life of their premature baby, but what to do with their relationship. Shireen is enveloped in a space that is only for herself and her son Raj. Simon is blinded by his love for Shireen and his need for a family. Then the most magical, unexpected and life affirming event changes their lives.
4. Losing It
Director: Elise Martin
Writer: Sophie Thomas
Producers: Elise Martin, Sophie Thomas
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: According to her research and to-do list, 30-year-old Mabel has everything she needs to “lose it” to nice-guy Guy. But, when he needs a bit of romance to get in the mood, her clinical “do-it-and-lose-it” plan falls apart.
Can she rip the bandaid off and conquer the monstrous beast that is first-time-sex? Or will she accept that being a 30-year-old virgin isn’t a world-ending disaster?
5. The Boy Of The Fish
Directors & Writers: Toqa Sharabati, Albaraa Wail
Country of Origin: Palestine
Synopsis: Noon, a quiet and contemplative nine-year-old boy who lives in a Syrian camp with his family. Wrestling with many questions about the condition of the camps, Noon returns from school, observing the other children, heading to his father's grave, where conflicting feelings of blame and longing for his father intertwine.
6. We/Us
Directors: Oliver Warren, AJ Vaage
Writer: Oliver Warren
Producers: Joe Bannister, Oliver Warren, AJ Vaage
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: A young man returns home to visit his family but instead unearths more family trauma - all exacerbated with his choice to merge with other human brains to become one new identity. The family bonds, already fragile, shatter.
Against the backdrop of AI, brain chips and networked humans, it brings up the questions of who we really are and how the future will affect the concept of family.
7. Sitter
Director & Writer: James Arden
Producers: Georgiana Clark, Cleo Jackson
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: Aurora is asked to look after her friend’s cat, but as events take a turn for the worse, she is forced to ask herself - am I a good person?
8. The Keeper and the Moon
Directors: Börteçine Umay Sümer, Didem Peker
Country of Origin: Turkey
Synopsis: The tragic love story between a
lighthouse keeper and his wife.
9. AMŒBA
Director/ & Writer: Ian Fallon
Producer: Thomas Purdy
Country of Origin: Ireland
Synopsis: After surviving a brain eating parasite, Levi, a young queer man, is invited to his secondary school crush Roan's house for the weekend. Waking from an intoxicated night of reconnecting, Levi becomes convinced Roan kissed him. As Levi seeks the truth of what happened that night, his grip on reality loosens.
10. The Nightingale
Director & Writer: Robbi Stevens
Producer: Abbie Elliott
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: Set in London and inspired by real-life events, The Nightingale follows Grace, a second-year university student, on her reckless and dangerous path through the different stages of PTSD. With unflinching honesty, the film explores the lasting impact of sexual assault and the courage it takes to overcome it.
11. How To Skin A Cheetah
Director: Meghan O'Shaughnessy
Writers: Meghan O'Shaughnessy, Thomas Purdy
Producer: Thomas Purdy
Country of Origin: Ireland
Synopsis: Bobby's tales of hunting game on the plains of
Tanzania inspire a sinister side in her mollycoddled
co-worker Lucas.
12. Wine Club
Director: Catherine Yeats
Writers: Catherine Yeats, Stacy Thunes
Producers: Catherine Yeats, Stacy Thunes, Georgia Slowe
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: Wine Club spirals out of control one fateful night.
13. The Soldier on Smithdown Road
Directors: Barney Pell Scholes, Thomas Harnett O'Meara
Writer: Barney Pell Scholes
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: Liverpool, 1947. Two British soldiers are kidnapped and murdered in Mandate Palestine. In the aftermath of the so-called ‘Sergeants Affair’, a wave of antisemitic riots sweep across the UK. Louis Scholnick, a British-Jewish World War Two veteran, is forced to defend his family’s shop from a violent mob.
14. The Ladies (Pilot)
Director/ & Writer: Juliana Piscina
Producers: Cailin Lobb-Rabe, Gillian Mahar
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: Tracy, an ex-high school basketball star, returns to coach at her alma mater, but the program isn't what it used to be and Tracy, alongside her quirky remaining players, Emma and Rita, will have to restore the program to it's former glory... or just win one game.
15. The Doula
Director & Producer: Luca Gabriel Piercey
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: An atmospheric portrait of Jo Piercey, a birth doula, mother and rebel, who is fighting to change the way we think about birth.
16. Finding Esther
Director & Writer: Alexandra Adomaitis
Producers: Emilia Clark, Kamil Nowak, José Gaztelu
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: "Finding Esther" is a captivating drama that follows the story of Ellie, a young woman who has lost touch with her heritage. Through encounters with three life changing characters, Ellie begins to unravel her family's history and the significance of her enduring lineage.
17. Ballsed Up
Director & Writer: Teri Murkin
Producer: REDMED Films Limited
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: When Spuds meets a mysterious girl in a nightclub, the last thing he expects is a troubling diagnosis...
18. Catastrophe
Director & Writer: Dan Silov
Producer: Vadim Zaikovsky
Country of Origin: Latvia
Synopsis: Inspired by real Latvian politicians and their infamous remarks, the story revolves around Karlis Preiss, a Latvian parliament member. One morning, he wakes up to find himself embroiled in a scandal due to what he initially considered harmless comments made during a TikTok video interview. Desperate to escape the relentless press, Karlis seeks refuge in an Airbnb, where he spends the day attempting to manage the crisis, but ultimately exacerbating the situation. Over the course of a single day, he loses his family, his business associates, and his government position, all because he couldn't simply remain patient and wait things out.
19. FLEX
Director & Writer: Kaat Vanbaelen
Producers: Kaat Vanbaelen, Stien Vanbaelen
Country of Origin: Belgium
Synopsis: - An unhealthy mind in a healthy body -
Jimi, the owner of Fit-Life gym, is visited by a bailiff. He has one week to pay €50,000, or he will have to close his gym.
