Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival 2022 - Award Winning Filmmakers
Saturday 26th March
1.
Mudlarks
Dir. Dominic Gilday
UK
Logline: Two 15 year old homeless girls share a tent on the bank of the River Thames. A tent so small they sleep in shifts, scraping the living they do by mudlarking on the river and selling their finds. They live in the protective utopia of each other until one of them fails to return home one night. Skylar, a selective mute, is left with a decision: leave the tent- their entire world- or stay and hope Ansel returns. She takes the decision to go and look for Ansel, with dire consequences- both girls falling prey to child trafficking.
2.
Out of Orbit
Dirs. Jess Kay, Dann Emmons
UK
Logline: When Esme’s mum dies, her world falls apart. She struggles to navigate her day to day life until she gets an idea, fueled by their mutual love of space, which may lead to the relief she so longs for.
3.
Hedy
Dir. Andy B Clarke
Ireland
Logline: A savvy young homeless girl creates a robot as a surrogate for her departed younger brother. Not everyone is happy with their partnership.
4.
Viskar I Vinden
Dir. James Newman
UK
Logline: A feisty forensic investigator is gathering evidence at the murder scene. Until the corpse posthumously communicates with the investigators through its decaying farts. They must conduct a most unusual interview to catch the killer.
5.
Pointe Black
Dir. Rebecca Murray
UK
Logline: Marie-Astrid Mence has been a member of Ballet Black since 2014—a seminal dance company formed of Black and Asian performers who astound audiences with displays of balletic beauty and power. Mence’s journey to becoming their Senior Artist, however, had a turbulent beginning in her hometown of Paris. In this documentary profile comprised of prose and pirouettes, Mence narrates her uncomfortable journey from adolescent to ballerina and her struggles in an industry that fails to see past her skin colour.
6.
Marginalized Nation
Dir. Francisco Alberto Galan S.
Colombia
Logline: "Marginalized Nation" is a tribute to Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan, 30 years after his assassination, and it seeks to give voice to the vulnerable communities that he fought to dignify and empower. In one of the regions most affected by the armed conflict in Colombia, a group of rural people made a peace agreement that few saw possible. In a context of violence against thousands of politicians and social leaders, what is the legacy of Galan and these leaders who are no longer with us? How can the country move forward?