Our Picks for London Short Film Festival 2020
For film fans and those of you resolving to make more of London’s cultural offerings for 2020, this week’s London Short Film festival delivers a host of bitesize new discoveries and archive gems. Already halfway through, here’s our recommendations from the second half of the schedule.
ASMR: Senses Working Overtime
We’re wildly curious about this immersive deep dive into the cultural phenomenon of ASMR. The programme includes a world premier of a short work by Peter Strickland (Duke of Burgundy, In Fabric) alongside classic Youtube examples of the form.
New Shorts: Midnight Movies
The horror genre is often well served by short film, so if you’re brave enough get down to Rio cinema late this Friday. The historic cinema is the perfect grindhouse venue to see new work by the likes of Brandon Cronenberg, Nadia Latif and Bryan M. Ferguson at the witching hour.
No Fact of Blackness
Curated by artist Dan Guthrie, this programme centres on experimental work by contemporary artists around the broad and diverse subject of the black British experience. Take advantage of the Q&A to speak to some of the young creatives behind the films.
Tangled Roots: The Origins of Black Metal
A journey through music videos, archive interviews and documentary outtakes curated by Becoming the Forest - an arts project that explores black metal’s entanglement with the aesthetic and philosophy of the forest. Anyone interested in music, subculture or obscure archival explorations should attend.
New Shorts: U Ok Hun?
It’s always exciting to see cinema’s freshest interpretations of the internet, as it’s the place where culture currently feels the most futuristic. There’s some intriguing stories in this programme, including a woman obsessed with a BDSM account, a narrative taking place in the reviews section of Amazon and another through the lens of a missing person’s phone.
New Shorts: Award Winners
If you’re short of time but still want to see something great, the festival’s competition winners will be screened at the Rio Cinema, Curzon Soho and ICA on the final day of the festival. Categories include Best Short Film, Best Documentary, Best International Short, Best Animation and more, so you’re guaranteed to see a cross section of the festival.