Warwick Filmmakers’ Showcase

The Warwick Filmmakers’ Showcase was advertised as displaying the work of 6 directors and their 6 short films, as well as free entry and free pizza. How could a film (and pizza) lover resist?

The first film on the bill was Crossing Lines, written and directed by France Alber and Roxana Şoica. Their brief was to create a film that was 5 minutes in length and containing only 5 lines of dialogue. The result was impressive, using the premise of a complicated modern relationship to explore themes of sexuality and self confidence, and I felt that the actors succeeded in portraying the angst of the characters with limited speech.

Next we were presented with Andrew McGee’s Last Night, a film about a selection of students facing the end of the world. What I particularly enjoyed about this film was its humour despite its dark storyline, from a very apt Shaun of the Dead referenceto a great one-liner from one of the leads looking up at the ‘Koan’: “I still don’t get it”. In contrast, Grim was screened next, a horror film written and directed by Harry Eaton. Streetlight and shadows were used to great effect to create suspense and the use of eerie music and haunting voices were drawn out for just long enough to lull you into a trance before unleashing the terror. Yes, I did jump.

The fourth film of the night was The Psychology of Evil, a directorial debut for Patrick Sambiasi. This film showcased artistic camera movement and used narration to introduce the lead; a damaged soul and apparent psychopath. I was impressed by the professional and artistic way in which violence and the implication of murder was handled and the throbbing soundtrack provided a disturbing insight into the mind of a man drawn to kill.

There was a lot of talent in the room and, on my part, complete awe of these intelligent student films.

The Life Trilogy, written and directed by Jake Benson, was a thought-provoking watch exploring the theme of self perception in three parts. I found the acting in the first chapter to be particularly strong and wonderfully abstract, with a very natural performance pitched against a much more heightened and unnerving character. This, together with the incessant ticking clock and the convenient 1970s style curtains of the accommodation, gave the scene a really off-beat, Kubrick-esque feel.

The final film of the evening was In Phase, a story of two people who meet by chance written and directed by Geoff Ruh. The film presents the idea that life is made up by a series of coincidences and it has a generally feel-good plot until an unexpected turn leaves the story with a powerful and poignant ending. I loved the to-camera narration and the use of funny internal monologue and there’s no arguing that the soundtrack is fantastic.

There was a lot of talent in the room and, on my part, complete awe of these intelligent student films. Most of the directors I talked to said that they hope their films will be a talking point. That they most certainly are.