Short Film Fund 2024: longlist announced

Thank you all for participating in the Short Film Fund. This year we received many solid projects, so the longlist is fairly long!

THE LONGLIST

A Lake of Stars, written by Nick Green

A Significant Moment, written by Imogen Harrison

About Grief and Plants, written by Noam Gottlieb-Zeiss

Almost Heaven, written by Tanya Shamil

Bin Run, written by Scottie White

Bloodbuzz, written by Daisy Bata

Brick Game, written by Edem Dotse

Canvassing, written by Matthew Chang

Checco, written by Roberto Campione

Code/Switch, written by Mikhail Sen

Dance, written by Kathryn Georghiou

Do They Not Hate U?, written by Eliot Gelberg-Wilson

Double Digging, written by Ann Hawker

Each a Fire, written by Luke David Sims

Etienne Dreams Of A Miracle, written by Julian Sonntag

Ex Memoria, written by Devany Greenwood

Fat, written by Zoë Brian

For Better, written by Kitty Percy

Frostlands, written by Anastasia Bruce-Jones

Gardeners, written by Merry May Ma

Gay Gordons, written by Antóin Beag Ó Colla

Give Me My Motherf*cking Gucci Bag!, written by Steven Lee

Gorge, written by Aimie Willemse

Gorgon, written by Lizzie  Lomas

Guess Who, written by Andrew Rutter

Heavenly Visas, written by Tomasz Frymorgen

Hope is lost, written by Eno Enefiok

How to Reverse an Exorcism, written by David Ranson

In Oar, written by Cherish Perez de Tagle

interiorem pueri, written by Teresa Catherine

Into The Blue Again, written by Dan Lovatt

Just One Jump, written by Julian Chomet

Just Us, written by Charles Furness

Khazana (Treasure), written by Basir Ahmed

Last of the Lovers, written by Nick Green

Learners, written by Emer Heatley

Let Me Stay, written by Anson K. H. Yip

Mad Summer, written by Larissa Salazar

Monkey, written by Charlotte Alexander

Monster, written by Andrew Gilchrist

My Lady Garden, written by Sally Llewellyn

Parsons Ward, Room Four, written by Matthew  Flack

Please Hang Up, written by Andrea Tellez, Sophie Tellez

Pocket of Love, written by Shawn Zou

Poster Boy, written by India Opzoomer, Daniel Young Kim, Fergus Burnand

Primate, written by Kieran Turnbull

Princess Pea, written by Lea Otovic

Promise, written by Huss Kohn

Ramona, written by David Woll

Random Facts About the Sky, written by Ross O’Donnellan

Refuel, written by Shezah Salam

Rescue, written by Ed Wiles

Roller Coaster, written by Emanuel Nisan

Scars That Define Us, written by Edward Worthy

Sensitivity Read, written by Georgia Goggin

She Creature: The Ugly Duckling, written by Chris Krovatin, Maria Krovatin, Lize Johnston

SHE, written by Keir Barradell

Socks and Flying Saucers, written by Madison Fitts

Stealing Time, written by Ethan Beaven

Storm Clipper, written by Anna Keel

Stuck, written by Shannon Brown

Sunday Sauce, written by Matthew Campanella

Sweet Dust, written by Joe Borg

Taste, written by BriAnna Olson

Teeth, written by Aleyha Ahmed

Test and Trace, written by James Taylor MacArthur

The Code of the Heart, Taught by the Moon, written by Marita De La Torre

The Cube, written by Freya Mavor

The Curse, written by Chris Tan

The Fragrance of Little Daisies, written by Animesh Garg

The Ladder, written by James Newman

The Recall Race, written by Isabella Vizetta

They Who Cannot Pay, written by Nico Rao Pimparé

Thorns and Stingers, written by Stacy-Ann Ellis

Three Women, written by Toyin Taiwo

Towering Times, written by Franck Benayoun

Ulua, written by Brayden Yoder

Unexpected Guest, written by Brian Mullin

Unwell, written by Michelle Lindsay-Baharie

Vital, written by Amir Zargara

Vocabulary, written by Zhizi Hao

Wako Wapi Part III (Where Are They), written by Jacob  Sirma

Warren, written by Rebecca Hindmarsh

Where Do Memories Go, written by Brandon Tyson


General feedback from our readers

We asked our readers if they had any general thoughts about common issues they found in the scripts they read. This is what we got back:

I’ve noticed something interesting in many of the scripts I’ve read. They often start off strong, with great beginnings and engaging middles, but the endings don’t always land as well. Sometimes, they leave the reader wondering about the story’s overall message or theme. It’s clear that writers are trying to write endings that don’t conform to traditional, overused conventions for resolutions, which is admirable. However, it’s still possible to achieve this while ensuring that the audience is left with a feeling that they’ve learned something about themselves, the world, or the human condition.  There’s a difference between an open ending, which doesn’t tie up all loose ends but still feels complete, and an ending that leaves the story feeling more like a situation rather than a fully developed narrative. Thinking about how the final scenes can sum up the narrative or leave a lasting impression can be helpful. Techniques to consider include showing character development, introducing a turning point, or addressing central conflicts and themes. By focusing on these elements, endings can feel more complete and impactful, improving the overall story.

Many of the scripts I read had the narrative style of TV series episodes rather than short films. The beginning of these scripts is often too long, with the inciting incident occurring late into the piece. Narratively, they tend to have issues with structure and pacing. The necessity to hook the reader is amplified in the short format, making getting into the main character’s goal and starting to push them into the challenge of attaining it efficiently essential. Character ensembles with enmeshed backstories appear often. Frequently, these groups inhabit a part of their world’s “en-vogue” social scene. This setup becomes repetitive and echoes already popular TV shows, like ‘Euphoria’, too referentially. Vitally, providing a viewer with all the necessary story info to understand these characters, their social fabric and the culture of their world takes too long – resulting in stories that cram everything into the climax. Another result of pushing a TV plot into a short is that the scripts have cliffhangers or open-ended narratives as if designed to bring the audience back for another chapter. A short film should set out to satisfy the audience’s desire for resolution as a single unit, even if intended as a proof of concept for something bigger. Dialogue in these shorts comes up against two common pitfalls: it is too obscure and struggles to communicate the plot, or it must become over-expository to get everything across. The short is its own medium, with specific structural and narrative needs. At their best, short films are tight story units, introducing a character with a precise want that we can dig into the minutia of and then drive a compelling obstacle right into.

This last comment fees particularly relevant because we received it from five different readers. It was worded in a different way each time but the core message was the same:

An exceptionally large proportion of the scripts I read focused on personal trauma. I get why one would choose such topics. Nowadays the industry praises personal stories because of their authenticity. Moreover – since they are inspired by personal experiences – the writers are strongly positioned to claim they are the best person to tell them. TV dramas like “Baby Reindeer” and “I may destroy you” are masterful examples of this trend. On the other hand, the abundance of this kind of stories in the current “submissions landscape” makes it difficult for these scripts to stand out in the crowd – simply because there are too many of them. Personally, I’d like to remind writers that we are ultimately story-tellers, not story-owners, so we shouldn’t be afraid of exploring themes and topics we are passionate about, even if when we don’t have first-hand experience. We could lose something in authenticity, but we can find value in having a fresh and unbiased perspective on the topics we explore. After all, as writers, our experience is limited by definition. We’ll never be able to run for Prime Minister before writing a story about it. But that story is waiting to be told, regardless. I believe this perspective could help you stand out in today’s landscape. Tomorrow, who knows, things may change again.

WHAT’S NEXT?

We are now working to select the six finalists, who will be evaluated by the jury and will compete for the awards. We aim to announce the six finalists on 31st July 2024.

Thank you again for sharing your precious work with us. We hope to be able to read future drafts or new projects that you may wish to share with us. Until then, happy writing!