PROGRAMME 1: FRIDAY 17th MAY, 3.00pm – 6.00pm USW, ATRIUM – CINEMA
SHORT FILMS – ‘ME, MYSELF & I’
A selection of lesbian, bisexual and queer shorts with protagonists under the age of 30.
Part 1 – Emerged Voices
Oh Be Joyful – UK, 2015, Dir. Susan Jacobson, 14 minutes
A reserved young lesbian is dragged out of the closet by her free-spirited, outrageous grandmother.
Sophie is a full-time, live-in carer for Rita her terminally ill Grandmother. Rita is no fool – she knows that Sophie is closeted and punishing herself, and she will be damned if she leaves this world before she’s helped her granddaughter come to terms with her sexuality. And it’s this decision to drag Sophie out of the closet that leads Rita to reveal some long-held secrets from her own past, not least her penchant for stealing.
FILM TEAM
Director – Susan Jacobson
Producer – Katie Campbell
Writer – Kayleigh Llewellyn
Editor – Joseph Tims
CAST
Rita – Sheila Reid
Sophie – Kayleigh Llewellyn
Security Guard – Laura Checkley
Origin – US, 2019, Dir. Simone Lyles, 19 minutes
Kora uses self-help conversion tapes to try to suppress being in love with her best friend.
In 1982, Kora’s self-help gay conversion tapes only seem to push her closer to the truth about her feelings for her best friend Gina.
FILM TEAM
Writer, Director & Editor – Simone Lyles
Producer – Patrick Boyd
CAST
Kora – Christine Childress
Gina – Maxing Goynes
Stone – UK, 2023, Dir. Jake Graf & Hannah Graf, 14 minutes
A young woman comes to terms with her deceased father’s transition and lesbian relationship.
When Tess learns of her estranged father’s death, she travels to the funeral hoping for nothing more than some closure and the chance to meet the woman who stole him from her. Immediately blindsided by the revelation that her father was a transgender woman, Tess starts to wonder what else has been kept from her, turning to her mother for answers.
FILM TEAM
Directors – Jake Graf and Hannah Graf
Writer – Jake Graf
Producer – Nicola Grey
Editor – Giorgio Galli
CAST
Tessa – Kelsey Cooke
Heather – Gracy Goldman
Rita – Nicola Stephenson
This Is Katherine – Norway, 2022, Dir. Ida Hansen Eldøen, 15 minutes
A shy young woman with geeky passions and a fear of heights, tries to fit in on the lesbian scene.
At a young age, Katharine starts thinking that she might be gay. To find her sexual identity, she turns to movies and tv, and from the representations she creates an image of how she should be. An image that is far from the shy and scared girl she really is. Through an all-knowing voice over we hear her story, her thoughts, and feelings, and we take part in her journey to find and to free herself.
“This Is Katharine” is a personal story, based on the directors’ own experiences. It tells a story about finding your true self, and the importance of representation.
FILM TEAM
Writer, Director & producer – Ida Hansen Eldøen
Animators – Ida Hansen Eldøen, Trine V. Håbjørg, Øyvind Tangseth
Director of Photography – Kim-Marius H. Olsen
Music – Sigurd Ekle
Narrator – Lisa Cordileone
10 Minute Break
Part 2 – Emerging Voices
Mirrored – UK, 2023, Dir. Hallie Hagan, 5 minutes [FESTIVAL PREMIERE]
[USW 1st Year BA Film Project]
A Bridalwear Designer in a heterosexual relationship becomes attracted to a female client, and starts to question her sexuality and marriage, only for matters to become yet more complicated.
FILM TEAM
Producer – Elise Thomas
Writer/Producer – Megan Rogers
Director – Halle Hagan
Cinematographer – Laila Mann
Sound recorder & Mixer – Olivia Berrie
Editor – Maisie Belmont
CAST
Kate – Roshina Ilyas
Bill – Phil Searle
Female Client – Robyn Fashan
None Of The Above – UK, 2022, Dir. Robin Mitchell, 11 minutes [FESTIVAL PREMIERE]
[USW MA Final Film]
Charlie has been in a lesbian relationship for a very long time but realises they no longer identify as a woman.
‘None of the Above’ delves into the intricacies of identity and relationships. Charlie and Olivia’s ‘lesbian relationship’ is put under the spotlight as Charlie courageously embraces their non-binary identity.’
FILM TEAM
Writer & Director – Robin Mitchell
Producer – Hannah Erpels
Editor – Oscar Prendergast & Robin Mitchell.
CAST
Charlie – Jo Raicovici
Olivia – Grace Jacobs
Just Friends – UK, 2024, Dir. Rebs Fisher-Jackson, 10 Minutes [WORLD PREMIERE]
A young woman struggles to come to terms with her relationship break up but is helped by an unexpected stranger.
FILM TEAM
Writer & Director – Rebs Fisher Jackson
Producer – Lauren Taylor
Editor – Gareth Maybe
CAST
Maggie – Annelise Hughes
The Ex – Elin Gruffydd
Drag Queen – Venus Flytrap
Rach -Niamh Buckland
Worlds Apart With Little Phones – UK, 2023, Dir. AJ Achour Shingler, 15 minutes [FESTIVAL PREMIERE]
[USW MA Final Film]
A young woman becomes locked in her home and can only communicate by landline with a total stranger – another woman on the other side of the world.
What does it mean when everything you thought you understood about your world comes into question and can love grow over the phone?
FILM TEAM
Director – AJ Achour Shingler
Writers – Thomas Welch & AJ Achour Shingler
Producer – Georgia Parfitt-Combes
Editor – Rishika S. Shetty
CAST
Lily – AJ Achour Shingler
Diana – Bethany Kiros
Ena – Ezinne Emm
January – Georgia Parfitt-Combes
Dr Willard – Oliver Svendsen
Part 3.
Representatives of the ‘Emerging Voices’ selections will be part of a Q&A led by LezDiff Team member and Interim Head of BAFTA Cymru – Rebecca Hardy.
