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A New Era

Sun, 04 May 2025 19:20:35 GMT

Something unusual happened on the way to the festival

Each year comes and goes and we get different rolls of the dice, but never did it cross our minds that a festival designed to help an indie cinema would end up owning it.

That's exactly what's happened here in Romford, as of February the 15th we became the leaseholders for the site and on 28th March Lumiere was born, a new type of indie cinema, 4 screens of the latest releases, one screen dedicated to independent cinema, one to world cinema and one to only show classic cinema (anything from 2024 backwards) the change means a lot about the cinema you may have been sed to has changed, but by and large its still a great independent cinema.

You can find out more about Lumiere here.

The BTS Creative Academy Podcast... Live!

Wed, 22 May 2024 20:46:07 GMT

BTS CREATIvE ACADEMY PODCAST

Kevin not being able to join us this year does not mean filmmakers can't engage in cool chats out of the screen. This year we are thrilled to be joined by Martin Colton of the BTS Creative Academy Podcast on Sunday through to Tuesday, he'll be creating live podcasts with our filmmakers and other creatives that just happen to drop by.

Martin has done stacks of podcasts of varying times, on every subject of the creative industry. with a great listenership if your in the industry and want to talk about what your doing, then why not catch up with Martin and organise a session.

Here's one of Martin's recent podcasts for a taste of what he'll be doing at Romford Film Festival.

Our Second New Interviewer is Revealed

Mon, 20 May 2024 14:12:00 GMT

Welcoming the wonderful Philip Rogers

He is the cheeky Chappy of indie film and all-round likeable guy, its the man the myth, Mr Philip Rogers who is joining our interview team for the first time this year. Phil is probably best know for his movie reviews on sites such as Blazing Minds, Phil has written literally thousands of articles that can be found scattered across the interweb.

When Phil contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I wanted him to do any interviews to help promote the festival, I literally took him at his word and asked if he'd like to join Ayvianna, Peter and I on the stage doing the in-screen Q&A's. Phil was always the natural choice and earlier this year when we discovered Kevin could not attend in person this session, he was on the top of our hitlist.

In addition to writing reviews you can also find Phil in a number of Indie features including Video Shop Tales Of Terror, Best Geezer, Welcome To Essex and Burnt Flowers which is showing at this years festival. We are super excited to see another dimension to this mailable soul.

Team Ch...Ch....Ch... Changes....

Wed, 01 May 2024 11:58:35 GMT

Team Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes

Each year something at Romford changes and this year it's in our interviewing panel, unfortunately for our May festival Kevin Haldon from Nerdly is having to bow out for this instalment. Kevin has begun a new career outside of the pod/vodcast world and that means he has to miss this May's festival. But fear not he'll be back for both 2025's fests.

So when we heard that Kevin was having to give it a miss, there was one easy choice of whom to approach to fill the void...

It could only be Ayvianna Snow, we met Ayvianna during the first Romford Horror Festival when she starred in the movie Wyvern Hill (AKA The Hollow) since then she's been to every Romford Film Festival, last year and this year also carrying out judging responsibilities. In addition to being a model and actress she is a great spokesperson and Chair of Equity's North London branch.

Ayvianna will be joining Peter and Spencer carrying out the in-screen interviews and will also be holding VR panels in screen 6, creating exclusive content for film fans in the Metaverse.

We are thrilled to have Ayvianna join the team in a more official "day to day running capacity" and hope she'll become a permanent edition on future sessions, even after Kevin returns, because as the festival grows we need more people to share the interviewing responsibilities.

For those wanting a little Nerdly goodness, Kevin will be connecting to our filmmakers and running online sessions on the build up and during the festival.

Law, What Law?

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:11:35 GMT

Exploring the legal wastelands in film

Law? What law? The contracts you need to know if you want to bullet proof your film.

This talk will cover the basic legals every producer and filmmaker should know about. If you are a producer or filmmaker and you want to avoid legal pitfalls, then this talk is for you.

Taking it from the development stages, Silvia will talk about how to get complete ‘chain of title’ – the contracts to acquire the copyright and intellectual property in the underlying rights and story. Moving on to pre-production and production, the talk then moves to contracting cast/crew in a cost-effective way. Finally, you will learn how to deal with and contract any investors and financiers and in talking about this last point, Silvia will also give you some tips about how to approach which kind of investor and financier and what sort of documents they would typically want to see.

Silvia will be joining us live from Germany on Friday 24th May from 3pm to discus the law in film. The first part of the session will be about legal processes and the second half will be dominated by your legal questions.

The talk is provided by Silvia completely free of charge, but is a physical event you need to attend and will not be available online. The session is expected to last around 90 mins.

Silvia Schmidt is an experienced media and entertainment lawyer. She trained at a finance law firm (Clifford Chance LLP) and then moved to the boutique media firm (Sheridans) and gained in-house experience in film and tv finance at Ingenious Media. She has worked as freelance legal consultant for producers, scriptwriters, investors and financiers since 2019: https://silviaschmidt.org/about . When she is not looking at contracts, she likes picking up the camera herself and is currently working on a feature documentary.

A Special Screening Of The Old Oak

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:08:59 GMT

A new community project

As you know we love a community project, so when we got to team up with Studio Canal & Havering Changing on something really cool, we jumped at it.

While still running in some cinemas and ahead of a Blu-Ray and DVD release on December 15 ^th our trio of organisations are recreating the more positive aspects of the latest Ken Loach film The Old Oak.

The film set in a small Durham town follows TJ (Dave Turner) a publican who lends a hand to local community-based charities, through an incident TJ strikes up a friendship with Yara (Ebla Mari) a Syrian Refugee who has a passion for photography. Yara persuades TJ to open the back room of his pub, to allow people within the community to bond and enjoy cuisine from different nationalities. The film has one much acclaim at both Cannes Film Festival and Locarno where Romford film Festival representatives Peter Blunden and Spencer Hawken saw the film and began discussions with Studio Canal, who loved the idea of creating a community event.

Ken Loach is no stranger to creating important narrative on issues within society his past movies include Kes, I, Daniel Blake and The wind That Shakes The Barley. His latest film illustrates the importance of working together to help the community at large.

For the special event, attendees will be able to watch the film, then take part in a discussion about the film’s messages, while enjoying a meal with elements from different cultures, challenge stereotypes and have an entertaining time while making new friends. The event essentially replicating the experience of being in The Old Oaks’s Community kitchen.

The event will be free to attendees who have booked tickets by Eventbrite and marks the start of an exciting community cinema project between Havering Changing & Romford Film Festival throughout 2024, that will show films for free to residents of Orchard Village every first Saturday of the month at the Mardyke Community Centre. The films schedule will include a mix of family movies, recent blockbusters and important films through cinema history. Some of the movies will have important ties with the area and the community and will include talks with actors and filmmakers. The events will also include film related activities including quizzes and maps of locations locally where attendees can become closer to film.

Havering Changing & Romford Film Festival worked on a similar project in 2022 which included an open air cinema showing of Star Wars and the screening of exclusive editions of movies and important independent short films hosted by their creators.

The Old Oak Screening is free for people aged 15 and over and during the event, the teams will be interviewing attendees regarding their thoughts on the film.

You'll be able to book your ticket from Wednesday 8th November.

The organisers ask that you kindly only book tickets if you intend on attending to reduce food wastage.

And the winners are...

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 11:26:45 GMT

Our Crowned 2023 Winners

For our 2023 festival, our selections committee watched a combined total of 1325 hours, narrowing the total down to 160 films. Our judging panel then watched 301 hours of content to make the following decisions.

This years winners were:

Best Director - Peter Callahan - Out & About
Best Actor - Ralph Ineson - Waving
Best Actress - Becky Lindsay - Burnt Toast & Cigarettes
Best Supporting Actor - Sam Barnard - Monico Perseus
Best Supporting Actress - Tiffany Bedwell - Good Guy With A Gun
Best Score - Christos Andreou - Langford Tales
Best Short Film - The Magical World Of Miracles
Best Cinematography - Pasindu Goldman - The Light That No One Sees
Best Foreign Language Film - A Butterfly's Heart
Best Animation - Triskelion
Best Local Film - Black & White Duppy
Best Screenplay - Duncan Paveling - Little Mary
Best Documentary - Danny's Red Box
Best Low Or No Budget Film - A Touch Of Vengeance
Best Feature Film - Out And About

Jury Prize - Encore

Of course its just not about the judges, our audience also get a say and they selected the following winners.

Audience Awards

Best Documentary - Eric Ravilious, Drawn To War
Best Actor - Alan Cooper - Claudia and Danny Ashkenasi - The Pit & The Pendulum - A Musicabre
Best Feature Film - Left Of Chopin, Coyote, Publish Or Perish
Best Short Film - Care - Eric

Kevin's Top 5 Of The Festival

Sun, 21 May 2023 17:15:01 GMT

Kevin Haldon's Top 5 Of The Festival

Well it is that time again folks, Romford 2023 has come around super quick and we are kicking off in a little over one week. Which means we need to start helping you plan out your “MUST SEE” list of films.

Now I will say that my list is often the one that if you are looking for something that isn’t just 10 minutes of exquisitely framed and scored glory shots of a mountain (looking at Mr Barton) or a project that fetishises tentacle “sexy time” and dirty feet (calling Mr Blunden). Well you are in the right place because I don’t go in for all that. I am a classy movie going viewer, I like my movies like a Friday night in town… Full of substance.

With that said let’s have a look at the five movies you can’t afford to miss this year.

Blue Boy… Director Andy Kastelic has done something truly great with Blue Boy. Told a super compelling story about an ageing boxer that has seen his best years gone by with not a lot to show. A man so cut off from everything that he longs for some sort of connection. when a young man turns up claiming to be his son… Well that’s the spark he had been waiting for. Blue Boy has a distinctive style and tone that harkens back to the golden age of cinema, whereby the score is telling you what the characters don’t, the vibrant tones splash on a semi noir feel and our lead actor Jack Forcinito has that Brando/McQueen star presence.

Eric… What can we say about Eric? Well as part of the Horror Takeover day we have a plethora of wonderful movies on show but during the selection process Eric was a movie that just absolutely stood out in every way. Equal parts RomCom ‘sort of’ and horrific killer dog movie, it’s just bloody good fun. Jemma Moore (Host) is effortlessly brilliant and plays the sweet natured dead behind the eyes lead to a tee. I feel like Eric is one of those movies that you will be talking about long after this festival.

Desires and Delusions… it’s like Downton Abbey but not pants. I really didn’t know what to expect from this short and given the recent trend of high society period drama shows that currently sit on my “avoid” list I went in with a little trepidation. Nicole Sarah Fry won me over though as we saw 3 young actress making bold choices for their characters and taking a stand. Fresh, Clever and Fun dialogue perfectly partnered with a very cool original concept all the while poking a little bit of fun at where we are now. Apparently this is to be a proof of concept for a mini-series. This cast, this crew and this Director. Sign me up.

Stillness… Romford Film Fest has a history of bringing some of the most Powerful, Heart driven stories. Movies like Nicole Pott short Powerless (if you are playing along check that off your bingo card) Kemal Yildrims Wastelands and now Rachel Fowlers Stillness. As heartbreakingly beautiful as it gets, taking a hugely personal tragic moment in a couples lives and inserting a soul that guides them to the first step of grief. Caitlin Fitzgerald in the lead is sensational and is able to say everything we need to know about her own grief, the couples grief and by extension ours as the viewer without really saying much. I haven’t seen an actress this captivating since the arrival of Vicky McClure. Stillness is crazy good and while you feel you are stuck in this moment the full runtime I don’t think you will soon forget how you felt during it.

Care/We Care… Yes my last entry is a Two for one and for a couple of reasons really. Both shorts are similar in ways but opposite sides of the narratives in a way which provides a very interesting double bill for you to mull over.

Care is Joseph Millson Writer/Director Debut and he has come out the gate with a deeply meaningful, profound and personal short about a middle aged man going through some stuff and the pensioner he cares for, grudgingly. Tonally it embodies the sense of internal conflict inside all of us, as we are unable to look around and see what’s ahead. We may be where we are but that is not who we are! This short is shot beautifully and of course it is with Elliot Millson on the lens but make no mistake Joseph has meticulously planned down the granular second what he wants us to think and feel in any given moment. This is none more so evident than in the stairlift sequence toward the end of the short. It’s quiet, it sits for a while and if you listen carefully enough you can hear Millson say “That’s the one”. Perfect!!!

While Care is the story of the Carer, We Care is the story of the cared for. Based on a poem written by lead actress Steph Lacey. We meet Annie, a somewhat bubbly bigger lady who after an accident needs to be cared for. Told in a sort of Talking Heads kind of way we come to find that Annie is being physically abused by a new carer. We watch as the days progress and Annie’s demeanour becomes more and more broken. Breaking our hearts all while we are glued to our seats and can’t move Annie is bound to her wheelchair too. It’s a worrying fact that things like this are going on all the time and this short is a very powerful and sobering reminder that you may be listening but are you hearing. Huge effort by director Clare Louise French and her lead.

Well that’s it, my Top5 you can’t miss for this years fest. One thing is for sure, if you are coming to the festival you are in for some seriously powerful shorts and features. Some returning faces in Joseph Millsom, Nicole Pott (my favourite woman in the world.. outside of my family of course), Hugo Santa Cruz, Laura Bayston (crazy talented actress) and ME… Kevin Haldon or as they all like to call me “The best there is, was or ever will be”

See ya at the fest!!!

Peter's Picks Of The Festival

Mon, 15 May 2023 19:58:18 GMT

Peter's Ones To Watch

Well it scarcely feels like 12 months since the last time we were together celebrating our festival of international film. As ever the quality, variety and love for film-making on display in the submissions was staggering. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who submitted in record numbers again this year. It’s so heartening to see the hard work that goes into running every edition being rewarded with more and more filmmakers wanting to join us for the fun down in Romford.

So let’s get into some of my recommendations for the 2023 Romford International Film Festival.

As with every year, I’ve got to give a big shoutout to Kenichi Ugana, the film-making machine from Japan who is starting to rival countryman Takashi Miike for frequency of output. This year we have just the three films of his to share with you...

Adorably surreal short ‘ Moja ’ about an advice-dispensing alien plays on Thursday evening, while wacky feature ‘ Wild Virgins ’ about a 30 year old virgin turned superhero is on Sunday morning.

But for me, the pick of the litter is ‘ Rolling Marbles ’ which you should definitely make time for on Friday morning. A wonderfully gentle film where not an awful lot happens , yet instead it’s really nice spending time with three strong and fully-fleshed out female characters. And not a sex squid in sight!

Lithuanian feature film, ‘ A Butterfly’s Heart ’ is a very sweet film that anyone would find difficult to take umbrage with. Fans of sentimental films will love this tale of a lonely boy with a very unique heart condition, and his new friend who accepts his differences. With flawless child performances and tremendous direction, this is a very well made film with a good (pardon the pun) heart. That's on Sunday at 4.30pm.

On Monday at midday, ‘ Out and About ’ is a film with a relaxed tempo and rhythm that very subtly and skilfully draws you under its spell. A middle aged man takes an afternoon walk through his suburban American town, encountering friends, former lovers, and strangers along the way. It put me in mind of greatly under-discussed American classic The Swimmer with Burt Lancaster, but without the darkness.

I’ll finish with two unmissable shorts, both incredibly from first time filmmakers. ‘ Mothers & Daughters ’ (part of Thursday’s Short Film Showcase) is a thought-provoking, inter-generational drama with a spoonful of surrealism. And lastly, ‘ Sensibility ’ (Friday’s Short Film Showcase) a period-set comedy with a script and performances that crackle and pop.

See you in sunny Romford!

Peter

Also at the festival...

Mon, 15 May 2023 19:42:41 GMT

Vendors gotta vend

Returning on May the 27th as part of the horrific takeover of Romford Film Festival, we are pleased to announce that Rick Melton and Mike Smith will be returning with Rick’s art. And third time Rondo winner Noufaux (aka Adelle Veness) Will be with us to sell their artwork.

Ricks artwork is best known for his work with arrow video and more recently dark side magazine, while Adele works the entire horror and art circuit selling her not and twists on classic horror.

These guys will be with us from 10:00 AM to around 4:00 PM on the 27th of may, please click the links below to find out more about their work.

Noufaux

Rick Melton's Shop

In addition, on the 26th through to the 28th we have Mind Magic studios with us, Steve will be crafting a new mask during the festival. Film fans can talk to him about his art and filmmakers can have a chat with him about using him on their films. Either way Steve and Claire are lovely people who are very engaged in making practical SFX for films.

Mind Magic Studios website can be found here

Haldon In D'House

Fri, 12 May 2023 19:48:49 GMT

Nerdly Live! Is Back Again

Nerdly Live! will be returning to the Romford Film Festival for their third consecutive visit. Kevin Haldon will be taking filmmakers to his secret lair to interview them about their films during the festival. These sessions will be broadcast live through social media, both on Nerdly's channels and ours.

Kevin interviews thousands of filmmakers each year and has a vast collection of online interviews conducted under the Nerdly Banner, many of which have been in association with the Romford Film Festival. He often interviews key players in the industry and frequently conducts live Q&A sessions with filmmakers, either during the festival or after the premiere of their films.

Nerdly's live shows range from being highly thoughtful to completely outrageous. Kevin thrives on randomness and enjoys challenging filmmakers about their creative decisions. A Q&A session with Kevin is an unforgettable experience for any filmmaker. Throughout the entire festival, Kevin will be hosting Nerdly Live sessions.

As a key member of the Romford Film Festival team, Kevin will also conduct on-screen interviews throughout the event.

Special Guest Pauline Peart

Thu, 11 May 2023 18:46:14 GMT

Special Guest Pauline Peart

Romford Film Festival is incredibly happy to announce that Jamaican-born British icon, Pauline Peart, will be joining us on Saturday, May 27th. Pauline is best known for her roles in "Carry On Girls," "The Satanic Rites Of Dracula," and "Cuba," as well as a vast range of British television shows from the 70s and 80s. She will be appearing as part of our horror all-dayer, alongside the previously announced Caroline Munro.

Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase signed autographs from Pauline and engage in conversations about her amazing catalog of work, including her surprise cameo in "Video Shop Tales Of Terror," which we screened earlier this year at the Romford Horror Festival.

We are beyond thrilled to welcome Pauline to her first Romford experience, and we're confident that all our attendees will make sure she has a truly enjoyable time.

The horror all-dayer features a selection of incredible features and shorts, including some world premieres. Day passes are priced at £15. Alternatively, you can opt for a full festival pass at £35 or individual session passes at £4 each.

Romford Film Festival 2023 Press Release

Wed, 10 May 2023 14:51:28 GMT

The 2023 Romford Film Festival Is Coming

The Romford Film Festival is making its much-anticipated return for the 7th consecutive year, from May 24th to May 30th. This week-long extravaganza will showcase over 160 features and shorts, treating film enthusiasts to a diverse range of cinematic experiences.

Continuing its tradition, the festival will provide a platform for emerging filmmakers to debut their works alongside established industry veterans. The line-up is a mesmerizing blend of thought-provoking documentaries shot on shoestring budgets and breath-taking multi-million-dollar spectacles with dazzling special effects. From local talents to international filmmakers from Central Asia, this year's selection is a testament to the festival's commitment to presenting fresh content alongside culturally significant films that have made a significant impact on the industry.

Among the big highlights in terms of film screenings, the festival's opening night includes a screening of Warner Brothers' adventure movie, "Jim Button & The Wild 13," a film about steam engines, princesses, and dancing dragons. The film comes from the creators of "The Neverending Story" and has its UK premiere in English as part of the festival. Other films include the Clacton-made revenge thriller "Morris Men." The UK premiere of "Out & About," a pleasing drama about a man and his neighborhood, a trio of important and varied films from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Kenich Ugana. Joan Collins stars in "The Gentle Sex," a short film that gives off big "Home Alone" vibes. Husband and wife team Joseph Millson and Sarah Jane Potts return to the festival with their new film "Care." Both are familiar to many for their roles in "Casualty" and "Holby," and last Christmas, they starred in Sky's big Christmas film, "Prancer Returns." Margy Kinmouth's highly acclaimed documentary "Eric Raviious – Drawn To War" makes its Romford premiere after having toured all over the world. Chelmsford man Scott Lyus' film "Walking Against The Rain," which also showed at the Romford Horror Festival, has its final screening before being available to buy. Meanwhile, the trendsetting film "Coyote" time-shifts a tale of a dystopian future, creating an incredible spectacle. "The Wife & Her House Husband" took the Prince Charles Cinema by storm in March, showing over several weeks, and sees Dagenham lass Laura Bayston taking up the lead. Bayston showed her film "Old Windows" at last year's festival and used to work at Premiere Cinemas, the venue where the festival runs from. There's even a film about a killer Pomeranian called Eric.

But it's not just new films that get an airing; this year, the festival is screening 3 films for free that it considers to be either Game Changing, Important, or Ridiculous. The erotic classic "Nine & A Half Weeks" returns to the big screen. This film from 1985 was well ahead of its time, touching the same ground that shocked audiences in the "Fifty Shades" trilogy. The film truly launched the careers of Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger and featured a highly addictive soundtrack by the biggest artists of the day. In 1990, the film "Revenge," directed by Tony Scott and starring Kevin Costner, was released in the UK in a censored edition. The festival will be screening the first ever UNCUT showing in the UK. Falling under the ridiculous category, "Ninja: The Protector" concludes the festival. This film is stitched together from pieces of several abandoned movies in production and stars Richard Harrison, who went to Hong Kong to star in what he thought was one film, only to discover his scenes would be cut into 25 other films.

Producer Charlotte Atkinson is delivering a masterclass on how to get discovered by producers, so you can get better funding and make more films. vShowcards is holding a networking session on Bank Holiday Monday, and there will also be coffee chats throughout the festival, tackling subjects like social media and what to do with your film if you cannot sell it.

The festival will also be welcoming Bond Girl Caroline Munro, who will be sharing anecdotes about her career and signing autographs on Saturday, May 27th.

In total, 64 filmmakers are flying in from different shores to represent their films at the festival. The event will bring in several thousand people to the town over its 7-day run from all over the UK. This will consist of filmmakers, cast, supporters, and general film fans, all coming to be a part of this burgeoning festival.

Festival director Spencer Hawken said, "We can't wait to bring this year's films to Premiere Cinema. It's amazing how a festival can become so important to so many in such a short period of time. We have people that travel just to watch films from the likes of Rome or even Kazakhstan. These are people that come year after year to celebrate and enjoy brand new films at an affordable cost. A full festival pass costs just £35, and accommodation in the town to cover the whole period can cost as little as £240 due to the growing supply of hotels we have in Romford. It's great to see the impact the festival has on the town, from retail to leisure, so many businesses in the town benefit from the festival, often without realizing." Last year's festival brought nearly 2,500 people into Romford and filled several of the hotels.

As with every year, the Romford Film Festival teams up with the Eurasian Creative Guild Film Festival to deliver a solid selection of films from Central Asia. Festival Director Marat Akhmedjanov said, "This year's selection includes some of the best films we have ever screened, featuring some of the biggest stars in Central Asia. It's amazing to yet again bring the best of Central Asian Cinema to Romford for expatriates or Asian enthusiasts to enjoy. We show films you will see nowhere else in the UK." The Eurasian Creative Guild Festival is a festival within a festival, and Full Festival Pass Holders can mix up their viewing by moving from Romford Film Festival to Eurasian Festival Films when they screen on Thursday, May 25th, and Friday, May 26th. Individual sessions cost £4.

The Romford Film Festival runs from May 24th to May 30th.

Special Guest Caroline Munro

Thu, 04 May 2023 19:45:15 GMT

Special Guest Caroline Munro

We are pleased to announce that Caroline Munro, whose work includes movies such as Starcrash, Casino Royale, Dracula AD 1972, Faceless, At The Earth’s Core, and The Spy Who Loved Me, to name but a few, will be joining us on Saturday, May 27th as part of our horror all-dayer.

Attendees will be able to purchase signed autographs from Caroline and talk to her about her amazing catalogue of work, including the upcoming film The Pocket Film Of Superstitions, made by Romford Film Festival regular and all-around nice guy, Tom Lee Rutter.

We are beyond thrilled to be welcoming Caroline to her first Romford experience, and we're sure all of our attendees will show her a really good time.

The horror all-dayer features a selection of incredible features and shorts, including some world premieres. Day passes are £15. Alternatively, you can buy a full festival pass for £35 or individual session passes for £4.

Bradley’s ‘Not to be Missed’ List

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:26:48 GMT

Bradley’s ‘Not to be Missed’ List

Each year we ask members of our selections committee to talk about their favourite films of the festival, using their own words. Its important to highlight, that selections committee members are not involved in festival judging.

With such a tremendous latitude and intensity of titles on offer this, our seventh year, I questioned my profundity regarding the enormity of the task set: namely, highlighting several entries ‘not to be missed’. Four titles from so many being shown? It’s just not cricket to ask. But faint heart ne’er won fair lady, so try I must.

It's confession time, I love a good documentary – with the emphasis on good. Which fundamentally means: Finding a subject matter and translating it into a great story and unquestionably, being as technically proficient as possible. It doesn’t sound much, does it? But in truth it’s an infrequent beast that’s all too often strangely difficult to track down.

‘Langford Tales’ is a delightfully poetic documentary by Theo Maximilian Goble that could easily have been two hours and I would have wanted more! It speaks to the village of Langford, Bedfordshire, and in particular the contrasting, captivating Second World War tales of those who went off to fight and just as importantly, those that were left behind. With super writing, directing and photography, immaculate research (including archive stills and movie footage) and quite simply one of the best scores you'll hear for a very long time this is undoubtedly one to highlight in your program.

‘Eric Ravilious – Drawn to War’ is another documentary that meets the criteria, and some. Director, Margy Kinmonth has produced an informative and performative documentary of the highest order, that perfectly conveys onto the screen the incredible talents of Ravilious and his truly wonderful watercolours. She creatively illustrates the peaceful and foreboding, the romantic and ominous, the childlike and almost disquieting aura of this unique artist. This is technically faultless in every department and includes a most perfectly aligned score. With outstanding research that beautifully manifested itself via film, photography, locations, reconstructions, rostrum, animation, and a vast array of interesting and knowledgeable talking heads, this really does have the lot!

Of course, a good narrative suspends time and the following feature and short froze it in the most elegant and enjoyable of ways. Powerful characters and storylines are a must, as are aspirations for technical and creative artistry. It isn’t easy, but these next two achieved it with flying colours.

‘The Sisters Karras’ is a feature that, with Micah Stahis’ beautifully written and directed narrative, sneaks up, hooks you and then skilfully reels you into its wonderful realm. This enchanting, anecdotal tale is deceptive and intelligent, exploring what true value is through sentiment, belonging and family: concluding in the discovery of meaning through these very things. With fine cinematography, a super score and some outstanding acting from all involved, this is a flawless, totally inspiring piece of moviemaking not to be missed.

‘Waving’ probes into a father’s self-inflicted misery of banishment as he desperately attempts to shelter his loved ones from the calamitous and oppressive thoughts brought on by his chronic condition, obsessive compulsive disorder. Co-writers and directors, Rolfin Nyhus and Steven Brumwell construct an excellent fresh take on this debilitating, exacting disorder. With first class lighting, operating, sound, acting and editing this perfectly directed short ingeniously illuminates this unrelenting condition, inspiring all those experiencing it never to relinquish their fighting spirit and to push on in love.

Bafta Launches Its Shorts Toolkit

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 10:37:30 GMT

The Shorts Toolkit From BAFTA, BFI & British Film Council

Following its launch at Guru Live, BAFTA have joined forces with the BFI and British Council to produce a Short Film Toolkit for aspiring filmmakers. Whether you’re just starting out or already making waves in the industry, the Short Film Toolkit is there to demystify the extensive world of shorts and provide a comprehensive digital guide to the short filmmaking process.

The first of its kind, the Short Film Toolkit includes insights from over 40 filmmakers, distributors, funders and festival programmers with advice ranging from film festival strategies to funding and marketing recommendations, as well as feature case studies in documentary, animation, fiction, experimental & artist moving image, XR and immersive.

Free Community Screenings In Rainham

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:06:02 GMT

Free Cinema Screenings In RAinham

We've recently been commisioned by Havering Changing to create a schedule of films in the Orchard Village area of Havering to bring film into the community. The Community 2Gether Film Festival will run on October 2nd with a screening of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and then continue on 27th, 28th and 29th October at the Mardyke Community Centre.

The rest of the line-up will include Made In Dagenham, Ground Zero, E.T., Oldboy, The Lings Of Mulberry Street and Fish Tank along with three short films that screened as part of the Romford Film Festival in 2021 and 2022 with focuses on mental health concerns. We'll be bringing someone from each of the short films to talk about their experiences on the films.

More information will be available shortly.

Festival Focus - Fire Ants

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:46:16 GMT

Festival Focus - Fire Ants

In an alternate future where Covid continued to mutate beyond the capabilities of any vaccine, Martial Law is declared as families are separated and people are forced to remain indoors. Fire Ants tells the story of a collective of children determined to make a difference and speak up for their rights. But it also tells the story of a mother struggling to cope with the isolation of lockdown. Katerina Philippou-Curtis reflects on the stress and pressures many adults faced during lockdown, highlighting how the lack of communication and constant negative news left many of us with little motivation to pursue what we love.

One of the best parts of this film is that it does something incredibly unique. That is, that it incorporates child actors from across the globe through the use of webcams and phone videos. This helps to perfectly illustrate an online collaborative of kids working together to start a revolution, whilst also harking back to the restrictions of the pandemic. What is most unique about this, is that under normal circumstances it’s unlikely all of these children would be able to be in a film together due to the geographical distance, even if there wasn’t any travel restrictions in place. Indeed, Fire Ants uses a truly interesting filming technique which was born out of lockdown restrictions, that few have yet to utilise.

Festival Focus - Green Lanes

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:38:45 GMT

Festival Focus - green Lanes

Güni Koçak presents a unique family drama in his film ‘Green Lanes’, which sees a Muslim family torn apart by the loss of a son and brother. Koçak paints a realistic picture of how grief can often divide a family, leading to isolation and resentment. We follow Yusuf as he has to confront his past for the sake of his relationship and must reunite with his parents despite his own doubts.

Koçak provides an interesting family dynamic within his short, creating convincing conflict between his characters. We able to infer the distance between Yusuf and his parents through his mothers nightmares, her inner heartache at becoming disconnected from her child. The tension that bubbles between Yusuf and his father is also extremely realistic, Yusuf’s apathetic tone perfectly illustrates the idea that he’s had to endure critical comments from his father for years. Green Lanes is an interesting film which brilliantly explores grief, how if effects people differently and how it can so often lead to fractured relationships.

Festival Focus - Megalomania

Tue, 17 May 2022 08:34:46 GMT

Festival Focus - MegAlomania

Megalomania is a disorientating twenty minutes of madness and intrigue. We meet Gene a young woman who plays carer to her self-obsessed mother, as she participates in a televised competition in hopes of reconnecting with her father. Yet, Gene is drawn in by all the trappings of fame, exposing herself to a torrent of drugs whilst doing almost anything to remain relevant. Megalomania provides a clever commentary on reality tv and peoples desperation for fame, against the backdrop of an perplexing and exciting world which is unlike our own.

Perhaps the highlight of the film is the world Rex Russell created for his characters to exist in. Gene lives in poverty, her home is a drab, dirty flat which is juxtaposed by the bright colours and excitement founded in the competition space. The alluring nature of the bright adverts and the visually pleasing forest are more so disconcerting than welcoming, as they assert a sense of dystopia and fabrication. The lines between fiction and reality are also blurred throughout the film as we experience drug fuelled illusions and dreams which incorporates clever camera techniques and great editing to make each sequence fluid yet intriguing. Megalomania is a unique and creative film which will keep you bewildered right until the very end.

Festival Focus - Shear

Tue, 17 May 2022 08:29:57 GMT

Festival Focus - Shear

Shear is a compelling film which presents an honest depiction of a girl caught between two worlds. Yasmin is a young woman who is excited by life, by alcohol and parties, and unfortunately by the things her parents disapprove of. Yet, to fit in with the party scene Yasmin abandons her religion and culture, having to endure Islamophobia from her ‘friends’ along the way. Upon falling in love with Arif, who seems to understand her plights completely, Yasmin must make an extremely hard decision and choose the life she wants to live.

Shear perfectly shows us how difficult it can be for a young person to find balance between their culture and family, their friends, and the life they want to lead. From the clothing they wear to the music they listen to, Riyadh Haque presents a realistic illustration of the differences between the two social groups Yasmin belongs to. Through subtle symbolism Haque also does a wonderful job at illustrating how important Yasmin’s religion is to her, as she clutches onto her scarf for comfort at a moment of distress, whilst also maintaining that the strict rules her family lay out can often be stifling. With a charismatic lead in Céline Beran, you can’t help but feel a great amount of sympathy for Yasmin as she struggles to maintain the two lives she has built for herself and to find where she belongs.

Kevins Picks Of This Years Festival

Tue, 17 May 2022 08:25:16 GMT

Kevin's Picks Of This Years Festival

Well, Here we are again for the Romford Film Festival… Myself and my fellow Selectionists have had to whittle down a list of about 300+ movies to the magnificent 120. Not content with stressing us out with this painstaking task, Spencer decided he also wanted a list of our must see flicks at the fest this year. Jeezo dude I am making the 4 and a half hour journey EACH WAY down there BY TRAIN to be with all you wonderful folks in sunny old Romford, don't you think I have shown all the commitment to this cause?.

I do kid though because I honestly think we have some absolute belters this year at the festival and sometimes not enough light is being shone on them because we all fall in love with a few and they become talked and talked about. With that said this list stands as my chance to let you all in on some of the movies I personally think you have to check out while at the fest because if you dont you are going to miss out on a smorgasbord of instant gems.

First up…

DOOR SALESMAN DAVE… Monday night 6:13pm come and watch 7 minutes of Director/Actor Ross Henson just throwing himself into a character of his own making with everything he has. I have spoken on Door Salesman Dave on more than one occasion and for good reason. I don't need amazing cinematography in a 5-15 minute short every single time, yes your short can look good, sound incredible and smash it out the park tonally BUT was I interested every second of your audiogasmic ocular overload?. Sometimes I just want to be entertained by a cast and crew that are clearly passionate about their passion project.

Friday morning 11:17am CONSEQUENCES… This year sees a whole bunch of Spanish shorts, some good and some MEH but for me one of our Spanish contingent stood head and shoulders above the rest and that was Consequences. Young male lead Eddy Munoz is terrifyingly great in this role. His role gave me a real City of God type vibe where you just have to let this kid guide you through his story and I sat there the entire time hooked.

They say that you are only as good as your last project, and with that in mind I had almost written off Marcel Walz after his all style no substance but serviceable BLIND… Then comes along the sequel PRETTY BOY which is a shining example of how a director can level up and is smart enough to look back and not exactly fix mistakes but work out the kinks for a better well told and more rounded flick. I really enjoyed Pretty Boy and I think along with DADDY'S GIRL you have an outrageously good double bill of horror on Sunday night!!! So strap in for that one.

Larry Lamb, Sarah Jane Potts, Jamie Lomas, Jack P Shepard, Marc Bannerman and Jaimie Winstone are just a small selection of names in some of these projects that you will know as household names. I would like you to pay particular attention to Kathryn O’Reilly as Rita in Fred Kelly short movie CAUGHT, she is sensational and for my money was a clear front runner for best actress. Make sure you check out Caught Saturday night between 9 and 10.

I could go on and rattle off another 10 to 15 movies off the top of my end in all honesty but I think the real beauty of the fest is buying a ticket for the entire fest and plopping your butt down not knowing what to expect. This is where you will find the gems like West Bottoms, Micropubs, Colossus, New Material, Divertimento, Colour Me Jane, Professor Television, Candle Cops, Pandemic Spy and everything else in between. Anyway thanks for reading and I really hope to see you all at the fest (I’ll most likely be at the bar).

Kev!

Festival Focus - Beats

Mon, 16 May 2022 17:06:23 GMT

Festival Focus - Beats

Beats is an incredibly hard-hitting tragedy which draws from the real life tragic terrorist attacks that have befallen multiple entertainment venues in the past decade. Through a masterfully crafted story and well written characters, we become almost instantly attached to the fun and relatable siblings Max and Alexa. Which leads us to sympathise with both characters, when we are presented with a dual story of the victim of a terrorist attack and their family. Of Max who has to play dead amongst those who have already passed and hide from the gunmen in a compact storage room. And of Alexa who races to the club, powerless but determined to save her brother. Beats presents an emotionally charged story that is made ever more heart-breaking by its realism and its reflections on current events.

The film is also enhanced by brilliant cinematography that adds further realism and also helps convey the emotions of characters clearly. Lighting plays a great part in illustrating the characters feelings, the bright blue light initially represents a certain coolness and haziness you would feel in a club, but suddenly shifts to a representation of fear when the terrorist attack begins. The red lighting of the store room only emphasising the danger Max is in. The shakiness of camera also highlights Max’s inability to think and uncertainty as he tries to find safety. Indeed, Beats is a extremely well crafted film which provides its audience with a tough yet compelling story that has been the reality for so many people.

Festival Focus - The Yurt

Sun, 15 May 2022 11:38:47 GMT

Festival Focus - The yurt

The Yurt is a visually beautiful film which pays homage to ‘the occult world of Tantra’. After breaking up with his fiancé, Jack moves back to his home town as he tries to get his life back on track. He finds himself in the titular Yurt as he embarks on a spiritual journey where he must confront his own negative thoughts, finding both deep connection and himself in the process.

The Yurt pays great attention to natural aesthetics and as such the audience is treated to an extremely visually pleasing film. There is a great focus on natural lighting and natural beauty, which draws you away from the city landscape often featured in films and instead brings an instant sense of serenity and calm to the picture. This focus on natural beauty, with wide shots of stunning landscapes, lends to the films themes spectacularly. Highlighting the importance of feeling a spiritual connection to the natural environment and a calmness within yourself.

Petes Festival Picks

Sat, 14 May 2022 09:47:49 GMT

Pete's must see list for 2022

Well here we are. Another Romford Film Festival! Seven days of cinema heaven. It feels like we say it every year, but it really was a truly mammoth task to narrow down the selections this year into the 136 short and feature films we’ve got in store for you.

Obviously I’m going to bang the drum again for Japanese director Kenichi Ugana [Extraneous Matter, Visitors] whose best film to date, The Empty Flowerpot opens proceedings on Saturday morning. Viewers prepared to give themselves over to a film that doesn’t shy away from a really tough subject matter and an ice-cold aesthetic, will be rewarded with one of the very best feature films we have in this year’s line-up. And boy, that devastating ending. Wow. [Saturday 21st May, 10am]

One of my very favourite short films this year was Colossus, from the USA and directed by James Roe. A hugely original premise, beautifully captured locations, and two excellent male performances for the price of one, make this sci-fi meets WW2 genre mashup a must-watch. [Monday 23rd May, 4pm].

I wanted to shine a particular spotlight this year on what I’m going to refer to as the ‘Spanish contingent’. In recent years we’ve had some gems from Spain in the regular and horror festivals; from Smiles, Last Day on Duty and Mujereando, to You Will Never Be Back. Every year we receive a high volume of submissions from Spain, but this year was unprecedented with over thirty entries. We ended up with twelve in the final programme, but there were easily another ten that could have made it in but just missed out this time.

What is most striking this year is the depth of quality and variety amongst the Spanish contingent. The twelve films cover historical drama, science fiction, teenage drama, revenge horror, post-apocalypse comedy and more. Every one of them is essential viewing, but if pushed I would highlight three that each had a phenomenal central performance in them: Phase 5, Accomplices, and Consequences. The latter two given by teenage acting talent (Paula Gallego and Eddy Muñoz respectively) who I’ll be keeping a keen eye out for in the future.

[Phase 5, Wednesday 25 ^th May, 1.30pm // Accomplices, Monday 23 ^rd May, 9.20pm // Consequences, Friday 20 ^th May, 10.45am]

I hope you enjoy whatever you catch at this year’s festival, and also take a chance on something outside of your usual viewing tastes. I think that’s the beauty of film festivals, and certainly a large part of the buzz behind why I love working on them.

Festival Focus - Lets Talk About George

Sat, 14 May 2022 09:33:43 GMT

Festival Focus - Lets Talk About George

The film ‘Let’s talk about George’ presents an extremely hard-hitting depiction of a man grappling with severe mental health issues. From the opening of the film we are able to gather that George is struggling. The focus on George’s pained expressions instantly indicates that something is wrong, when paired with his depressingly mundane morning routine and daytime drinking we can clearly conclude that George is likely battling depression. Nick Nevern perfectly highlights how a single event can lead to mental decline and can eventually lead a person to turn to the comfort of drugs and alcohol. That mental illness is often a vicious cycle that cannot be broken free of.

The film also uniquely highlights the importance we often play in another’s story. It stresses how a negative comment can be a persons last straw and how we need to abandon the notion that men should remain silent about their feelings. It asks us to be kind, as we often don’t know what others are going through and perfectly illustrates how simply asking someone if they’re ok can make a world of difference. With a moving script and a subtle score that draws upon the characters sadness, Let’s Talk About George is a poignant film that ‘talks’ about a serious topic that effects so many.

Festival Focus - Lead Belly

Fri, 13 May 2022 21:35:33 GMT

Festival Focus - Lead Belly

L ead Belly is an extremely moving and thought-provoking film which highlights the hardships veterans face when leaving the forces. The film follows Mark as he struggles with PTSD and eventually homelessness. The portrayal of PTSD within Lead Belly is both respectful and realistic, without shying away from the most brutal aspects of the illness. It highlights how the smallest of things can trigger flashbacks, a water bottle or glaring convenience store lights, and how it is often so difficult to be brought back to reality. It also brings attention to how some of our most vulnerable citizens are often left to fend for themselves, alone and forgotten, emphasising our duty to care for our veterans.

The role of Mark is played by Jamie Lomas who is able to encapsulate a man struggling with PTSD perfectly. Every expression on his face flawlessly highlights the pain for which his character is feeling, allowing you to recognise the terrible hardship Mark has faced. Indeed, Lomas gives an extremely powerful performance which makes you feel sympathetic for his character and leaves you welling with emotion. Lomas is complimented by the wonderful acting abilities of Sammy Winward, who paints a perfect picture of a caring ex-wife who herself is struggling with the effects of Marks PTSD. Truly, Lead Belly is an excellently crafted, yet tragic story that is only enhanced by the wonderful acting talents of its main cast.

Festival Focus - Breach

Fri, 13 May 2022 21:27:18 GMT

Festival Focus - Breach

h is a creative comedy with all the styling of a classic heist movie. We are introduced to two characters who seem to be nothing more than career criminals. Yet, we remain clueless about the couples motivations throughout the film until a final twist is revealed, which is not only humorous but is used to reflect on a more serious subject matter.

You’ll definitely have a fun time with Breach. It’s witty humour is played out naturally between its two leads and the comedy is ever more amplified by the small confined space of the car, which is the main location of this short. With the added bonus of a fun crime theme and it’s exciting score, Breach is a wonderful film for its short run time.

Louise's Picks Of This Years Festival

Thu, 12 May 2022 17:13:31 GMT

Louise's Picks Not To Miss

Undoubtedly there have been some fantastic submissions this year and the entire selection process has been pleasantly challenging and rewarding.

Really there are far too many great entries to reduce down to just a few favourites so the below represents barely a small selection of those I have thoroughly enjoyed watching.

First off is ‘Court Number 5’. A hard-hitting drama that highlights the potentially huge negative impact an acrimonious parent separation can have on children. Great directing by Mickey Cornwell and good acting all round topped off by a super convincing performance given by Jaime Winstone.

Darren Kent is not just a fine actor, but clearly, he has much skill as a director, and this is wonderfully displayed in the touching short drama, ‘You Know Me’: An unfolding tale that shows the devasting impact dementia has on not just the sufferer, but their loved ones too.

Dympna Jardine’s ‘Wool’ creatively speaks to the cruelty that the exertion of power and control can have within a relationship of domestic abuse. Great performance from Vey Straker as she enacts her unique revenge and recovers her self-respect and dignity.

‘Against the Grain’ is a terrific movie that reflects on the meaning in life and asks us to embrace the joys of living in the moment. Fantastic story and direction by Richard Evans topped of with a wonderful performance by Paul Broughton.

Why not come along and give them a watch, I’d love to meet you and hear your thoughts on each.

Festival Focus - Echoes

Thu, 12 May 2022 17:01:59 GMT

Festival Focus - Echoes

Echoes presents an intriguing mystery, with deeply dark undertones and interesting visuals. We follow ‘Oliver’, a man trying to piece together his past whilst being plagued by unsettling visions and incoherent memories. We are invited into his thoughts and to witness his inner turmoil, as we too search for clues as to who the mysterious woman ‘Ava’ really is to him.

Anthony Kalmeta truly triumphs at creating an uneasy atmosphere throughout the film. We bear witness to Oliver’s delusions which are all expertly represented visually due to amazing cinematography and editing. The way in which the gloomy and dreary present juxtaposes the brightness of the ‘ past’ excellently emphasises the darkness within Olivers current mental state and his overly positive view of Ava. And the graininess of the TV which is used to transition between scenes perfectly illustrates the lack of clarity within Oliver’s memories. We are also made to feel extremely disoriented throughout the film, as to empathise with Oliver’s own confusion. It is through remarkable editing that this disorientation becomes so effective, that we are made to feel the realness of Oliver’s delusions, such as that, in one scene, there could really be two Oliver’s in one room. Indeed, Kalmeta presents a truly disturbing and disconcerting film which is only amplified by its brilliant visuals.

Bradley's Not To Be Missed List

Wed, 11 May 2022 21:40:45 GMT

Bradley Barton's Not To Be Missed List

With hundreds of submissions into this our sixth year it was never going to be an easy task whittling away to expose those gems that we have all come to expect and love in our glorious gala. Yet trim we must, for sadly there is nowhere near enough screen time to showcase every entry.

My approach to streamlining is simple, consume the overview: Synopsis (although I much prefer a logline, which is succinct and thankfully never gives spoilers), director biography, director statement, poster, trailer and still photographs; scan the specifications and then watch the movie (ensuring no potential visual distractions and wearing high quality headphones). Then personally, for a submission to be a success and move onto the next stage, it not only has to be entertaining – story, acting, score, but it also has to keep me engrossed, from first through to last frame, in its unique world, by never technically intruding into this very magical realm we all know and love as moviedom. I’m not genre specific so anything and everything has the potential to enthral me and stands solely on its own merits. I also thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to view entries from first time moviemakers / students and truly regard being there at the beginning of their journey an incredible privilege.

In light of the above, I would like to offer 4 movies that far surpassed my basic selection requirements and are ones I believe greatly excel in all areas:

"Steps' is a poignant movie that is sensitively directed by Sam Weeks. The story follows James, thoughtfully portrayed by Harry Wells, as he endeavours to move forward from a traumatic past and embrace a new future of hope. Thoughtful, provocative, pragmatic – Peter Wooley’s tale is a hard-hitting, gripping drama that won’t disappoint.

An unfolding tale of anguish, regrets, penance and love, ‘Old Windows’ directed by Paul Holbrook, is as classy a short drama as you’ll find in this year’s festival. Laura Bayston and Larry Lamb are outstanding as the protagonists and along with some super lighting from James Oldham this is undoubtedly one not to miss.

‘See What She Did’ is a super short by writer / director Daniel Keeble - who demonstrates aptly his huge talents in this gripping suspense. The highly accomplished Samantha Anderson captivates in the role of Cassie - as she slowly pulls us into her personal, horrific hell of mental health. This coupled with top-notch cinematography by Mark McCarthy contrives for a movie that will excite on every level.

Emily M. Smith skilfully brings to the screen Vivienne Young’s, ‘Finding Wilson’ a tale that cleverly broaches teenage depression and the devastating aftermath that affects victims of sexting. Directorial metaphors, quality framing and fantastic acting from beginning to end, this movie is excellent throughout and produces top drawer goods in every department. One to watch out for, Darcy Jacobs is an actor of considerable depth and is superb as Jess, the story’s surviving teenager. Make sure you find time for this one.

Festival Focus - Sweet Disaster

Wed, 11 May 2022 21:27:51 GMT

Festival Focus - Sweet Disaster

Sweet Disaster is a bittersweet story of a woman struggling to fix her fracturing life as she prepares to welcome her first child into existence. Ruth Toma creates a sym pathetic and realistic character in Frida, a woman who is extremely kind but also stubborn and sometimes petty. She is someone whose struggles many of us can recognise within our own lives and we can therefore empathise with deeply. It is through the wonderful writing that we can feel invested in Frida’s and Felix’s relationship within minutes and then feel the pain of their break up moments later. It is through the wonderful writing that we become invested in these characters and feel every emotional beat greatly.

As well as having a touching story Sweet Disaster is also beautiful visually. Laura Lehmus creates a number of interesting shots through the use of unique architecture and exciting lighting. The scenes are often cleverly curated to reflect Frida’s emotion, with the use of pink lighting representing both romance and later heartbreak, for instance. Lehmus also creates powerful visual representations of Frida’s thoughts and emotions which couldn’t be conveyed through simple speech or expression. One such example is the use of the animated rag doll which provides a particularly powerful representation of Frida’s anxieties towards motherhood. Indeed, throughout the film we are treated to a number of imaginative projections of Frida’s inner most feelings, which only makes the story ever more impactful. Ultimately, Sweet Disaster is a heartwarming film which teaches us to persevere and be kind even when it feels like the world is falling apart around us.

Festival Focus - The Sands Of Time

Wed, 11 May 2022 21:10:33 GMT

Festival Focus - The Sands Of Time

The Sands of Time provides its audience with a an intriguing tale, filmed in an alluring location and set to a beautiful score. The first moments of the film draw you in with an idilic setting, before revealing a science fiction twist, which provides a moment of surprise and mystery. The story unravels slowly as you learn more about Hattie and her intriguing origins, whilst she falls deeper in love with Nate. The Sands of Time provides an interesting and unique twist on your classic romance film.

The romance between our two main characters plays out flawlessly due to the amazing cinematography and wonderful score. The bright beautiful beach horizons contrast wonderfully the darkened orange tones of the night time scene, painting a truly romantic setting for the two characters to thrive in. It also features a score, working perfectly with the characters, often reminiscent of the music used in early romance films. The Sands of Time has a number of great elements, all working together to produce a delightful story of romance.

Festival Focus - Hold Up

Tue, 10 May 2022 21:17:25 GMT

Festival Focus - Hold Up

Hold up is a thought-provoking film which compels the viewer to question their own views of the world, especially in regards to homeless immigrants. The powerful nature of this film can be accredited to the excellent way in which the story is presented. Where we are made to relate to Graham’s hesitations and nervousness when he is first approached by Hashim and as such we too feel a part of the journey Graham goes on.

The camera angles and close ups used to introduce Hashim are perfect at creating a form of intensity and a feeling of trepidation towards his character, that reflects Graham’s own feelings. But as the story progresses we come to realise that Hashim is not only a likeable person but only wants food, comfort, and a friend. This leads Graham to question his own dissatisfaction with world and why he may support social justice causes such as BLM but not support a black homeless man by offering him a bed. Hold Up is an extremely powerful film that forces the audience to question their own preconceptions of not only Hashim but homeless people in general and asks why people so often ‘stare right through them’.

Festival Focus - Court Number 5

Fri, 06 May 2022 17:38:42 GMT

Festival focus - Court Number 5

Court Number 5 tells a story that is all too familiar with many children. A custody hearing, where two sisters, Bella and Anna, are faced with a life changing decision, whether to stay with their mum or their dad.

Mickey Cornwall paints a convincing picture of a teenage girl caught in the middle of a war between parents. Where the child's thoughts and feelings are often forgotten and the court case becomes more about revenge than doing what’s best for your children. The vitriol the girls mother throws towards their father, clearly cuts Bella far deeper than the person the comments were intended for. Her subtle glances and quite tone throughout the film speaks volumes on the negative impact the situation is having on her, juxtaposing her twin sister who seems almost shut off from the situation completely. The final shot of Bella sitting isolated and alone as her family members demand she put others before herself is powerful and perfectly illustrates how quickly a child can become a victim of their parents divorce.

Festival Focus - Wool

Fri, 06 May 2022 17:30:18 GMT

Festival Focus - Wool

Wool is a short but extremely effective film about a woman stuck in a controlling marriage. Dympna Jardine is able to craft a poignant and memorable tale without a single word being uttered by the characters. But that’s the beauty of this film, that a word doesn’t need to be spoken for one to notice the pain in the woman’s eyes and her longing for freedom. From the moment the woman’s husband turns off her radio and loosens the scarf she had placed around him the audience is able to instantly identify the power he holds over her. The lack of dialogue only emphasising this dynamic, highlighting how she lacks a voice in the relationship.

The score is also extremely well crafted and adds greatly to Jardine’s storytelling. We are met with a jolly opening tune, as a woman knits, the shift to a more dreary, unsettling piece, as the husband enters the frame, brings an instant feeling of unease. The sound of what appears to be the clacking of knitting needles is scattered throughout the score, it is not only reflective of the woman’s hobby but builds tension wonderfully, highlighting the frustration the woman is beginning to feel as she is met with further demands from her husband. Wool is a masterful piece of silent storytelling, proving that dialogue is not necessary to tell an engaging and meaningful story.

Festival Focus - Venerable

Fri, 06 May 2022 17:20:39 GMT

Festival Focus - Venerable

Venerable is a hard film to describe without taking away from someones first time viewing experience. But ultimately it starts with a mystery of disappearing puzzle pieces and ends with something ever more meaningful. James Sibley presents an intriguing plot which separates itself from your average mystery by being heavily focused on developing the two elderly characters, Jayne and Arthur.

They feel instantly familiar, their playful bickering, kind touches and even their choice in past time, puzzles and crosswords, are reminiscent of many of our grandparents. The careful consideration put into crafting these two characters, their conversations and their interactions, allows Sibley to form a certain realism, which adds to the moving nature of the film.

Ingrid Evans and Andrew Norman also play a large role in the films success. They have a natural chemistry which lends to the idea that they have been married for decades. Evans’ mutters of frustration and expressions of confusion paints a realistic image of a woman being presented with a mystery that she can’t quite understand. Whilst Normans’s playful demeanour and exaggerated gestures allows him to produce an endearing and charming character that only adds to the poignancy of the final scene.

Festival Focus - Phase 5

Tue, 03 May 2022 20:32:38 GMT

Festival Focus - Phase 5

Every year we have an extremely strong contingent of Spanish submissions, and this year is no exception. In total we have ten films from Spain in the final programme and I would encourage you to watch every one of them. Amongst the very best is Phase 5 directed by Carles Valdés, a superb short about the process of grief.

Actress Raquel Alcalá is excellent as Anna, a bereaved woman who has lost her partner to a motorcycle accident. There’s real palpable anguish in the physical performance of Alcalá as she portrays someone going through each stage of grief – from denial to anger, to finally something approaching the first steps of acceptance and healing.

Phase 5 is showing on Wednesday 25TH May at 1.30PM

The Magic Of The Magician

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 12:41:52 GMT

When co-workers become good friends.

The film industry can be a fickle thing, actors encounter actors years apart with a "lets do a thing" approach to life, but for three former Holby stars that's exactly what happened. So when former co-stars and real life wife and husband team Sarah-Jane Potts and Joseph Milson decided to make the incredibly thoughtful The Magician, it seemed there was only one man for a certain role and that was their form colleague Bob Barrett who played the role of Sacha Levy for 14 years.

Sarah Jane-Potts has been acting on television since 1989 but only last year decided to take the plunge of making her directorial debut in story she penned herself. When it came to the producer of the film it seemed only reasonable for Potts husband Joseph Milson to take the role, Milson himself played Luc Hemmingway on the show from 2011-2013.

Having decided to write and direct the story, Sarah then took on the role as a woman on the edge contemplating her demise at a train station, but faced with her own end sometimes requires a little more thought, enter The Magician.

There was much chatter about The Magician from this years selections team, partly because of its ability to tell a tale in its simplest form, creating so many questions, so much discussion. The skill of the direction, the beauty of the cinematography and the wonderful performances from the films only two actors Potts and Barrett.

You can catch The Magician on Friday 20th May alongside Candle Cops from BAFTA winning Tony Collingwood and the quirky mockumentary St Baptiste's from festival friend John Williams.

Sarah Jane Potts, Bob Barrett and Joseph Milson are all expected to be in attendance work permitting for a Q&A at the end of the entire session.

BIdvest Noonan Sponsorship

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 11:47:39 GMT

Bidvest Noonan Sponsorship

Our third sponsor for 2022 is Bidvest Noonan. Bidvest Noonan is a customer-focused services group. Our success has been achieved by designing and delivering solutions that provide exceptional quality and value for customers. Bidvest Noonan employs over 27,000 people across the UK & Ireland. We are the market leader for a wide range of outsourced services in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and a leading provider of cleaning and security services across Great Britain. We are proud to be a subsidiary of Bidvest.

In addition to the sponsorship of the festival, they will also be a security presence throughout ensuring guests have an enjoyable time throughout their stay with us.

Second Sponsor For 2022 - Havering Chamber Of Commerce And Industry

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 11:28:19 GMT

Havering Chamber Of Commerce And Industry Sponsorship

This year we are really proud to have the support of Havering Chamber Of Commerce And Industry as our second sponsor, HCCI (abbreviated) are incredibly pro-active in the Romford area and surrounding communities of Havering so to have them onboard as both a sponsor and a supporter is key for the progression of the film festival.

If you have a business within Havering and are not a member of the HCCI click this link to find out more about the organisation.

Background on HCCI:

The Havering Chamber of Commerce was founded following the merger of the Romford Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Hornchurch Chamber of Commerce and Industry during the late 1980s.

This was marked by a celebratory dinner held at the Heybridge Moat House, Ingatestone which was attended by 600 members and guests.

It is believed the Romford Chamber was founded pre-war whereas the Hornchurch Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1946.

The combined Chamber has worked well in representing the interests of traders and businesses throughout the London Borough of Havering.

Everybody's Talking

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 14:31:06 GMT

Everybody's talking...

As we move out of pandemic mode we are really pleased to be welcoming "other things" back to the Romford Film Festival this year after a year of screenings only with guests being dragged off up to the dome for one-on-one interviews.

As well as having in screen Q&A's back and the re-opening of the bar, we have a variety of other events lined up these include a session on mask making, some round tables with this years films on a variety of film related subjects. Ayvianna Snow (pictured centre above earlier this year at the horror festival) will be back, this time in her role in her role as Chair of the West & Southwest London Branch of Equity. We also have a number of other speakers including director Richard Colton, Steve Braund the creator of the Manfish creature from the film Manfish, Multi-Award winning director Nicole Pott and additional talks on social media in film and shooting in Central Asia.

Tuesday 24th May is all about UK film with a whole day of features and shorts from across the United Kingdom with more than a dozen Q&A sessions.

And lets not forget the return of The Eurasian Creative Guild Festival (a festival with a festival) bringing 14 hours of Central Asian cinema and other film and art related entertainment.

First Sponsor For 2022 - Brentwood Brewery

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 09:23:23 GMT

Brentwood Brewery Sponsorship

We are super excited to have Brentwood Brewery as one of our first Key sponsors for our 2022 season of the festival. Not only are they an amazing independent local brewery, they sell gluten and vegan beer, which everyone knows will make Spencer happy. Brentwood Brewery were awarded SIBA's Community Brewer Of The Year Award 2018 and have an amazing tap room located next to Calcott Hall Farm in Brentwood.

There will be plenty of beer from these magnificent brewers available throughout the event available at the bar and you can find out more about the Brewery here

Romford Horror Festival 2022 - And The Winners Are

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 14:29:14 GMT

Romford Horror Festival 2022 - And The Winners Are...

So the 2nd Romford Horror Festival is over. And we think its safe to say everyone had a terrific time, so for those that missed it, here are the list of winners.

Best Film: Manfish (Dir Marc Coleman)
Best Short Film: Familiar (Dir David J. Ellison)
Best Director: Monica Mateo - You Will Never Be Back
Best Screenplay: Cutter (Daniel Repp & Lindsay Young)
Best Actor: Andrew Readman - Tales Of Creeping Flesh
Best Actress: Pat Garrett - Wyvern Hill
Best Cinematography: Tobias Hochstein - Moon Drops
Best Score: Tomer Biran - Moon Drops
Best Local Film: Manfish (Dir Marc Coleman)
Best International Film: Transfert (Dir Jonathan Degrelle)
Best Film Under 5 minutes: Off The Hook (Dir Daniel Keeble)
Best Cheap Thrills (Low or no budget): Haunted Hall & Doll (Daniel Attrill & Louis Taylor respectively)

Jury Prize Winners:

Believe
Belfast 1912
Odds
The Witch's Bargain
Extraneous Matter: Complete Edition
He Murdered Sleep

Prizes for movies that fell into alternative catagories:

Best Chainsaw Death - Visitors
Most Horrific Bath Time - That Old Misery
Best Animated Short - House Of The Rising Sun
Best Found Footage - Duyster
Best Lockdown Film - Sair Ane
Most Horrific Househare - Doghouse
Best Folk Horror - Changeling

Why Inclusivity Matters

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 10:49:30 GMT

Inclusivity - Why a slight change can go a long way

Inclusivity should be second nature, unfortunately, we are not yet at that stage. This year we have a film showing at the Romford Horror Festival that has inclusive language, The Witch's Bargain. Although it is only a couple of lines, it means the world to those who are often forgotten about in the realm of film. Gender and LGBT representation may not mean a lot to many film directors, but it has more of an impact than one may realise.

We yearn for a wholesome LGBT+ narrative that is not clouded with trauma and abuse. Watching coming out story after coming out story that ends in violence, getting thrown out of the house and lost love just solidifies that our lives are based on horrific events. Specifically, bisexuality is a term that is often not said in film or TV. Female characters such as Lilly from How I Met Your Mother (2005) is happily married, yet she daydreams of kissing Robin, this is then passed off as a joke. Dodgeball (2004) uses the term bisexual, then immediately perpetuates the stereotype of bi women being in open relationships, demeaning same-sex couples. Orange is The New Black (2013) refused to use the term Bisexual until very late in the show adding to Bi erasure, despite the main lead sleeping with people of different genders. More horrifying is the fact that the term ex-lesbian was used to describe a bi woman in a relationship with a man. This lack of representation makes it harder for Bi people to come out, as their identity is seen as a phase, an experiment or worst of all, a fetish.

This isn’t to say that every film should have a queer main role and use all the current buzzwords found online but to simply acknowledge that queer people can have boring mundane lives, like everybody else. This can be done by hiring more LBGT+ staff, writers, directors, producers, who will all have a different lifestyle, and can contribute this to the film. Broad City (2015) really raised the bar with their positive representation of bisexual and gay characters. A Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) also has wonderful representation as it doesn’t sexualise the lesbian characters, something that often contributes to the male gaze.

Considering avoiding Queer coded villains helps avoid further embedding the narrative that Queer people are inherently evil. An example of a Queer coded villain is Ursula from The Little Mermaid (1989) who has stereotypical gay attributes such as the butch haircut. Although they are never officially described as Queer, the mannerisms and looks indicate there is a clear underlying message.

They say ‘write what you know’, and Queer writers will always give a truer representation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t include an gay character, just don’t tell their story. I could go on and on about the representation of the LBGT+ community in many films and TV shows, but that is for another time. I simply want to emphasise that we exist, and maybe consider if you have accidentally made all your characters straight, a slight change can go a long way.

Festival Focus - Squish

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:40:53 GMT

Festival Focus - Squish

Squish is a refreshingly funny dark comedy and another one of the few black and white films that are showing in this year's Horror Festival.

Xavier Seron completed his first feature fiction film in 2016, Death by Death (Je me tue à le dire). This black comedy was selected at the Karlovy Vary Festival, at the Montreal FNC in the Temps Ø section and Sitges. He has since won several awards, including the New Voices/New Visions Award at the Palm Springs Festival, the Best Director Award in Odessa, and the Magritte Awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actor (awarded to Jean-Jacques Rausin).

Black and white dark comedy seems to be working in Xavier’s favour. This short horror tells the story of Tom who is left to look after his child Sam, while his partner Flow has to travel for work. Things soon turn sour when Tom rushes out of the driveway to get Sam to his guitar lesson on time.

Both physical humour and well-written lines create the perfect recipe for laughter, while at the same time covering some horrific themes. Unlike many comedy horrors, it does not use nudity and stereotypical characters to tickle its audience. Another aspect that is surprising is LGBT+ representation that does not feel forced, only there to tick a box. The actors had chemistry and it was not used as a plot point or for cheap laughs. To create something that still surprises audiences is not an easy feat, but Squish surpassed my expectations.

This festival focus will be kept brief to avoid any potential spoilers but know that this film is on par with Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Anna and the Apocalypse (2018). It is also not one for the squeamish.

Festival Focus - Euthimmersia

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:34:12 GMT

Festival Focus - Euthimmersia

In the near future, people can choose to end their lives via Euthimmersia, the immersive theatre experience from hell...

Filmed on location in Brighton, this short horror sparks the ethical dilemma of assisted death. “As a playwright and a film maker, I seek to make productions which entertain and challenge in equal measure.” That is exactly what this film is. The question of euthanasia is extremely controversial and illegal in many countries. It is a decision that some people wish to make, and this film gives us a dark view of a possible future where this is the norm.

Steven Lancefield has written several full length and short plays which have been performed across the UK and abroad. The theatrical background is very clear in Euthimmersia, it blends a theatre performance with a very dark and morally questionable act. The actors give off a theatrical performance throughout, which does not seem to fit the situation, making the whole experience seem off. The tension builds from there, we can then understand that a theatrical end to one’s life may not be as expected.

Basing a film on social issues can help us have a better understanding of the issue by presenting us with different viewpoints. Euthimmersia bypasses the concept of if it should be allowed and goes straight to what could happen if it is allowed. How can this concept be taken advantage of? Corporations placing a paywall over basic human needs is one of the truest horrors of everyday life, could this happen to death?

Another important thing to note about Euthimmersia is that it does not play devil’s advocate. Instead of aiming to cause arguments amongst its viewers, it places a ‘What If’ scenario in front of them.

Festival Focus - He Murdered Sleep

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 10:59:59 GMT

Festival Focus - He Murdered Sleep

“What do you get when the Scottish Play is shoved through a cyberpunk grinder? Neon nightmares and laser gun blues.” There is no better description of this aesthetically pleasing nightmare.

Dystopian horrors are nothing new to the genre, we have plenty of broken civilizations plagued by viruses, corrupt governments, and even a yearly legal crime spree to indulge ourselves with. He Murdered Sleep brings something new to the table. It blends the past and the future to create something we both know and don’t know, taking us out of our comfort zone.

Its gorgeous cinematography and colourful palate separates itself from the crowd. Every colour change is so clearly thought out, contrasting with the blood and the violence on screen. The vibrant colours and dynamic lighting lend themselves to the Neon Noir genre, a brand of Neo Noir, which brought the revival of Noir films in the post-World War II era in the US. Making Neon Noir another modern reboot of the genre.

Stemming from German Expressionism and Art Deco, Neon Noir combines morally ambiguous main characters, with themes of revenge and paranoia. Characteristics of the genre include blending trauma, more often than not a form of violence committed by the lead, stylized visuals and colours, all which create a dreamlike state. In this case, the dreamlike quality also includes the themes of sleep and lack of within the writing.

The story of He Murdered Sleep seemed to have found its perfect genre nearly 400 years since its creation.

“The tale of murder and ambition and the supernatural mainlined itself into my soul, where it was catalyzed by my obsession for 80s cyberpunk into a fevered vision of Macbeth as the ultimate corporate climber in a heartless city of the future. The more our world tilted toward actual dystopian corporatocracy, the greater my urge to make this vision real. So here we are, my fever breaking onto the screen like a crack of electric doom.”

Every frame of this film is carefully composed. The set design and positioning of the characters is a visual treat from start to finish. This is a nightmare I would love to live in.

Find out more about director Jeremy Boxon on his IMDB page

Festival Focus - Strings & The Power Of Autistic Cinema

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 10:48:05 GMT

Strings And The Power Of Autistic Cinema

Norman works very hard in his job but is overlooked and abused by his boss, William. Until Norman takes revenge. A silent film with an operatic style and modern twist.

In her submission, Caitlin Ellen Richardson wrote “It was great to create 'Strings' and pay homage to some Horror classics that have influenced me. The cast and crew were great and really put their all into the characters. All of the cast volunteered to take part as they really enjoyed the story being told. As a young Autistic film maker, I think it's really important to show people you can do anything and you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it - even on a 0 budget, do it for your passion of film.”

Just going for it is the one piece of advice that a filmmaker needs to hear. You do not need to wait for permission from anybody to create. We often put great ideas on the backburner until we have enough money to create the next Hollywood blockbuster, or until we find the next best actor to bring the role to life. This can also be a safety net, if we don’t get around to making it, it can’t fail right? If the idea is worth doing, its worth doing however you can. Even if it means inviting friends over after work and filming in your back garden.

If money truly is a barrier between you and the film, then jump straight into a money raising campaign. There are plenty of platforms that allow you to pitch your idea to the public, allowing them to invest in its creation.

It is also important for you to create no matter your background, Caitlin Ellen Richardson is an autistic film creator, meaning she will have a different view of the world than neurotypical creators. This is important to note as it allows an insight into another way of thinking and opens up a whole new form of film making.

Autistic cinema may lead us to think of films such as Temple Grandin (2010) or Rain Man (1988), and while their representation can be debated to be either positive or negative, they educate the audience on something they may never have experience with. Although Strings may not be about an autistic character in the same way the previous examples are, it still allows the audience to experience something from a neurodivergent perspective.

It can be argued that the cult classic The Room (2003) is classed as autistic cinema, where the characters actions are unexpected, and plot points drop off without concluding. Giving more autistic creators a platform to direct and edit film will lead to exciting alternative structures. If we constantly follow the standard structure, we will end up with bland films we feel we have seen a thousand times.

A final point on autistic cinema is the experience itself. Some cinemas now have autistic friendly screenings, which includes clear maps of the cinema, an explanation of what the viewer is to expect from the moment they walk inside as well as carefully selected films to screen. Caitlin Ellen Richardson does note that the film contains strobe/flashing effects.

Check out Caitlin Richardson on IMDB

Rail Disruption

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 11:49:03 GMT

Just when everything was going fine...

Annoyingly National Rail works will cause some issues during the festival, please pay note to the information above and leave a little more time before heading off.

Festival Focus - Mask

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 15:11:52 GMT

Festival Focus - Mask

Over the last couple of years, we may have increased feelings of anxiety when in crowds due to the length of time we have spent isolating. This collective feeling of discomfort and fear is represented in Mask, a story of redemption for a social phobia sufferer.

This student piece is an abstract representation of agoraphobia, the fear of places and situations that induces anxiety or panic. Mask is the attempt to escape these feelings despite how hopeless it may feel.

Trying to quieten a rambling inner monologue feels impossible, and to confront your excruciating emotions and overcome them seems even less likely. We are brought through this journey in silence, as no words can truly depict what these feelings are. It is tense, scary, and at times claustrophobic.

Mask has managed to engage mental health and horror in a way that does not stigmatise the condition, something that a lot of directors could learn from. It evokes feelings of empathy as we cannot understand what someone is going thorough unless we are going through the same thing ourselves. This film projects a very personal experience, yet there is also a shared understanding.

Festival Focus - The Tick

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 15:52:29 GMT

Festival Focus - The Tick

One of the more experimental films showing this year is The Tick, directed by first time filmmakers Giacomo Poli and Massimo Poli. The short black and white film was shot on 16mm film and relies on bold lighting and careful composition to create a build of tension. It explores fear and the manifestation of dreams. The story focuses on the eponymous recluse, who is isolated and obsessive existence is thrown into anxiety and repulsion upon the discovery a mysterious parasite in the basin of his sink.

“The Tick’s genesis stems from an avid interest in dreams and dream theory, with particular consideration regarding the works of Carl Jung and the concept of nightmares. Thus, an anxiety-riddled character was formed in a surreal and frightening environment, in order to grapple with ideas of the manifestation of fear.

Why does an individual dream, and in what manner? Why is an individual scared by certain subjects or scenarios? And, most crucially: What does internal surreal and subconscious abstract imagery say about one’s inner-most secrets, urges, fears and insecurities?”

Many psychologists have their own theory as to why we dream, and there are countless books that can tell us the meaning of our dreams. Freud, for example, believed that the unconscious mind expresses itself in dreams and we use it as a way of problem solving. Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist who founded the field of analytical psychology. He believed that dreams were the psyche’s way of communicating messages to the dreamer from the unconscious. This then begs the question, what is The Tick trying to tell us?

The jagged movements and uncomfortable eye contact from Poli’s character transports us into a dream world, one where we know running away from the monster will not get is far, and our punches are less than effective.

To shoot on 16mm film for the first time is a bold move, and one that pays off. “As new filmmakers, we wanted to create a challenge for ourselves. To successfully execute a well-paced, visually-narrative picture, that did not rely on dialogue or plot, in order to be captivating - whilst having our emotional and atmospheric intentions effectively transmitted. This harks back to an earlier form of filmmaking, in particular silent movies, which focused on camera, lighting, blocking and expression to successfully create a palpable world and engaging characters within it.

However, there are some modern films, from directors still working with the technologies and spirit with which we align ourselves with. These include Schindler’s list and The lighthouse. As for the tone of the film, the works of Kubrick and Lynch were beautiful sources of inspiration in terms of style and camerawork.”

Find out more this double acts work by visiting their iMDB pages

Giacomo Poli

Massimo Poli

Festival Focus - Belfast 1912

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:29:20 GMT

Festival Focus - Belfast 1912

Belfast 1912 is Dominic O'Neill’s first short. The 11min film had the judges talking nonstop about theories and possible meanings to it. The story centres around John Newell, a renowned physician, and a tortured soul. He gathers two colleagues, their wives and a mysterious medium for a seance, where he reveals a dark secret that will change the course of their lives, and possibly the world, forever.

“The film began as a stark image in my head: a group of fearful Edwardians huddled and confused around a green 1980's radio. This quickly grew into a story about obsession and grief, and the eternal search for truth in an ever-chaotic world.” The description of an ever-chaotic world hits home when considering we cannot predict what will happen to us. This concept in itself is truly terrifying, the unknown and the perpetual now are more than enough to keep even the most hardcore horror fan lying awake at night. Even the most mundane tasks can quickly become that life changing event that lives on past our own mortality.

His strong visual style is influenced by British and American horror films of the 60's and 70's, with a mixture of traditional Irish storytelling and folklore styles. The warm and inviting candle lit scenes contradicts the situation, confusing our perception.

Creating a sense of unease that we just can’t escape from. The well designed periodic set emersed us in the era, holding us captive. Belfast 1912 will take you through waves of emotions, taking you back to a time we think we are familiar with.

O’Neill is “excited to share our strange little film with the world”. At the Romford Horror Festival, we love strange, so it fits right in.

Follow Belfast 1912 on:

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You can find Dominic O'neill's IMDB Profile Here

Festival Focus -Marie Clare Cushinan and Ryan O’Neill

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 11:47:24 GMT

Festival Focus - Marie Clare Cushinan and Ryan O’Neill - The Changeling

One of the very first films we selected this year was Marie Clare Cushinan and Ryan O’Neill's The Changeling, it was an astounding short film that all the judges really enjoyed, but the back story touched us in a whole different way and while recent years have given us all "a backstory" in order to truly understand what happened, it's best to let the filmmakers tell their story in their own words.

We began writing the script for Changeling in 2018 and had almost everything in place to shoot the film in March 2020, then the pandemic hit.

We had two great actors attached and had very positive rehearsals with them. After months of uncertainty and a haemorrhaging bank balance we decided it was do or die. At the risk of losing our set-build we decided the safest way to go ahead would be to don the costumes ourselves and shoot what we can and 9 months later we shot our final scene.

Changeling was fully self funded with a few favours thrown in completed with a crew of two - a true passion project. It couldn't have been made with the help of our County Tyrone friends and family.

“Are you a witch, or are you a fairy/Or are you the wife of Michael Cleary?”

This rhyme is about Bridget Cleary, an Irish woman who was killed by her husband in 1895. Her husband, Michael Cleary, (said he did it because he) believed she was abducted by fairies and replaced by a changeling. He claims to have killed the changeling, not his wife.

We first heard about this harrowing true story on an Irish Folklore podcast and it set us on our path towards making an Irish Folk Horror Film.

As filmmakers and writers we are drawn to the human element of stories like this, The psychology of it. So We asked ourselves “what would it take to for someone to get to the point where they fully believe in this?” Because as we learned this isn’t a fairy tale. This happened and people died.

We were interested in looking at the “Changeling” mythology from a different perspective and grounding it in reality by seeing it through the lens of postpartum psychosis as well as examining the role of Trauma in Belief.

The changeling mythology is very much in the zeitgeist in cinema at the minute with Films like Jordan Peele’s “Us” and the Lee Cronin’s “A Hole in the Ground”.

Through our dual narrative we explore two different belief systems which coexisted in Ireland during one of it’s darkest periods in Irish history.

Aesthetically we wear our influences on our sleeves. We made a series of informed decisions about the look of Changeling early in the production process. Opting for a 1.33 aspect ratio shot on a original Black Magic pocket cinema camera to emulate a filmic feel reminiscent of Russian cinema of the late 20th century. Films such as Elem Klimov’s Come and See directly influenced our choices in portraying the films personal journeys through one of the darkest episodes of Irish history.

This aspect ratio also helped in creating a feeling of claustrophobia. We re-iterated this feeling with the use of costume and set design to make the characters almost blend in to the their surroundings, with Margarets grey tones set against the stone walls of the house and Tomas in his earthy browns matching the landscape.

We set out to capture a feeling of unease that hopefully grips the viewer for the films duration ending with a melancholy which resonates after the credits roll.

Check out these incredible Indie Filmmakers IMDB profiles to give them some love:

Marie Clare Cushinan

Ryan O'Neill

Follow their socials:

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Spencer's Festival Thoughts

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:55:47 GMT

Spencer's Festival Thoughts

For a festival that’s only in its second year I certainly feel like we moved on an evolutionary cycle from last year, fingers crossed we deliver a festival that matches the hype that’s been generated for us. Last year we were given a warm welcome by local horror buffs and there was a vibe I’d not felt since the second Romford Film Festival, better still of course is to see so many of last years attendees coming back for more, both in terms of an audience to see the films and filmmakers who had a great time last year. While its hard to pick favourites when there is so much to choose from, I like to think I know the audience we cater for, so I’ve compiled a list of films I think this year’s audience will love.

Familiar – A masterclass in the delivery of a short horror movie, a film that sets a bar so high, you may wonder how we can excel it. Despite his relatively short CV David J. Ellison delivers an incredible atmospheric tale that feels like James Wan or David Fincher had a hand in it, influence I guess they may have had, but Ellison has a style all his own and you’ll love it.

Tales Of Creeping Death – A film that truly channels Amicus films but comes with a modern spin, a true anthology of tales set around a central story, a whole host of familiar faces come together to bring a film that is both funny and very dark.

Extraneous Matter & Visitors – Director Kenichi Ugana is a man who knows horror, but he’s also a rare breed that knows the value of comedy in the genre, two films back-to-back that will have a very big impact on our audience. Last years Extraneous Matter is expanded upon in ways you’d not expect, taking our now much-loved sex squid out of the wardrobe and into the outside world “put it away”. Visitors is a very different film, a real Evil Dead vibe but progressively more advanced with lightning-fast humour.

Doghouse – A truly outrageous tale that will resonate with anyone who’s ever lived in a house share, its snappy, ridiculous has some incredible humour. It’s a true testament that if you have good friends, you can make a good film with absolutely no budget.

Duyster – If you’re a fan of found footage but tire of the lack of originality then look no further, this incredibly well made Belgian feature has a special twist that refreshing to see.

Manfish – The film is barely two minutes in when you get your first big laugh, Manfish is a wonderfully unique feature film which pulls at your heartstrings and at times will make your chest hurt with laughter. We’ve shown director Marc Coleman’s Flytipper previously and that went down an absolute storm, Manfish is sure to be a big crowd pleaser too.

Wyvern Hill – Fans of Dario Argento will lap up this very British Giallo. From the exceptional opening credits sequence, you know you are onto a winner. Wyvern Hill is a slow burn that at the flick of a switch goes full velocity and you know there is literally no way back for anyone, let alone you. Director Jonathan Zaurin makes no secret the films meagre budget and it’s in this fact that Wyvern Hill shows what you can do with real talent and a very small budget.

That Old Misery – Last year Extraneous Matter quickly became a much talked about movie, here we definitely have this year’s discussion point and you cannot hide away from the fact that bath time will never be the same again.

Exit – Running in 4:3, with a 70s colour palette and the feel of something really dirty you picked in an early 1980’s video library special section, Exit exudes all things good and bad about 80s indie filmmaking and wraps it up in a hand grenade that feels like it’s been tossed by Michael Winner. I know that our late-night audience will get a real kick out of this.

Haunted Thrills – Last year we had a movie about banned literature, this year we stay on a theme, but instead of books, we look at the graphic novel, or comic if you prefer. History shows us that some things should not be censored, but this cool documentary focuses on a censorship many wouldn’t believe.

Echoes - A lone woman, a dark alley. Yes, we’ve been here before but I feel this definitely has an edge above what fell before it.

2.0 Lucy – We showed this last year at the Romford Film Festival, but we knew instantly, with a “horror” centric crowd this would play out well. Director Fenella Greenfield really does justice to a film with a very small cast, this is a great film to ponder over lunch.

The Haunted Hall & Doll – Daniel Attril and Louis Taylor are a neat double act, that are no stranger to the Romford Festivals making technically their 4 ^th and 5 ^th appearance. What do you do in a lockdown? Make smaller movies. With a budget or without one, these guys just love to make film and when it comes to being a filmmaker it’s important to learn that nothing should stand in your way to reach your dreams. Always the bridesmaids and never the bride will this double act win an award this year?

Sair Ane – I ask again, what do you do in a lockdown? You still make movies! And here we have Ian Gordon who is the true “Dennis Waterman” filmmaker, making it ALL. Well with a little help from your locked down family, which includes using your infant as a focus puller. Always “handy” to have a willing family to help regardless of age.

Moon Drops – It’s the film that most will question the inclusion of in a horror festival, but this delightful Oscar worthy short might just be the break from the horror of recent days, a romantic sci-fi tale that will lift moods as we begin to draw the festival to a close.

Believe – A found footage short that goes out of its way to make you uncomfortable right off the bat with its seizure inducing opening then its slow meander and sensory deprivation. I’m intrigued how this will play out on an enormous screen, because watching it in the dark on a small screen was to quote Carrie “truly terrifying”.

Carrie's Picks Of Romford Horror Festival 2022

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 11:44:08 GMT

Carrie's Picks Of Romford Horror Festival 2022

I am extremely honoured to be a part of the judging panel for RHIFF’s second year. When watching all these great submissions it was tough to narrow down the selection as there were so many amazing films.

Horror has always been my preferred Genre, even if I wanted something light-hearted there was always a comedy horror to suit the mood. Over the years I have become a tad desensitised to the gore and the scares, so when I tell you that quite a few of these films had me on the edge of my seat you better believe it!

To begin with, That Old Misery horrified me. Within the first few minutes I was entranced. This indescribable horror left me speechless. It takes post-apocalyptic to a new level, with themes of isolation as well as psychosexual madness. This is not one for the feint hearted, which is the best description a horror film can receive in my eyes.

The second film that stayed with me is Ghosts but for a completely different reason. Never had I felt more sympathy for death. This French-Canadian comedy definitely left me wanting more.

One film to not miss is Mute, which is a Stephen King short story. A door salesman tells an anecdote to both to a hitchhiker and to a priest in parallel. Kyle Dunbar manages to capture King’s creepy and slow-paced unease seamlessly. Out of many of King’s adaptations, this one feels genuine to the original writing style.

He Murdered Sleep took me back to me GCSE drama days and made me wish it was around back then! This refresh of a classic story is not only aesthetically pleasing, but still creates a sense of tension for a story you may already know the ending to.

Finally, representation is very important to me, so I was over the moon for the inclusive language in The Witches Bargain. There are many more creepy, funny, and just plain HorRHIFFic picks this year. If you are looking to squirm at the edge of your seat, then you’ll want to secure yourself a ticket for this year’s Romford Horror Independent Film Festival.

Bradley's Thoughts And Picks Of The Festival

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 11:27:08 GMT

Bradley Barton's Thoughts & Picks Of This Years Horror Festival

Here at RHIFF, in just our second year, we are extremely fortunate to have received such a great depth of quality submissions. We welcome not just horror, but independent fantasy and science fiction movies as well and celebrate the creative freedom such a gala affords.

For unlike the huge corporate blockbusters with their tiresome special-effects sequences and clique of actors, budget constraints for the independent movie-maker demand creativity and ingenuity, which in turn necessitates for a diverse, often courageous, singular narrative.

Yet those creatives who aspire to the heights of moviedom may well discover this path to be replete with difficulties, for it is a place of exclusivity, where success is measured in financial terms and not in originality or expertise. Indeed, nowadays mainstream might just as well be renamed remakes, reboots, spin-offs and sequels, a situation I suspect few artists would desire to be involved in.

Thus, it is the independent movie world where inspired moments of discordance, vitality, even flashes of brilliance can be found and it is these very works that become beacons of hope in an artform becoming more shackled by industry conglomerates and their unquenchable thirst for nothing more than greater and greater riches.

Accordingly, I am thrilled to have David J. Ellison’s short movie, Familiar: A visual and audio treat of momentous, menacing proportions that creates a desolate, emotional ambience that speaks a horrific allegory to the evils of exerted power, control and abuse. Jonathan Zaurin’s feature, Wyvern Hill: A tale that interweaves the consuming darkness of Alzheimer’s, the stark calamity of life and the inescapable grip of mortality resulting in a tapestry of cinematic moments that are hideously horrific and deliciously delightful. Transfert: Jonathan Degrelle’s short science fiction offering, provides us with a visual feast of the highest standard. His diligence to period detail, props, furnishings and set design are truly outstanding and along with Russian’s ominous, atmospheric score, some fine animation and fight choreography, super acting, we find ourselves transported into a world of true, oppressive horror. If you like time travel, don’t be late for this one!

Just three of the exceptional movies that will be shown at RHIFF this year.

I know, first and foremost, that festival attendees are lovers of the weird, the macabre and the fantastical and in recognition of this fact feel confident you won’t be disappointed with this year’s unique selection of movies.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Peter's Picks Of The Festival

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 13:19:04 GMT

Peter Blunden's Picks Of The Horror Fest

We have such sights to show you!

Taking place from 25-27 ^th February at Premiere Cinema in the Mercury Shopping Centre, we are delighted to be bringing our audiences over 60 feature and short films to feast upon. There is truly something for everyone: monsters, witches, ghosts, possessed dolls, vampires, zombies, sea creatures, Shakespeare, murderous sandwiches, Nazis, and chainsaws! Oh my!

I’m personally very excited about the return of 2021’s ‘Best Sex Squid’ award winner, Extraneous Matters, which we will be screening in its hour-long Complete Edition. Expanding upon the events of the 20 minute short, this version goes in some very curious and quite touching directions that are wide open for interpretation. It begs that age-old question: can humans and sex squids co-exist? Paired with this on opening night we have another film from Japanese director Kenichi Ugana, called Visitors, a hilarious horror-comedy in the vein of The Evil Dead.

Anyone who knows my tastes in cinema knows I have a big soft spot for the uncanny. Films where mysterious things happen, seemingly out of nowhere, without explanation or rationale, leaving the viewer with a great sense of unease and even dread. There are a number of selections in this year’s festival that have some extremely inventive and uncanny sequences that need to be experienced to be believed. Duyster is a Belgian found-footage feature with a very unexpected twist. The Spanish short film You Will Never Be Back is akin to a nightmare in cinematic form. Lastly I would point like-minded viewers in the direction of The Tick, an experimental short reminiscent of the early films of that grandmaster of the uncanny, David Lynch.

Regular attendees will know that the Romford Film Festivals team love to champion our local filmmakers, and this edition is no exception. “Shape of Water set on Canvey Island” sea creature-feature ManFish promises to be an instant hit with our audience. Romford festival regulars Louis Taylor and Daniel Attrill (Alone, The Eliminator, The Lake) return this year with two films, Doll and The Haunted Hall. Likewise young local film-maker Max Roach has a pair of films in our line-up, Redwood and Short of Perfection.

We again have our Cheap Thrills programme (Saturday and Sunday sessions), where you can see what talented filmmakers can achieve with a less than £500 budget.

Closing night will see a brief Awards ceremony, where the HORRHIFFIC jury will announce their winners for the usual prizes of Best Short, Feature, Director etc.; but also a number of very special awards from left field.

After that you can discuss your favourite films of the fest and celebrate with our winners at the bar.

The whole festival team are really looking forward to having a full capacity festival this year so we can really celebrate our love for genre film with you all. In the meantime, take care of yourselves, and don’t have nightmares!

Romford Horror Festival Returns

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 17:10:49 GMT

Romford Horror Festival Returns

From the 25th to the 27th of February Premiere Cinemas will once again have an eerie darkness descend upon it as the Romford Horror Film Festival returns for its second year. From the team behind Romford Film Festival comes a weekend of spine-chilling tales from across the globe as Romford becomes host to over 80 independent horror films ranging from dark comedies to psychological thrillers, plus a plethora of films that will keep you up at night, this is a festival that you won’t want to miss.

The festival will feature a multitude of masterful films from a number of sub- genres, such as ‘Wyvern Hill’- A unique and original story made on a modest budget in which a confused widow faces a coordinated home invasion from both early-onset dementia and a crazed killer. If, however, you have more of an appetite for all things non-fiction this years film festival has plenty to offer, such as the documentary ‘Valley Of The Shadow: The Spiritual Value of Horror’, which discusses the morality of horror movies, finding the psychological, emotional, and spiritual complexities within the genre. ‘Haunted Thrills’ is a documentary that looks at American horror comics on the 1950’s and how they fell foul of the Comics Code Authority.

The festival also features films originating from a large variety of countries and locations. ‘The Story Of An Empty Village’ is a foreign language film from Spain, which tells the tale of a lone girl lost in a seemingly empty village where dark secrets hide behind every corner. The films Haunted Hall and Doll on the other hand was made locally by filmmaking duo Daniel Attrill and Louis Taylor who return to Romford film festivals for the fifth time.

Popular favourites will also return in different forms, last year’s award-winning short film ‘Extraneous Matter’ has morphed into a feature length movie by Kenichi Ugana who is also showing his Evil Dead-esque new movie Visitors. Last year a classic movie dubbed “the worst movie of all time” Manos: The Hands Of Fate will again be on everyone’s lips because, yes you guessed it Manos Returns, 52 years after the original movie was made a sequel is on hand to amuse the audience.

Ian Gordon delivers two movies ‘Superterranean’ and ‘Sair Ane’ proving that a lockdown can be a blessing as much as a curse, delivering to virtually solo filmmaking projects that are sure to get everyone talking. Finally the low budget section Cheap Thrills shows the wonderful short film works created by filmmakers with either low or no budget to work with.

The films themselves, however, are not the only feature of the Romford Horror Festival. Throughout the weekend attendees will be treated to Q&As by the filmmakers in attendance and will also be invited to the award ceremony on Sunday, which will celebrate some of the best films at this years festival. The benefit of operating in a now almost post Covid world is that the festival will be able to see the return of its bar, merchandise will be available and people will be able to just hang out with likeminded souls.

To find out more about the films showing at this years festival or to purchase a full festival pass, for just £32, click HERE

Romford Film Festival Partners With Greenlit

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 12:35:35 GMT

A new partnership begins

Romford Film Festival are thrilled to be working with Greenlit to help deliver more options to filmmakers from its 2022 sessions.

Greenlit is the UK’s premier crowdfunding site designed specifically for filmmakers. Greenlit believes in a holistic approach to crowdfunding that focuses on connecting filmmakers directly with their audience, from a film’s inception through to its release. In support of The Romford Film Festival, all award winners will receive a series of bespoke advice sessions with Greenlit’s industry experts, including pitch workshopping and consultations on marketing and social media strategy. Visit https://greenlit.com/create-film to learn more.

This is the first in a number of collaberations we are happy to reveal ahead of our 2022 season of festivals, as we crawl out of a time of covid and into our sixth year the festival is really going to upscale its offer in 2022 both for its audience and for filmmakers coming to represent their films.

Greenlit will be offering guidance on effective kickstarting to filmmakers attending, as well as hopefully appearing on one of the panels lined up for the summer session of the festival.

The Team Return From Tashkent

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 12:20:20 GMT

Representing the United Kingdom

Romford Film Festivals team have just returned from Tashkent, Uzbekistan where it led the first ever UK film delegation to the country, for the Tashkent film festival. Headed up by Spencer Hawken (Romford Film Festival) and Marat Akhmedjanov (ECG Film Festival) they took Peter Blunden a judge from both festivals and Oliver Guy Watkins creator of this year’s best documentary Who Is James Payton? Who also was able to screen his movie as part of the festival and hold a Q&A session.

Forming what will be a continual alliance, each year the festival will bring movies from Central Asia to Romford, whilst introducing filmmakers with similar sensibilities to Uzbeks, to the countries film industry, organizing trips and meetings with the most influential people in Uzbekistan.

A former soviet state Uzbekistan is a massively evolving country, spending billions making the country appealing to tourists with its 20-hour economy, lavish hotels and fast-moving retail and leisure scene. With considerable investment in making the country as green as possible, with huge solar farms the size of small towns, Uzbekistan has its eyes on the prize to become the new Dubai and its leaders think that significant investment in the film industry will help this.

“Through creating a lasting bond with Uzbekistan as a result with our collaboration with the ECG Film Festival, we’ll be able to take filmmakers to the country, to teach new skills and styles, make film and then bring these dual projects into the world.” Says festival director Spencer Hawken

“This is a very forward thinking, beautiful country that is thirsty to make its mark through the medium of cinema.”

During the UK Delegations stay, they were invited to the opening of Uzbek Film a venue that will train the next generation of film makers and the Palace Of Cinema which boats one of the largest auditoriums in the world. They also visited satellite film schools and attended a major closing event which was beamed live to the nation via ZOR TV. The team also saw a number of premieres which it hopes to bring to the Romford next May.

“For the last three years the Eurasian Creative Guild (ECG) has worked hard to promote Eurasian films in the UK, with the help of the Romford Film Festival” said Marat Akhmedjanov ECG Festival Director. “Our recent trip will really help to cement these relationships, showing a committed approach to helping each other’s movie industry!”

Each year the festivals judges will not just be looking at the usual judging criteria, they’ll be looking for filmmakers to champion in foreign shores.

During the Tashkent Film Festival the UK team appeared dozens of times on Uzbekistan and world television networks and met with cinema legends Luc Besson, Rob Minkoff, Gerard Depardieu, Steven Seagal, Franco Nero, Timur Bekmambetov and Bob Van Ronkel all of whom committed to working with the countries film industry.

Romford Film Festival In Tashkent

Theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com (Spencer Hawken) — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 14:05:50 GMT

Romford Film Festival In Tashkent

From the 28th of September until the 4th of October, Peter and Spencer from the festival team will be in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) representing the UK Film Industry. Accompanying them is Oliver Guy Watkins who won the audience award for best documentary in 2021 for his compelling film on the life of actor James Paton. As part of the festival his movie Who Is James Payton will be screening to central asian audiences for the first time. Each year the festival teams up with the Eurasian Creative Guild to bring Eurasian films to the UK, so representation from the ECG will also be in attendance.

The Tashkent Film Festival ran regularly from 1968 through to 1997, 2021 sees the return of this beloved festival as part of a very real intention from the Uzbekistan government to procure talent and generate very real careers in film. During the festival there will be events that see the opening of the Palace Of Cinematography and the opening of five film schools across the country in Samarkand, Bukhara, Kokand, Khiva and Nukus.

We'll be updating the blog and Facebook page throughout the festival.