LGBTQIA+ Short Film Showcase
Under the Orphanage
Northern UK Premiere
Written and Directed by Lewis Hooper, Co-Written by Rowan McDonnell – Starring Suerafal Epheram, Dean Sheridan, Delilah Bradley – UK, 2024, 1 minute
The search for a missing orphan takes a disastrous turn.
Dysphoria
Written and Directed by Nate Burrows – UK, 2021, 2 minutes
Content Warning: Body horror
Three figures, each isolated from society, go on a journey of transformation. One trapped in a room of voyeuristic eyes, another whose body is changing in ways they can’t comprehend and the other hidden behind a mask they cannot remove. They each struggle to free themselves, accepting transformation; breaking the mould and becoming their true selves.
Illuminati Castrati
Northern UK Premiere
Written and Directed by Ani White – Starring Som Chakraborty, Tony Zhou, Nick Morris, Dorien Sayalak-Vercoe – New Zealand, 2024, 8 minutes
Content Warning: Body horror
Vampire Luka Markos cruises in an unknown city, seeking men for his harem. This ancient wanderer courts three men: The Twink, The Bear, and The Jock. Encountering each man in different corners of the gay nightlife, Luka first seduces, then brutally emasculates them. This sets the stage for a life-and-death power struggle between the men.
Tapped
European Premiere
Written and Directed by Benjamin Brewer – Starring Roman Delo, Michael Cameron – Australia, 2024, 11 minutes
You never quite know who you're hooking up with.
Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake
Written and Directed by Javier Badillo, Co-Written by Nat Marshik – Starring Sofia Skates, Magda Ochoa, Sophia Chapdelaine, Tristan Miura - Canada, 2023, 4 minutes
Lupe doesn’t care about her abuela’s cooking lessons, she just wants to rock with her badass punk band. But when Lupe finds herself battling an alien monster with her band, her abuela's lessons will remind her that punk rock is more than just loud music, and connecting with her Latin roots may just save their lives.
Drama Queen
UK Premiere
Written and Directed by David E. Teixeira – Starring Catarina Carvalho – Portugal, 2024, 6 minutes
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young woman, who was eager to find love.
abattoir_witness.AVI
Written and Directed by Jaycee Lalabi Flowers – USA, 2024, 9 minutes
Content Warning: Child death
A found footage style film from a mass psychogenic illness causing the victims to act erratically in their final moments.”In memorial of the events December 5th 2003” abattoir_witness.AVI is here.
Buzzkill
Directed by Amanda Griswold, Written by Julie Dare – Starring Katherine Cozumel, Aubrey Duncan, Spencer James Hammerstad, Meghan Sinclair – USA, 2024, 8 minutes
A jealous vibrator will do whatever it takes to secure its spot in its owner's life.
Black Hole Barry
Exclusive Manchester Screening
Written and Directed by Alejandro Alberola, Co-Written by Stanley Mackrell – Starring Joseph Potter, Michael Batten, Michel Alexandre Gonzalez – UK, 2024, 9 minutes
Content Warning: Flashing images
Right before Scott’s boyfriend moves in with him, he decides to go on a series of hookups to get the most out of his last week living alone, a decision he’s going to regret forever.
Deaf vs. Dead
World Premiere
Written and Directed by Elissa Weir, Co-Directed by Sydney Cremasco – Canada, 2023, 12 minutes
Ellie, a wannabe, deaf ghost-hunter enlists veteran ghost-hunter, Steven, to help her find evidence of ghosts, and to give her guidance as a fellow deaf person in "the industry". However, Steven is in denial about being deaf and his reluctance clashes with Ellie's optimism.
59 Degrees
Written and Directed by Matias De Sa Moreira and Cyril Pinero – Starring Hélène Morguen, Matias De Sa Moreira, Cyril Pinero, Jean-Michel Cortana – France, 2024, 9 minutes
A couple and a real estate agent visit a parking space. In 2050, parking lots are now rented out as apartments, because the temperature is much lower than outside, where it's constantly over 50 degrees. But the man in the couple is thinking of buying for his mother, who is in a nursing home without air conditioning, and the woman is thinking of buying for herself. The real estate agent, on the other hand, is thinking of just one thing: making money.
Body Worn Video
Written and Directed by Tony Hipwell, Co-Written by Richard O'Hare – Starring Chantelle Alle, Oliver Devoti – UK, 2024, 11 minutes
Content Warning: Child endangerment
A child abuse call isn’t the best way to end a day, but for officers Cane and Adel, it's not just their shift that's about to end in this chilling new found footage horror from the creative team behind The Lure and The Heritage.