WFTV Short Film Club: Finding Creativity in Adversity, in conversation with Filmmakers

WFTV Short Film Club is a new event series highlighting some of the best short films exclusively for WFTV members.

Each event will introduce a curated selection of short films based around a theme. Members will have the opportunity to watch short films from around the world, hear from the creators and join in the conversation.

With everything up for discussion from drama, comedy and horror to documentary, animation, and arts, this event offers the chance to delve into the fastest growing viewing trend: short form content.

Hosted by WFTV and in partnership discover.film, a global streamer dedicated to short form content, we’ll be bringing together four filmmakers for a discussion to explore the process of converting adversity into creativity.

Creative expression can help us to understand, process and learn from adversity. Filmmaking that tackles difficult issues can be an opportunity to communicate a collective experience and inspire wider social change or be a cathartic creative exercise for the individual.

Introduced by WFTV CEO Katie Bailiff and chaired by Jaine Greene, for the inaugural WFTV Short Film Club we’ll be joined by writer/producer Laura Dockrill (Goldfish), actor/writer/director Lisa Edelstein (Unzipping) and filmmakers Farah Nabulsi (The Present) and Denise Harrison (This is Depression).

In advance of the event, attendees will have the opportunity to watch each of the filmmakers’ short films.

Films for WFTV Short Film Club:

GOLDFISH

In the aftermath of her older brother's death, 11-year-old Viola struggles to process her grief. With only her mother and precious pet goldfish for company, her worldview is shaken until she finds a letter from a stranger that changes everything.

UNZIPPING

Ella is unfulfilled. One night, she discovers a zip under her husband’s tongue. Unable to resist, she pulls it. And everything about her life changes.

THE PRESENT

On his wedding anniversary, Yusef and his young daughter set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift. Between soldiers, segregated roads and checkpoints, how easy is it to go shopping?

THIS IS DEPRESSION

A short, dark, animated film about the day the sky fell in and  living with depression. This film includes sensitive content.

CHERRY CAKE

You'll never look at your grandmother the same again.

Panel

Laura Dockrill is an award-winning author and illustrator. What Have I Done? is Laura's first book for adults. She has written thirteen books for children and young adults. She has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of The Year Prize, longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2018.

Laura Dockrill is the writer and producer of the BAFTA-nominated short film, Goldfish.

Farah Nabulsi is a Palestinian British filmmaker. She left the corporate world in 2016 to work in the film industry as a writer and producer of short fiction films. This includes Today They Took My Son, endorsed by renowned British Director Ken Loach, screened at the United Nations and officially selected to top tier international film festivals.

In 2019, she directed her first film, The Present, which she also co-wrote and stars actor Saleh Bakri. It premiered at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2020 and won the coveted Audience Award for Best Film. It had its North American premiere at the Cleveland International Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award for Best Live Action Short. The Present was shortlisted for the Oscars 2021 and recently won the BAFTA for Best Short Film.

Lisa Edelstein is an actor, writer and director. Following her co-starring role for seven seasons on the Fox medical drama House, Lisa Edelstein starred for five seasons in Bravo’s first scripted series Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. Created by Marti Noxon, Lisa also expanded into writing, producing and directing on the show.

Lisa adapted the short story by Etgar Keret entitled Unzippinginto a short film, which she also directed and starred in.  Edelstein has since written and directed the short Lulu for YouTube, co-written a drama pilot for Universal Cable and is adapting a book for Straight Up Films that will be her feature directorial debut. Lisa can currently be seen in the Golden Globe winning Netflix series The Kominsky Method, as well as 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Denise Harrison is an award-winning writer, blogger and podcaster whose debut short film This is Depression was written to show the devastating impact of poor mental health and homelessness from a personal perspective.

The film has won seven film awards and accolades, including Best Adaptation at The Discover Film Awards and Best Writer Grand Jury Prize at The Los Angeles Motion picture festival, and has screened in Cinemas and festivals worldwide.

Denise is currently working on her debut play Pandora.

How will the online event work?

This event will be live streamed via Zoom.us. 

This event will take place as a webinar. Attending participants will not be visible to others and will be muted throughout the session. After the talk, there will be an opportunity for audience members to ask their questions to the panel by using the Q&A feature.

In advance of the event, attendees will have the opportunity to watch each of the filmmakers’ short films.

This event is for WFTV members only.

If you are not a member and would like to join, membership costs just £100 + VAT/yr, please click here or email admin@wftv.org.uk

At WFTV we’re really keen to ensure that all our events are accessible for everyone. So if you have any particular access needs, please can you let us know before an event and we will do our best to accommodate you. We would be grateful if you can give us as much notice as possible – please contact admin@wftv.org.uk