Our Introducing… slot is a space for discovery and collaboration at Screening Days. With it, we aim to bring you films beyond the release calendar that you may not yet be aware of, but which may connect you to new audiences in your communities.
We’re delighted to present the short films in this edition, selected by our programming team: Festival of Slaps, directed by Abdou Cissé; Shé (Snake), directed by Renee Zhan; Pamilya, directed by Miles Blacket; Where We Belong, directed by Madoka Belda Yamamoto; Autism Plays Itself, directed by Janet Harbord; and Adura Baba Mi, directed by Juliana Kasamu. Scroll down for details.
The Introducing… shorts will be available to watch singly or together on our online platform at Spring Screening Days, as well as screening in-person at BFI Southbank.
With many thanks to all the filmmakers
The films
Festival of Slaps
Dir: Abdou Cissé | UK | 2023 | 12 mins
A Nigerian mother’s slap triggers a humorous reflection on cultural stereotypes.
Booking enquiries to Cheri Darbon
Shé (Snake)
Dir: Renee Zhan | UK | 2023 | 16 mins
A live action and stop-motion hybrid horror. Fei is the top violinist in her elite youth orchestra. When another Chinese violinist arrives to challenge her place, Fei’s anxieties and internalized racism grow to take monstrous physical form. They whisper to her, urging her to be the best, no matter the cost.
Booking enquiries to Jesse Romain
Pamilya
Dir: Miles Blacket | UK | 2023 | 14 mins
When a Filipino victim of modern slavery in the UK stops responding, her rescuers fear the worst. By exploring their own memories and experiences of slavery, her would-be rescuers find strength in their community and resolve to save her.
Booking enquiries to Miles Blacket
Where We Belong
Dir: Madoka Belda Yamamoto | UK | 2023 | 15 mins
Inspired by the Japanese tradition of offering food for the dead, a British-Japanese woman tries to reconnect with her origins by taking care of her mourning grandmother and, in the process, discovers the presence of her dead grandfather closer than ever.
Booking enquiries to Madoka Belda Yamamoto
Autism Plays Itself
Dir: Janet Harbord | UK | 2024 | 18 mins
A film shot in 1957 in at the Maudsley Hospital, London, captures the movements and behaviour of children under observation for atypical behaviour. In the present day, three autistic respondents watch the footage, bringing new insightful interpretations of the children’s behaviour as they explore the sparse environment of the clinic. Through speculation and identification, with wit and audacity, the responses forge a new soundtrack from an autistic point of view.
Booking enquiries to Whalebone Films
Adura Baba Mi
Dir: Juliana Kasumu | Nigeria | 2024 | 15 mins
Intimate recollections by the filmmaker’s father, a religious leader within the Celestial Church of Christ, and the filmmaker’s mother, his once devoted wife.
Booking enquiries to Juliana Kasumu
