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‘ORTOLAN: Bones and All’ was born as a proof of concept for a much larger exploration in a feature by writer, producer and actor Kate Winter who, channelling her own experiences dealing with trauma and memory, takes a deep dive into a complex and ruthless relationship between three sisters through an immersive and meandering psychedelicContinue reading “Conversation With Tracy Mathewson, Director of ‘Ortolan’ and Kate Winter, Writer, Producer & Actor.”

‘Tales From The Great War’ is writer Elias’ second feature length film, following his 2018 release ‘The Numbers’. Both films deftly intertwine the stories of multiple characters and their inevitable crossing of paths, bringing forward a certain recurring theme for Elias: the power of fate. His latest release opens with a powerful close up ofContinue reading “In Review ‘Tales from the Great War’ by Andrew Elias”

Mark Nelson’s ‘A Place About 50 Miles West Of Nowhere’ is a beautiful experimental exploration of life in New York City through an abstract expressionist and surreal lens. The film is gorgeously layered with images from the city, allegory and poetic observations and musings narrated by actress and producer Andromeda Godrey. Alongside being a delightContinue reading “Interview with Dancer Georgia Poole & Choreographer Annie Waller from Latitude Dance on ‘A Place About 50 Miles

Films, among so much more, encourage debate. They are a vehicle for expressing ideas, beliefs and spark something deep within us. These are the aspects which filmmaker Mark Nelson wanted to explore in his latest project ‘A Place About 50 Miles West Of Nowhere’. Mark has taken his background in photography, years of buddhist beliefContinue reading “In Conversation with Mark Nelson, Director of ‘A Place About 50 Miles West Of Nowhere’”

It is thought 1 in 50 people may suffer with OCD. And that figure is expected to actually be higher due to the shame people can feel about opening up. The whole team behind ‘Waving’ are keenly aware of the difficulties some may have reading this article and watching the film. Executive producer Catherine BenfieldContinue reading “In Review: ‘Waving’ by Rolfin Nyhus & Steven Brumwell”

Trauma and all of its terrifying friends raise their ugly heads in an exquisitely creepy psychological horror ‘The Uncanny’, by mother-daughter duo Marie Laurin and Clara Gabrielle. ‘The Uncanny’ marks the directorial debut by Clara, whose background lies in acting, as she shows off her skills behind the camera while adding a very personal toneContinue reading “In Conversation with Clara Gabrielle & Marie Laurin filmmakers behind ‘The Uncanny’”

The film essay is a form which has been embraced by many of the greatest filmmakers over the years – Chris Marker, Agnes Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, to name a few. When filmmaker Adam E. Stone lost his father, he wanted to pay homage to and explore writings and unsolved mysteries left behind. Adam, a greatContinue reading “Interview with Adam E. Stone, director of ‘Atmospheric Marginalia’”

Forbidden love, systemic prejudice and senseless suffering are three themes deftly explored by NFTS graduate Director Em J. Gilbertson’s clever and nuanced depiction of a time where the imbalance of gender roles and expectations on women were patently absurd. ‘Requiem’ is set against the backdrop of the violent witch trials of the 1600s and centresContinue reading “Interview with Em J. Gilbertson, director of ‘Requiem’”

Today marks one year since the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine. A year in which the world seemed to take a giant leap backwards, with the upheaval causing trauma and tragedy for millions of lives. ‘Once Upon a February’ by Russian filmmaker Julia ​​Shlenskaya is an intensely personal project that makes a brave attempt to comeContinue reading “Interview with Julia Shlenskaya, director of ‘Once Upon a February’”

Filmmaker Mick Child, founder of Forge Photography & Film Production, first graced our screens at Brighton Rocks in 2022 with his live action short ‘Villa’. He is back with a thought-provoking micro movie, ‘This Bee Movie, Our Future’, focusing on the increasing strains on our climate. Mick has been tinkering with photography since the ageContinue reading “Interview with Mick Child & Dane Foxx, director and narrator of ‘This Bee Movie, Our Future’”

Generative AI in all of its weird and wonderful forms is set to bring about a huge revolution in filmmaking. Whether ultimately this is for better or worse, whilst this technology is continuously evolving, now is the time to be embracing the advances and playing with the various forms. This is exactly what artist andContinue reading “Interview with Matteo Di Gioia, director of ‘Italian Boi’”

Creaky floorboards, whispers in the walls and shadowy apparitions are all harbingers of an enticing horror film and are deftly incorporated into the very opening scenes of director Robin Rippman’s ‘Spellbound’, assuring the audience that they will be delighted by what follows. Spellbound’s sound design and score are striking from the very outset. We openContinue reading “In Review: ‘Spellbound’, by Robin Rippmann”

Fish might not be the most obvious subject matter for a film, unless of course you are David Attenborough. However, when Falmouth University student Jonathan Geach was tasked with making a short film he put fish the at centre stage in his experimental short ‘Glub Glub’. The film uses his oddly masked men to inviteContinue reading “Interview with Jonathan Geach, director of ‘Glub Glub’”

If you happen to be walking along the coastline all wrapped up in your winter garb you will be hard pushed these days not to come across an intrepid sea swimmer. Clothed only in the skimpiest of wares and perhaps the thinnest layer of neoprene. You might initially question their sanity but, as discovered byContinue reading “Interview with Kristian Coburn, director of ‘Just Add Water: Stories From The Sea’”

There is something very refreshing about having your opinion of a film changed almost instantly. A rare and significant feat which filmmaker Richard Rowntree achieved with aplomb in his latest horror ‘Mask of the Devil’. Rather than falling into the “not another cringey horror movie” category, Richard and the team at Ash Mountain Films takeContinue reading “Interview with Richard Rowntree, writer and director of ‘Mask of the Devil’”

‘Betrayed’ is a multiple award-winning short film, including ‘Best Sci-Fi’ at Brighton Rocks International Film Festival 2022, which is now in redevelopment as a feature film. We caught up with writer and producer Jay Shurey and director Dagmar Scheibenreif to garner some inside information on the evolution of the film and the work that wentContinue reading “Interview with Jay Shurey & Dagmar Scheibenreif of ‘Betrayed’”

Rocks International Film Festivals wholeheartedly embrace the weird, wonderful and thought-provoking. Our feature film for LRIFF22 is no exception, ‘Alice, Through the Looking: À la recherche d’un lapin perdu’ by Adam Donen is a piece of work whose intricacies, quirks and hidden jabs reflect in no small measure the beguiling man behind the madness. ‘Alice’Continue reading “In Conversation with Adam Donen Writer, Director and Producer of ‘Alice, Through the Looking: À la rech

London Rocks International Film Festival is proud to be screening ‘The Mountain’ where Matthew, played by Jamie Wilkes, has to physically confront his inner demons who manifest as he is going about the seemingly mundane yet insurmountable challenge of daily life. Mental health is something we are now starting to see broached in television, documentaryContinue reading “Interview with Clare Macdonald, Director of ‘The Mountain’”

Daniel Thomas Freeman’s feature film, ‘The Silence After Life’, won the award for Best Actress at Brighton Rocks 2020 and we are delighted to be hosting him again at London Rocks this year with his latest film ‘The Day After’. Daniel has a multifarious background immersed in and around music and film which allows himContinue reading “Interview with Daniel Thomas Freeman, Writer, Director and Producer of ‘The Day After’”

Brighton Rocks International Film Festival is proud to be showcasing ‘Today I Wrote Nothing’ by Keith Sargent, aptly named after the work of the absurdist avant-garde Russian poet, Danill Kharms. By employing his incredible aptitudes in animation, music composition amongst so much more, Sargent has weaved together a beautiful 3-minute experiential film proving that theContinue reading “Interview with Keith Sargent, Writer, Director & Producer of ‘Today I Wrote Nothing’”