2022 has been a busy year for the BFI NETWORK team at Film Hub Midlands. Over the last twelve months we have seen 24 BFI NETWORK supported shorts being filmed across the Midlands, with more to come at the start of 2023.

We are proud to have been able to support the development and production of these shorts through the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund, made possible with National Lottery funding, and are excited to share them with audiences at screenings and festivals next year.

All made by brilliant filmmakers to watch as their careers grow, with their work ranging from challenging dramas to surreal comedy, but all telling fantastic stories from the Midlands and speak of the growing film industry in the region.

The Films

A-Different-Place

A Different Place

Directed by Sophie Black, Written by Tommy Draper & Zane Igbe, Produced by Katie Smith & Charlie Clarke

Married, forty-something Catherine risks everything she knows to explore her truth with a free-spirited younger woman.

Triskelle Pictures
Barricade

Barricade

Written and Directed by Alice Johannessen, Produced by Molly Young

After experiencing a traumatic event on her school bus, Aleena bottles up her anger until a chance connection triggers a small act of rebellion.

Blind-Spot

Blind Spot

Directed by Sophie Webberley, Written by Nathan D’Arcy Roberts, Produced by Joanne Michael

You’re only young once, as a sharp-witted teen Azaria, and her larger-than-life Dad, Paul, are each about to be reminded after an evening driving in his Uber

Coming soon (400 × 400mm)-min

Burn Out

Written and Directed by Chloe Culpin, Produced by Charlie Beaumont

Heena, desperate to get out of her soul-less job, goes on a mid-week pub session with her co-workers where they all descend into animalistic carnage.

Exhibit-A

Exhibit A

Directed by James Wilkinson, Written by James Fawcett, Produced by Barbara Robertson

A mysterious intergalactic art collector has their sights on one of Earth’s masterpieces. But a plucky security guard ensures it will not be a simple lift.

Tentacle Media
The-Girl-With-The-Haunted-Vagina

The Girl with the Haunted Vagina

Directed by Samantha O’Rourke, Written by Rachel Tookey, Produced by Rachel Wilson

Sexually repressed Meghan is on a mission to reach climax but is thwarted at every turn by the ghost that haunts her vagina (no, really)

Panad Productions
Coming soon (400 × 400mm)-min

Harm

Written and Directed by Georgie Levers, Produced by Derry Shillito

A serial adulterer who sees women as ‘game’ is outed when a woman he ghosted posts screenshots of their affair on social media.

Coming soon (400 × 400mm)-min

Home Movie

Written and Directed by Ash Morris, Produced by Andy Paton

You tend to normalise the bad stuff. but it wasn't all that bad

Hope Ain't Right

Hope Ain't Right

Written and Directed by Dan Shaw, Produced by Daljinder Johal

A teen cowboy must outwit his estate's cruel gang leader and her lumpish thugs to rescue his one true love; a young astronaut.

Lord of the Free Range

Directed by Simon Dymond, Written by Joseph Willis and Simon Dymond, Produced by Lauren Parker

A short comedy about the price a man pays trying to remove his family from a vegan cult

Kato Pictures
Lumbu

Lumbu

Directed by Billy Dosanjh, Written by Mohsen Shah, Produced by Kurban Kassam and Laura Wilkinson

"Lumbu", which means “tall one” in Punjabi, reckons with his father's secrets in a bid to save the family. Set in the Summer of 94, in Sandwell.

Coming soon (400 × 400mm)-min

My Dreams Have Been Dark of Late

Directed by Joshua Warren, Written by Joshua Warren and Harry Warren, Produced by Jamie McCubbin

A lone knight finds himself at the mercy of his armour.

Anteroom
Of-all-the-things

Of All of the Things

Directed by Steff Lee, Written by Maria Galliani Dyrvik, Produced by Bella Tomlinson

A home once seemingly full of treasures to a small girl becomes all too oppressive when her mother’s ‘treasures’ and fear of letting go overwhelms their lives.

Kino Bino
Plaggy-Bag

Plaggy Bag

Written and Directed by Alex Withers, Produced by Fatosh Olgacher and Mark Campbell-Garrity

Zoe dreads meeting her best mate’s privileged friends but when a single-use plastic bag comes to life, she is forced to face her inner rage.

Results-Day

Results Day

Written and Directed by Omari McCarthy, Produced by Jack Pollington

Results Day follows the lives of teenage best friends Curtis and Jordan on the biggest days of the academic year… A-Level results day.

Fancy a Jam Pictures
Rock, Paper, Scissors

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Directed by Alex Ruhl, Written by Rebecca Cooke and Alex Ruhl, Producers by Ben Fredericks

BFI NETWORK’s first supported XR film, viewers are at the centre of a heartwarming story, where the classic game helps mother and daughter navigate life.

Cats Are Not Peas
Rushed

Rushed

Written and Directed by Nadine O'Mahony, Produced by Arnold Voysey

A chance encounter between a Black woman and a South Asian man in Birmingham forces them to confront life changing events they are desperately trying to escape.

Sandra

Sandra Gets a New Fringe

Directed by Penelope Yeulet & Mike Beddoes, Written by Penelope Yeulet, Produced by Chloe Culpin

After making the decision to get a new fringe, an office worker attempts to get her dismissive colleagues attention in increasingly bizzare violent ways

A-Sikh-Soldier

The Sikh Soldier

Written and Directed by Sky Cheema and Joseph Archer, Produced by Sindy Campbell

A Sikh soldier fights through The Great War for the British Empire, only to survive and face a further hell back in India.

The Sikh Soldier
The-Sin-Eater

The Sin Eater

Directed by Kelly Holmes, Written by Matt White, Produced by David Brown

1852, Wales: a desperate young mother carries out a forbidden ritual to save the soul of her unbaptised dead baby, but is tricked into taking on a terrifying burden

Gallus Films
SWOLE

Swole

Written and Directed by Ryan Stott, Produced by Christien Bart-Gittens

A man must decide whether to continue on his quest to build a hyper-masculine physique or save his relationship and future.

Ticker

Ticker

Written and Directed by Thom Petty, Produced by Margaret Milner Schmueck

Howard drives his partner Joseph to hospital to undergo an operation and the intimacy of the car and a long forgotten mixtape, sees the masculinity of their relationship yield.

Split Second Films
Coming soon (400 × 400mm)-min

The Walk

Directed by Michael Jobling, Written by Sophie Ellerby, Produced by Anna Griffin

A short drama depicting the story of Tony, a man who makes a 12 mile walk to sign on for his benefits.

Griffin Pictures
Witches

Witches

Directed by Siobhán Cannon-Brownlie, Written by Phoebe Frances Brown, Siobhán Cannon-Brownlie, Gemma Casely-Kirk, Narisha Lawson, Produced by Chloe Martin

An absurd comedy about three overlooked and under-laid young women, a box of matches and sage