Northern Exposure Short Film Night
Event details
Northern Exposure is a touring film programme showcasing the best short films from the North of England.
This programme has been selected by a group of young, Northern film curators who have scoured the region to discover the stories that matter to them and the local filmmakers to get excited about.
Expect a bold mix of fact and fiction, animation and live action – and anything else in-between.
This month’s programme will showcase ten short films, including the winner of the Film Hub North DIY Filmmaking Challenge, and two films created by the BFI Academy students made over a period of one week at Storyhouse as part of BFI Academy Courses.
The screenings will be followed by a post-show Q&A with BFI Film Academy graduate, Emma Kayani (Chip Shop Girl), Emily Burke (I would like to Live on the Moon) and Muhammed Bittaye (Heritage).
£2.70 (Non-Members: £3)
15+
THE FILMS
Blackout (05:46)
A coming-of-age story made by BFI Film Academy participants aged 16-19 years old about two brothers who are caught at home together in a citywide power cut. To keep themselves entertained they play their favourite childhood games whilst happily reminiscing about their younger years. However when a painful memory surfaces that they would both rather forget, we begin to realise that there is something very unusual about the characters of this short film.
This film was produced as part of Storyhouse’s BFI Film Academy Chester, made by participants aged 16-19 years old.
The Creative Process (05.32)
A group of four filmmakers argue over their ideas. Hendrix wants to make a psychedelic story about lack of sleep, Charlie wants to make a comedy about a plant, Juliet wants to make a romance about finding love in the library, and Carrie wants to make a horror story about a mysterious monster stalking through tunnels.
This film was produced as part of Storyhouse’s BFI Film Academy Chester, made by participants aged 16-19 years old.
I Would Like to Live on the Moon (02:13)
Dir. Emily Burke / 2023 / Animation, LGBTQ+
A young non-binary person feels overwhelmed and wants to escape – literally, to the moon.
Keep the Faith (08:13)
Dir. Charlene Jones / 2024 / Drama
Steve’s just quit the bottle, and is pushing through a withdrawal. His daughter Chelsea is home from university and trying to hold it together, with the help of a little Northern Soul.
Vestige (12:00)
Dir. Joseph Simmons / 2023 / Sci-Fi, Drama
A young boy searches for answers after his dad goes missing at sea, but after discovering a strange fossil on a Yorkshire beach, he thinks it could be the missing piece of the puzzle.
The Journey Home (03:00)
Dir. Noah Lei Underwood / 2023 / Sci-Fi, Horror
A creature considers its current bindings and finds them wanting.
Winner of the Film Hub North DIY Filmmaking Challenge: Unbound.
Sandcastles (5:42)
Dir. Meredith Stewart / 2023 / Animation
A wistful child re-lives a memory close to their heart.
Chip Shop Girl (06:57)
Dir. Emma Kayani / 2023 / Drama
In Northern England, 1995, a teenage mum with a mixed race daughter works a shift at her local chippy and faces a racist customer.
Heritage (05:49)
Dir. Muhammed Bittaye / 2023 / Documentary
A captivating documentary that follows the remarkable story of Muhammed, a young, talented filmmaker, who embarks on a life-changing journey back to his homeland, The Gambia, after a decade of living in the United Kingdom.
The Last Cowboy in Salford (14:45)
Dir. Jakob Lancaster / 2023 / Drama
Jonny Richman is a seventeen year old Jew. He is also a cowboy, much to his parent’s frustration. A darkly comic neo-Western set in Manchester, England.