The annual Shorts Tour takes short films and animations nominated at the EE British Academy Film Awards and returns to Watershed, celebrating a new crop of talented UK filmmakers.

With an introduction by Rich Warren, director of Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival, Kamilla Kristiane Hodol, producer of Monoman and Jörn Threlfall, director of Over.

Presented in partnership with Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival.

Edmond Dir: Nina Gantz | UK | 2015 | 9 mins

Edmond’s impulse to love and be close to others is strong… maybe too strong. As he stands alone by a lake contemplating his options, he goes on a journey backwards through his life, and revisits all his defining moments in search for the origin of his desires.

Samuel-613 Dir: Billy Lumby | UK | 2015 | 15 mins

This is the story of Shmilu, a Hasidic Jew in crisis, torn between his community and the romantic possibilities of trendy east London. The first fictional film made with the UK’s Hasidic population, Samuel-613 has unprecedented access including non-professional actors and Yiddish dialogue. It explores culture clash, identity struggles and their spiritual consequences.

Over Dir: Jörn Threlfall | UK | 2015 | 14 mins

Over presents a crime scene. During the course of nine wide shots, told in reverse order, we watch an intriguing story unfold. What has happened in this quiet neighbourhood? A murder, a hit and run, an accident? The reality is profound and deeply unexpected.

Operator Dir: Caroline Bartleet | UK | 2015 | 6 mins

An Emergency Services Operator receives a call from Gemma, a desperate young mother whose three-year-old son is trapped upstairs in a burning house. Flames are creeping down the stairs that Gemma must use in order to reach him. The operator’s guidance is all that Gemma can rely on in order to survive.

Prologue Dir: Richard Williams | UK | 2015 | 6 mins

A young girl witnesses a battle to the death. From the animation genius behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Mining Poems or Odes Dir: Callum Rice | UK | 2015 | 11 mins

Robert, an ex-shipyard welder from Govan in Glasgow, has put aside his tools for pen and paper. Reflecting on how his life experiences have influenced his new found compulsion to write, his retrospective poetry reveals a man who is trying to achieve a state of contentment through words and philosophy.

Manoman Dir: Simon Cartwright | UK | 2015 | 11 mins

Glen is barely a man. In a desperate attempt to tap into his masculinity he attends a primal scream therapy session, though even surrounded by wailing men he cannot make a sound. But when Glen is pushed too far, he releases something from deep within that knows no limits.

---