:: BRIGHTON FRINGE FESTIVAL 2004 - second screening ::

:: PROGRAMME: Thursday, May 13th @ Marlborough Theatre, Pavilion Street ::

:: THE FALL OF SHUG McCRACKEN - Director David Ward - 24 mins ::
A darkly comic tale of man, mouse and sweet revenge. Based on a true story and set in the Glasgow Parks Department it stars Frank Gallagher (Orphans), James Ramsey (Ratcatcher) and Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot and Gangs of New York). The film won Best Comedy Short at the Santa Monica Film Festival and Best Short Film and The Panavision Award at the Deep Ellum Film Festival, USA.

:: JERKY - Director Ben Strunin - 3 mins ::
The adventures of a bored young man and his magical skateboard as he journies through a cold, lonely city. Desperately seeking an escape from boredom, his attempts to amuse himself become steadily more extreme.

:: SOUTHSIDE - Director M J McMahon - 15 mins ::
With his girlfriend pregnant, and her father hungry for his blood, Billy Sheers is forced out of Manchester and moves down to London. But, instead of making a new start, he falls victim to a series of unsavoury characters. Charlie Slaney an Irish street tramp, is the only one not to play Billy for the fool that he is, and lets him in on his big secret concerning a local gang leader.

:: INVISIBLE - Director Just - 90 seconds ::
Ultra-short experimental piece telling the story of a young anorexic self-harmer. Railing and crying against the elements, she throws herself into the sea - only to be expelled back onto the shore.

:: TALKING WITH ANGELS - Director Yousaf Ali Khan - 16mins ::
Set in 1970s Salford, amidst a forgotten landscape of decaying half-demolished post war slums, this moving and beautifully shot film tells the story of 10-year-old Alan and his deeply dysfunctional family. A semi-autobiographical story based on the director's childhood, it reveals the impossible task facing working class families striving for normality in the face of mental illness and extreme poverty.

:: REPLAY - Director Sarah Carney - 5 mins ::
Chilling debut from a talented new writer/director telling the story of six year-old Elizabeth who knows the secret of what goes on behind closed doors, but can't told anyone - except her dolls.

:: INSIGHT - Director Marc Francis - 13 mins::
In 1976, Martin Shail lost his sight in a car crash. An ex-Marine, he now works as a lift operator at Brighton's St. Dunstan's centre for blind ex-service men and women. Filmed entirely in his lift, this powerful film captures Martin's encounters with the residents and reveals his personal experiences since becoming blind.

:: 6 OR 7 WOT IS ITS - Director Yolanda De Los Buels - 4 mins ::
A computer animated reflection on the visual and aural representation of communication systems (it says here). A conceptual trip through the intricacies of the creative process of mind and language. A magic trick, not completely revealed. A journey through apparent randomness with roots in the undercurrents of the subconscious. Organized chaos opening to different areas of the mind and directions of thought.

Makes sense to you? Didn't to us, either. No matter, it's a great film. Imaginative, superbly executed and visually stunning, plus a terrific soundtrack.

:: THE PLEASURE SEEKER - Director Nick Goodson - 6 mins::
In this bizarre and very funny Sci Fi comedy, a couple of unwitting female tourists enter a cosy village tea-shop run by a slightly too-friendly old woman. While they innocently order afternoon tea, chaos unfolds outside as a deranged visiting alien dressed as Elvis Presley runs amok. Needless to say, he meets his demise in an unusual manner, involving a cake knife, lots of green goo and a flock of emigrating geese. Confused? You will be….