:: PROGRAMME: Thursday, November 25th 2004 ::

This month's Final Cut was part of CINECITY, Brighton's official film festival

For this year's Cine City, we again joined forces with Brighton's Lighthouse Media Centre to present a programme of quality shorts from film-makers working in the South East region, several of which are award-winners. Tonight's event was a retrospective look at films made through the innovative UK-wide DIGITAL SHORTS scheme. It also featured the first outing for our new Trailer Trash section - seven trailers promoting new and upcoming shorts by film-makers from around the UK.

Tonights event kicked off early with a reception to launch our new '24/7' streaming service which enables film fans, film-makers and the industr to free-view selected shorts from our extensive archive - anytime of the day or night. The launch included a live on-line demo of the service using the Hanbury's new broadband Wi-Fi facility.

24/7 was made possible with a grant from the lottery funding organisation, Awards For All. For more information about them, visit www.awardsforall.org.uk

:: 24/7 LAUNCH EVENT - Free drinks & nibbles - 7.30pm ::
Drinks, food, a few words from our sponsors and a live, online demo of Brighton's first short film streaming service.

:: HARD LABOUR - Director Oliver Krimpas - 10 mins ::
This dark tale of deceit and revenge was a finalist at the 2003 Manhattan Short Film Festival and 2003 Rushes Soho Shorts Festival. Voted one of the best eight films - from a field of over 200 - of the Film Council's national Digital Shorts scheme, it tells the story of Simon, a banker who manages to get two women pregnant: his wife Emily, and au pair, Yelena. Although he convinces Yelena to have an abortion and leave the family home, his wife's subsequent pregnancy causes her to to renege on the arrangement and seek revenge through blackmail.

:: FIRST TO SEE THE SUN - Director Joe Tunmer - 10 mins ::
Placed on opposing teams in a vicious game of street hockey, Alicia and Julian's relationship is pushed to its furthest extreme. In front of a worldwide online audience of baying gamblers, their love and respect for each other is tested beyond all reasonable means. First To See The Sun has screened at the Delhi, Houston and Sitges film festivals and at Sci-Fi London. It also won 'Best Drama' at the annual Worldfest Awards and has played in 30 cinemas across the UK.

:: WHOOSH - Director Rozi Peters - 10 mins ::
Poignant coming- of-age (ex) love story telling the story of a young woman learning who to love and who to trust, while at the same time avoiding stray nudists.

:: BUCKETHEAD AND THE RAPTURE - Director Matt Brownsword - 9 mins ::
This unusual mix of stop-motion animation and footage tells the story of an unfortunate boy who is born with a bucket on his head.

:: CARPET PEOPLE - Director Devlin Crow - 10 min ::
A drama starring TV's Richard Briers playing against type as a lonely old man close to death. Trapped in his decrepit flat, he hallucinates about the small beings inhabiting his carpet who are preparing to take him away...

::TRAILER TRASH 1: WORSE THAN DEATH- Director Dominic Jones ::
This horror gore-fest from Brighton film-maker, Dominic Jones, is already being talked about in the local media and this trailer has been specially prepared for Final Cut audiences, giving them a sneak preview of what is to come. Ugh!

::TRAILER TRASH 2: SOUTHSIDE- Director MJ McMahon ::
London gangland thriller featuring an unwanted pregnancy and an irate father-in-law hungry for blood.

::TRAILER TRASH 3: GREEN BRITAIN: THE BATTLE - Director Paul Dooner ::
Trailer for a controversial, hard-hitting film that tells the story of last year's 'Worthing Outrage' when one of Britain's few cannabis coffee shops, Quantum Leaf, was closed in a police raid. Green Britain - The Battle captures the spirit of the local cannabis community's resistance, led by disabled activist Chris Baldwin and is due for release later this year.

::TRAILER TRASH 4: FEMME FATALE - Director Lisa Holles ::
A dominatrix tells us about her lifestyle, revealing her approach and motivations as 3 willing 'victims' respond to her commands. There is no beginning middle or end to the dominant-submissive scenario as one is always being replaced by another. This is her life and their life...and their mutual desires intermingle to form a powerful visual and psychological reality.

:: TRAILER TRASH 5: THE LONELY WALK - Director Chris Perkins ::
One man and his door.

:: TRAILER TRASH 6: IMMORTAL COIL - Director Andrew Purtell ::
Exciting, fast-paced trailer for a superbly made Sci-Fi animation set in Earth's distant future.

For more info about this film, visit: www.cadabera.com

:: TRAILER TRASH 7: STORE WARS EPISODE III - ATTACK ON THE SHOPS - Director Shaun Troke ::
Star Wars spoof about 'The Government' trying to take over Britain's convenience stores, but in the nick of time they are saved by a Jedi Knight in the form of a local newsagent. Hmm…

(That's enough Trailer Trash - ed)

:: THE WATCHMAN - Director Chris Phelon - 10 mins ::
A security guard sits staring at his CCTV screens in an empty factory night after night, eventually becomes unsure whether the images he sees are real or imaginary.

:: PROMISES MADE AT NIGHT - Director Simon Wilkinson - 10 mins ::
Lenny and Jenny fell in love on a dark romantic night by a lake under the light of a full moon. Now, two years later, they are breaking up. Jenny has moved out and Lenny, left alone in their bare house, decides to take his own life - ensuring that Jenny finds his corpse.

:: FEMME FATALE - Director Lisa Holles - 10 mins ::
This is the full-length version of Lisa's film (also previewed in tonight's Trailer Trash) which was finished only days ago. Filmed in Brighton and post-produced in Berlin - and receiving its first public screening tonight - Lisa Holles' powerful new film explores the life of a local dominatrix, revealing profesional secrest and personal motivations as three willing 'victims' respond to her commands.

:: SAND - Director Kate Aidley - 2 mins ::
A young girl ponders on the greatness and smallness of sand, the universe and 'everything'.

:: THREE CHERRIES - Directors Mark & Daniel Goddard (Honey Brothers) - 5 mins ::
Many of us are drawn to the amusement arcade when on holiday; lured by the bright lights, strange sounds and echoes of childhood. But what about those who don¹t want to leave? People who find their amusement turning to fascination and ultimately addiction? Three Cherries explores life inside the arcade, inside the machines…and inside the heads of their compulsive players.

:: STILL (The Darkened Mind) - Director Abigail Norris - 3 mins ::
Based on Gwendolyn Simms' poem, The Darkened Mind, this film explores the dilemma of a young schizophrenic, who has to choose between the side effects of her medication or peace of mind.