myDylarama

Snapshots from Leeds International Film Festival 2021

Abla Kandalaft, Alma, Tom L.J. — 2021-11-21T20:57:27Z

Every year, the Leeds International Film Festival offers a carefully curated, diverse and exhaustive programme of feature films, retrospectives, shorts, music videos and more. Three members of the team were there. One of us was also part of the Jury for British and Yorkshire shorts! Here are some highlights away from the main feature competition programme.

Alien on Stage by Lucy Harvey and Danielle Kummer

A very amateur dramatics group of Dorset Bus Drivers spent a year creating a serious stage adaptation of the sci-fi, horror film, Alien. With wobbly sets, awkward acting and special effects requiring more luck than judgement.

The directors knew they had gold on their hands in the form of this hugely entertaining production. We as the viewers - and presumably as the audience of the actual live show - are never quite sure whether or not the cast and crew are in on the joke, which makes for some moments of awkward, guilt-ridden viewing, which mostly gives way to sheer enthusiasm and genuine big laughs. Kudos to the crew who in all earnestness put so much care and attention in recreating scenes from the film.

Music Video Awards

Here are our top 3 from the Leeds selection for you to enjoy!

Mary Ocher - For All We Know, directed by Yann Les Jours

Hak Baker - Irrelevant Elephant, directed by Jon E Price

Blake Mills - Money Is the One True God, directed by Lachlan Turczan

Blake Mills | Money Is The One True God from Lachlan Turczan on Vimeo.

Shorts and Animation

Aside from our delight at rewatching Joanna Quinn's Affairs of the Art, a Clermont favourite, our collective special mentions go to the mesmerising What Resonates in Silence directed by Marine Blin, the calming and soothing Pearl Diver by Norwegian film student Margrethe Danielsen, the funny, touching and well paced dark comedy An Irish Goodbye by Tom Berkeley and Ross White, short doc Hanging On by Alfie Barker, a glimpse at the human cost of gentrification and eviction, a creative, imaginative and personal take on much explored (but still relevant) issues in documentary.

We also liked Dan Thorburn's sombre, arresting and beautifully acted Salt Water Town and documentary maker Sema Basharan's The Branches are Hope; The Roots are Memory, an uplifting, poetic and very concrete look at the abstract concepts of peace and faith in the city of Bradford, also the well-deserved winner of the Yorkshire shorts competition. You can find Q&As with the latter two directors here and here.

We didn't have time to watch or cover everything, there were so many more gems to catch. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions you'd like to put to the Leeds team or the directors.

Q&A with Sema Basharan, director of The Branches are Hope; The Roots are Memory - Leeds award winner

Mydylarama team — 2021-11-21T20:30:58Z

Sema Basharan's short documentary explores the history of peace activism and grassroots resistance in Bradford and the way the city's religious diversity inspired movements towards peacebuilding, through a creative use of experimental art and visuals, archive footage and interviews.

What inspired you to make a documentary about Bradford? And why the specific focus on concepts like peace?

I'd previously made a film exploring Christian attitudes to war and peace through the story of some conscientious objectors in WW2, so it was a subject I'd been interested in for a while. I was really interested in how they saw peace through the lens of their faith, and the actions it led them to take as a result. In The Branches are Hope; The Roots are Memory I wanted to explore this topic further by looking at other faith groups and how faith and peace work together in people's lives to inspire them to act. Finding myself back in my home city of Bradford at this time felt like the perfect place to explore this idea. It's a city with a rich heritage of peace and is a melting pot of cultures, with a real independent spirit, so there was so much to dig into. It was also a chance for me to explore my own connection with the city after some time away, which was part of the journey of this film.

Can you tell us a bit more about the process? How did you choose the archives, the testimonies... Was there some level of collaboration with the Peace Museum?

The testimonies mostly came by recommendation, although I put out an open call looking for people to take part. A lot of the faith communities in Bradford are well connected, as are people involved in the peace movement, so most people were suggested to me by others I'd met, including by the Peace Museum. Bradford is full of people who would fit what I was looking for though, I could have spent a year interviewing people! I only had a month to fit in as many as I could. Choosing the archive was more tricky and there was a lot of experimentation, along with the other visuals, to weave the images and testimonies together and build up the picture bit by bit. I worked with the Yorkshire Film Archive for this who were really supportive in helping me find what I needed.

You integrated art and experimental imagery into the documentary. What's your background in fine arts?

I originally studied fine art, but couldn't really see myself working as an artist at that time, and didn't pursue my own creative practice until I started making documentaries ten years later. My first two documentaries were more of a mainstream style, but with this one I was feeling much more confident in developing my own voice that I wanted to revisit some of my past work. What's interesting is that I discovered the themes I was working with way back on my art foundation and undergraduate degree were the same themes I'm interested in now as a filmmaker, such as memory and identity. It felt so easy and natural to bring these together in this film.

You're primarily a documentary filmmaker. Are you looking to explore other formats? What would you like to work on in the near future?

Right now I'm sticking with documentary, although I wouldn't rule out other genres in future! This was the first film where I'd written something of a script, and it turns out I really enjoy writing, so I would like to explore that more for sure! I have a couple of other ideas in development right now, but with very film I make, I try to challenge myself to try something new, or tell the story differently, so that's on my mind now with the next one. I like to build on what I've learned but also to experiment where I can.

What have been your highlights from the film's festival run? Any comments or reactions that stood out?

The film premiered at Sheffield DocFest this year, so I have to say that was a definite highlight and
completely outdid my expectations. It was nominated for an award there too, so the whole experience was really amazing! Picking up an award at Leeds International Film Festival was the absolute icing on the cake, and I'm still a bit shocked that a film about peacemakers in Bradford would be of interest to other people! But people really seem to connect with the film, and I've had some great conversations with people who were really touched by it and have wanted to screen it at local community events, including an inter-faith group run by one of my contributors. For me that's one of the big successes of the film, that it doesn't just appeal to festival audiences. It is screening in the communities that it came out of and inspires further discussion on topics of faith and peace.

What best bits of advice would you have for aspiring documentary filmmakers?

Honestly, just make films. Do what you can with the resources you have. You can do so much with a smartphone and a laptop. It doesn't matter how big an audience you get just keep making and honing your skills. The other thing I'd say is find people you trust who can give you really honest, constructive feedback, even if it's hard to hear sometimes. Those people are vital for the process so seek them out and take them on the journey with you.

Find out more about Sema's work on her website.

Interview with Theo Montoya, director of Son of Sodom

Brasserie du Court team, Clotilde Couturier — 2021-02-01T14:12:40Z

How have you met Camilo Najar?

I met Camilo 6 years ago at a party. When I saw him, he immediately caught my attention, he was a special guy, with his curly hair, and super thin. Besides that, he had an overwhelming personality. I will always remember a phrase that he told me “I care more about having acne than being gay”.

Do you often deal with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in your films and will you in the future?

I think I am portraying my generation and this generation is exploring their sexuality. I try not to pay too much attention to my friends' sexual orientation, I try to see humans. Although sometimes I am aware that in such a conservative society, a society that has raised us with heteronormative models, deciding to be different, to be oneself, to be free, brings its consequences, many times negative. And yes, in my next project I will explore again my generation (my friends) in Medellín, the city where I grew up. I am interested in being able to show the contrast of a queer youth, in the midst of a religious and conservative society.

Did you plan to focus on the question of drug addiction when you considered making a film about his life and why?

I think my film is not about a drug addiction, because Camilo wasn't. He used drugs, like me or many people in the world. I think my film is more about a sense of discouragement, a hopelessness that young people feel about their future and living life as if there is no tomorrow. Is there one? I also wonder sometimes. But I think what is important here is when people are afraid to talk about those kinds of issues in our society. People are afraid to really talk about the issues. When you can talk about your shit, you can understand a lot of things, and maybe get better. Of course drugs are part of our society, and we have to talk about that and listen to the kids.

How much are you interested in the indifference or even desire towards death and do you have further projects on this theme?

I believe that my generation has a pulsion with death. It is in a way a pulsion of life, living life with an intensity. For me, cinema always talks about death and love, and of course cinema is life. I am very interested in the duality, between eros and tanatos. My cinema is very local, I try to portray my city and my friends, and in our city death is just around the corner, my first feature film ANHELL69 will speak about that too.

What do you think the future holds for short films?

Incredible things, for me short films are an incredible language. I try to watch a lot of short films all the time and I think the short film circuit and appreciation is growing. I love this format and I hope there will still be a lot of creativity.

If we were to go back into lockdown, what cultural delights would you recommend to alleviate our boredom?

Hmm… Watching classic movies again, short films, listening to music, taking psychedelic drugs because it will be the only way to trip and of course masturbation. Well and disconnect from the internet, which absorbs us more and more.

Son of Sodom is part of Lab Competition L3.

Winter Edition Line-Up!

Mydylarama team — 2021-01-22T16:34:46Z

The EFN short film festival winter edition is nearly upon us! Given the roaring success of the last few live-streamed events, the team is once more adopting their winning formula and showing carefully curated early shorts from first time and emerging directors. Once more, two prizes are up for grabs: the audience award and the critics' prize. Judges this time around are Mydy's Abla Kandalaft, Genesis Cinema's Christina Papasotiriou and Leeds International Festival's Molly Cowderoy.

Winners will have a lengthy in-depth video interview published on Mydy, a quickfire round interview published on partner website Film Fest Report and subscriptions to Shooting People, exposure and support from EFN's latest partners among other things.

Here are the shortlisted films!

1. HEADER by Mark Kuhlmann

When Lars (13) gets further and further behind in the initially still funny duel with his brother Kai (11) and thus also threatens to lose the love of his mother, he is faced with a decision: Will he fight against his unfairly playing brother or will he give up?

2. VINCENT BEFORE NOON by Guillaume Mainguet

A father pays his son a visit after years of conflict and turns up in the middle of his house move. The son Vincent reacts violently to that intrusion. Emotionally weakened, the father involuntarily reveals the true reason of his visit, which revives the tension between them. Within a few minutes, the anger, the memories and the crossed looks move the two men deeply.

3. @JESU_MUHNN by Jose M. Lucero, Coté Ramirez

A young man obsessed with a famous influencer takes over her identity.

NO TRAILER AVAILABLE!

4. ILL, ACTUALLY by Zoë Hunter Gordon

"ill, actually" is a short documentary exploring the challenges of being young and chronically ill in a carefully curated online culture.
A real life "superhero", a YouTuber and a camgirl explain why they choose to share -or hide- their chronic illnesses online.
Online you can be anyone: why be ill?

5. COPING by Vivien Forsans

A bunch of creatures are trying to relax after a long day of work.

NO TRAILER AVAILABLE!

6. NOT YOUR TROPICAL GIRL by Limuy Asien

An Indigenous girl responds to a racist callback.

7. FRIENDS ONLINE by Samantha White

'Stacey' an anxiety ridden, lonely, keyboard-warrior recluse hopelessly tries to convince his favourite young friend Ellie, that he too is a teenage girl, with the desperate hope that she'll send him the pictures he craves.

BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE HERE!

The live-stream will be on the event Facebook page.

Tommy Hodgson's Encounters TOP 5

Tommy Hodgson — 2020-10-01T19:16:18Z

Writer Tommy Hodgson offers his own top picks from this year's Encounters Short Film Festival.

Breadline (UK, director: Carol Salter): Breadline displays intimate footage of a food bank in a Northern town through the gaze of an elderly volunteer and, in doing so, serves as a damning indictment of the austerity state which the Conservative Party has manufactured and sustained within the UK. Carol Salter's short tale is a personal, and soul-searching look into the ordinary people who have chosen to help other ordinary people because their government has neglected them. Through basic conversations and mundane day-to-day tasks, Breadline is disarmingly successful in adding a layer of humanity to the political choices of this country. Understated and simplistic in its execution, Breadline gives a more realistic glimpse into modern Britain than a passive news report ever could.

Calvario (Spain, director: Lluís Margarit): From Spanish director Lluís Margarit comes a delightful gaze into insecurity and male fragility, specifically the perils of balding before one's time. As funny as it is tragic, the picture takes the toxicity of our self-image to hilarious extremes, within an easily digestible and relatable reality. Margarit's success lies with tapping into a male fear often assumed but not dwelt upon, and offering misdirects as to whether this supposed slight is real or imagined. Well-acted and not at all self-indulgent, Calvario is sure to produce a hearty laugh in its audience, regardless of their hairline.

Christy (Ireland, director: Brendan Canty): Christy is brilliant in its display of the often uncomplicated bonds of male friendship, and further how comradeship cuts deeper than job rejections and other setbacks in life. A fascinating depiction of life for the working-class youth in Ireland, it resonates with anyone who has ever been young and broke, faced with the anxiety of a job interview when you do not even know yourself yet. Director Brendan Canty's piece is ultimately positive in its message that there are rays of sunshine in friendship and petty revenge to counter the very adult drudgery and mundanity of a working life.

Christy (Short Film Trailer) from Brendan Canty on Vimeo.

Exam (Iran, director: Sonia K Hadad): When a teenage girl is pressured to deliver a package before school, her patience and limits are severely tested. An extremely tense and gripping short tale, Exam offers a simple premise but with unthinkable consequences. The build-up of tragedy is layered from the beginning, with intriguing use of over-lingering shots, often sticking closely and relentlessly to the back or front of the character's head to make the suspense more personal, and the fallout more dramatic. Touching on themes of authority, the black market and the perception of vices in Iran, Sonia K Hadad's refreshing direction and execution is simply masterful.

Soup (Russia, director: Inga Sukhordukova): Soup is a dark and dramatic piece, building layers of tension, guilt and the inability to articulate one's emotions into a tight eleven minute journey. The cost of success is apparent when a father and son are re-acquainted, and the unsaid strains on the relationship only infect the plot from there. Both actors successfully use subtle body language, micro gestures and erratic speech patterns to communicate the deep wounds of the relationship in question. It is fitting that the surroundings are sparse and empty, so only emotions cloud the set. Ultimately, Inga Sukhordukova's directorial debut is impressive in crafting a nuanced narrative - with overtones of political commentary about Russian family life and society, especially the state of LGBTQ rights in the country.

Check out more of Tommy's recent work: "Why Tearing Down Statues Is Tackling Britain's Racist History" & "Belarus' young photographers are capturing a country in flux".

Q&A with Mostafa Morad, dir. Henet Ward - Clermont 2020

Abla Kandalaft, Brasserie du Court team — 2020-02-24T11:24:39Z

Halima, a Sudanese woman living in Egypt, works as a henna painter. On a regular working day, she goes to one of Giza's local areas to prepare a bride for her wedding. Her seven-year-old daughter Ward accompanies her and starts to wander around and discover the place.

A well-structured narrative short and an impressive debut from Egyptian director Mostafa Morad, whose camera work and carefully selected intimate moments drop us straight into the chaos of the pre-wedding rituals and allow us to closely and emotionally follow the characters' journeys.

Henet Ward Trailer from Red Star on Vimeo.

Can you tell us a bit about the situation of Sudanese minorities in Egypt?

The situation of Sudanese refugees in Egypt is like the situation of other refugees; like Syrians and Indonesians actually, or Egyptians themselves like Basma and her family, all have similar issues and dreams and ambitions... And this is what I want to talk about. About 40,000 refugees, according to the UN, have come to Egypt to seek work or refuge from former President Omar el-Bechir. The question of refugees in general is a massive international issue that needs to be tackled more openly to uncover the ugly reality they are living in – and I mean in any place not just in Egypt.

Is what happens to Halima common?

What happens to Halima in the film is from my imagination as a director and writer. I can't say that every time someone who is non-Egyptian goes into a house to do something they will get beaten up, but definitely happens on a certain scale in some local areas. Egyptian society has become violent and racist especially lately. I remember from 2 months ago there was a Sudanese student who was bullied by some other schoolboys. This incident was recorded and shared on social media and everyone in Egypt watched the video. This is a shame to all of us as Egyptians and I also recall that the issue was tackled by authorities, but I think that this it needs more than this because it was just one recorded accident! What about all those that aren't?

Can you tell us about the filming conditions? Location, logistics, casting…

It is hard to make a film in Egypt especially these days due to the political conditions. Any director must start somewhere and I decided to start with Henet Ward. I decided to produce this film at my own cost and not to depend on funds as they consume time. After the production phase, other companies joined to help me in the post-production stage. Because we had limited resources, we needed to spend the money on basic requirements like locations, equipment and permits, and it helped that the crew worked with no fees because they believed in the film. The actors used their actual clothes except for some small items. Most of the props came from my house, my crew members' houses or from the houses of the residents of the area. I wanted to shoot in real locations to accurately show Egyptian society, so I chose this historical place that is near the pyramids to tell my story. The house had a very important role in my story, it had a specific character, because of its space, its numerous windows and doors, which helped me mix documentary and fiction styles and use natural light – the film was lit only by sunlight and neon LEDs that were already in the house. We shot this film with in 35mm, because it is the closest to the human eye. The actors aren't professional, and working with them was very interesting because they don't have any background in acting, and this makes them more spontaneous.

What is your background in filmmaking?

As a child, I liked watching movies and my elder brother bought video tapes. He liked American movies and I watched them with him. After high school I wanted to study at the High Cinema Institute but I couldn't, so I looked for alternatives like the Cinema Palace run by the Ministry of Culture, which offers 4-month workshops for filmmakers. There, I met someone who helped me work in the industry; he gave me a job as an assistant director on a TV series. Then I worked on commercials, but I had a constant feeling of not interacting with these films. I wanted to work in independent film and at that time in Egypt, a new wave of independent cinema started to appear. I worked with Sherif Elbendary on his first feature film Aly the Goat and Ibrahim, and other directors before finally making my first short, Henet Ward.

Do you hope to tackle more issues in Egypt?

Definitely. We have a lot of issues in Egypt and society has many layers, I have more stories to tell about the minorities and locals. I have two other projects, another short and a feature. The short is about the deteriorating relationships between married couples and the feature is about transsexual girls in Egypt and the issues they face to prove their true identity and the fight they have with the religious institutions.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?

I love short films because of the sense of freedom that I always get while making them. The short format allows me to be free in everything and has a challenge that I love because there is always a story that you want to tell intensively, within a certain time frame, that makes you more engaged with the film and its characters, and for me it is a very important type of cinema… And there is always a lower risk in making a short movie. In terms of budget, less time, fewer people behind the camera. In shorts, anyone can make a film as long as they have a digital camera and the right idea. It is a great way to learn by experiencing, making mistakes, repeating and growing through it and developing as a filmmaker.

Q&A with Shady Srour, dir. Oslo - Clermont 2020

Abla Kandalaft — 2020-02-21T15:37:52Z

Ziad, a Palestinian day labourer, is denied entry into Israel for work that day.
Not wanting to return home empty handed after promising his daughter meat for dinner, he needs to get creative.

Trump's latest meddling in the region has effectively left many if not most Palestinians feeling hopeless. The title of this short is a nod to the Oslo Accords that ended up dispossessing them of more of their land and subduing much of their fight for rights and freedom. The recent US "deal" further removes what was left of their hopes. Shady Srour's anger at this state of affairs is tangible in this very moving, poetic and impressive short that leaves the viewer sharing the rousing frustration.

Trailer

OSLO | Short Film by Shady Srour | Trailer from Film Five on Vimeo.

LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - London Lives 3

Louis Christie — 2020-02-13T14:31:02Z

Thrive (Jamie Di Spirito, 2019)

A sublimely intelligent and sensitive film, which sees a hook-up move into a challenging conversation. A naked man wakes up, lights up a cigarette and smokes out the window – through which the daylight outside illuminates the whole room. This is the only light source in the film, and it's used brilliantly. Grindr buzzes. His date comes over, and they're kissing almost before he's through the door. The orange curtain is drawn, turning the generous daylight into a warm luminescent wall, against which the sex scene unfolds, the two of them simultaneously bristling with hunger and tenderness. When the dialogue finally comes in, it necessarily makes a point of how wordless the film had been until then. Rejecting an invitation to breakfast, the man pulls the curtains back, and suddenly the scene is plunged back into cold daylight. The following conversation hurtles into the crucially underexplored grey area of HIV in the age of antiretroviral drugs, which render the virus undetectable and untransmittable. It delves truthfully into that quality of togetherness unique to gay romance, by which ties of attraction are ties of community. The dynamic between the two characters flickers mercurially; one moment they're lovers, the next moment they're brothers in solidarity. Held up by excellent cinematography and a beautifully understated central performance, the film finds a well of tenderness and complexity in the most ostensibly meaningless of hook-ups. It's a triumph.

3 Sleeps (Christopher Holt, 2019)

3 sleeps short film trailer from Chris holt on Vimeo.

In this gritty short, the trust a mother places in the maturity of her eldest daughter proves more well-founded than she could have guessed. She leaves her, in the opening scene, in charge of her two sisters. It's night and the girl doesn't want her to go; seeing her fear (and hearing the music rise ominously), we get the feeling that there is more to the situation than a child's stubborn attachment to her mum as she tries to go about everyday business. Sure enough, when they wake up she's still gone – for ‘three sleeps', possibly to Spain – and they have to fend for themselves. They spend what little money their mum gave them (with the instruction to not to spend it all on sweets) on sweets. The situation goes from bad to worse for the three sisters, with mum completely unresponsive to their phone calls, and it's almost unwatchable – not because of physical violence, but just because they're so completely helpless. The yellowish strip lighting beautifies nothing, and feels straight out of the more recent offerings from Ken Loach. When the end credits reveal that the film was based on a true story, the horror is accompanied by a strange sense of relief that the stress of seeing it might have somehow been a necessary form of witness-bearing. The film might not do much more than put its audience though a gripping and difficult watch, but in fulfilling that goal it's very successful.

Q&A with Paul Howard Allen, dir. Mega Sexy Robot Dinosaur - Clermont 2020

Abla Kandalaft — 2020-02-12T12:44:23Z

INTERVIEW VIDEO TO COME

A silly (in all the best ways) short very much made for fun that certainly made me laugh! Glad it made it into the Clermont competition.

How much do you enjoy artistic experiments?

Cinema audiences these days are incredibly smart and cinema literate so it's really fun to be mischievous and play with people's expectations. This is the beauty of short film, it allows you to explore your weirdest ideas without having to satisfy a commercial agenda.

Why was the Kubrick reference important?

Kubrick epitomises the cinematic auteur, someone who defines the idea of pushing boundaries through a singular artistic vision. The absurdity of referencing such a cinematic legend in a film that uses Comic Sans amused me.

Is the word “Fin” only for French viewers or is it from the original English speaking version?

‘Fin' is in the original English version and plays with British/Americans caricatures of European arthouse films as pretentious. I was hoping to satirically embody pretention and therefore it felt like a natural way to end the film. Being at the most prestigious short film festival in the world, in France, it's starting to look like a bad judgement call.

To conclude, what did inspire you most : sex, robots or dinosaurs?

Ha, I tried to pick three of the most interesting and intriguing words I could for the title – self consciously making the equivalent of film festival ‘click bait'. But in answer to your question, robots. Who am I kidding – sex. No, it's robots.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?

I made a feature film 10 years ago and freedom is definitely something that I have experienced coming back to the short film format. The feature film world is moving to safer and safer places with endless sequels and projects based on established franchises, so it's liberating to see bold, uninhibited ideas being expressed in this space.

What are your works of reference?

The main inspiration for this film was a short film called Iranium directed by Harald Hund that I watched at a documentary film festival in Eindhoven called DocFeed. It playfully challenged the documentary form in a way I'd never seen before and got me thinking about just how much you could play with the expectations of an audience.

Q&A with Ross McClean, dir. Hydebank - Clermont 2020

Abla Kandalaft, Clotilde Couturier — 2020-02-11T18:15:09Z

Forced onto the Northern Irish countryside, Hydebank Wood Facility currently houses 104 young male offenders. Four years into his sentence, Ryan is still coming to terms with the cause of his imprisonment. The unlikely catharsis to his inner demons? A flock of sheep living inside the prisons walls.

Hydebank has certainly stood out in this year's festival competitions for its particularly uplifting tone and heartwarming depiction of its subjects, human and animal. Director Ross McClean offers a sensitive, non-judgmental and intimate portrayal of young man ultimately trying to rebuild a life for himself through a new-found passion.

More on the film...

How did you come across Ryan and what made you want to tell his story?

My first experience inside Hydebank was Christmas a few years ago to play a football match (we were defeated 22 - 3 by the prisoners). My interest was piqued by a small flock of sheep grazing alongside the pitch; all framed by tall barbed wire fences that surround the compound. Naturally, I investigated further and following a number of letters, phone calls and return visits I was introduced to ‘Hydebank's Shepherd'. It was during our first encounter when I realised that, indeed, the situation of sheep in a prison was compelling; but what was most impactful was Ryan's own nature and his bond with these animals.

Was he happy to collaborate from the outset?

I had been working with a Belfast-based theatre company on another project in Hydebank. During this time I began to form relationships with the staff and prisoners, namely Ryan, and we built up a good level of trust. I had been transparent with my intentions from the offset and we had come to understand each other before the camera was turned on.

Maintaining anonymity of prisoners tends to be protocol in UK prisons; alongside the fact that Ryan has previously been negatively presented in the press meant that we began filming with the objective of respecting this anonymity. When Ryan and I started reviewing some of the footage he asked why his face didn't appear. It became clear that he didn't want to be hidden. A conversation with the prison concluded that it was ultimately Ryan who would decide whether or not he would be identifiable. In his words, he wanted to show that ‘prisoners don't just sit about doing nothing all day'. I believe he was determined to demonstrate his positive journey since working alongside the sheep inside Hydebank; and for him this film may have the possibility to offer some form of absolution.

Is this prison unique in keeping sheep on the premises?

The sheep were introduced to Hydebank a few years ago as part of an animal therapy rehabilitation initiative for the prisoners. It was the first of its kind in the UK to offer this type of programme; an idea conceived by a member of staff who runs a farm on the outside. He believed in the therapeutic potential of animals to have a positive effect on the offenders. In Ryan's case, a city boy who hadn't seen sheep up close until inside Hydebank, he now aspires to become a sheep farmer with his very own flock when he is released. To me this clearly reinforces the efficacy of the scheme.

Can you tell us a bit more about your choices as a documentary filmmaker? Why did you opt for a more fly-on-the-wall approach as opposed to a more interactive one?

I feel ‘fly on the wall' can be a problematic term when describing a documentary. For me making this film was an incredibly interactive process. Although I don't appear in frame, I am there asking the questions, composing the shots and at times directing the action. However, I am aware that the finished piece may feel observational, and this may partly be down to Ryan's own behaviour in the film. In my opinion he didn't feel the need to perform for the camera, resulting in an honest impression of his life inside.

Many news broadcasts and sensationalist documentaries focusing on prisons tend to discuss the crime each prisoner has committed at great length. When I was screened the French documentary ‘Si Bleu, Si Calme' by Elaine de Latour, it was a refreshing change to keep the focus on the human experience inside the enclosed space, irrespective of why the prisoners were put there in the first place. We decided not to concentrate on the past details of Ryan's crime, instead exploring the person he is at this specific moment in time. We hoped that this would avoid distracting the viewer with the immediate gratification of a sensational event, and allow them the space to experience a more rounded, emotional response to Ryan's story.

What do you hope the audience will take home from the film?

The encounters we had inside Hydebank left an underscore beneath some of the questions we had entering the process. It is important to consider how our attitudes as a society towards punishment and redemption can affect the individuals within the criminal justice system. Northern Ireland has the highest reoffending rates for young males in the UK. Therefore the system clearly hasn't been working. This alternative method of rehabilitation is an attempt to tackle this. At a time when many in the UK government share the attitude of locking someone up and throwing away the key, I felt it was important to acknowledge this fairly unorthodox practice of reform within the prison system. I also wanted to provide the viewer with the opportunity to contemplate our perceptions of redemption and empathy through the experiences of someone they may not traditionally relate to.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?

I believe the short format allows for a different form of conversation between the filmmaker and spectator. In this case, it offered us the freedom to be bolder with what facts to reveal. We decided not to give all the answers in a neat package. Instead we felt, in this short space of time, it was better to give an impression of one prisoner's experience in the unique space which is Hydebank.

More on Ross's work on his personal website.