The decision to start a family is an emotional one, a hope for many wishing to expand their own family units and ensure their own legacies in turn. The confrontation however of child loss and abortion life altering realities faced by women globally, yet quietly navigated. Highlighting the heaviness of the impact of these realities – writer, director and producer Lauren Melinda talks about Oscar 2026 qualifying short film Before You, a film painting an intimate portrait of a couple navigating the quiet grief that follows a decision rarely spoken about in public, yet carried by so many in private. Lauren tells us more about exploring this sensitive topic further, collaborating with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and what she’s learned from creating the film.
To make the unforgiving journey from a place you once called home in pursuit of sanctuary – drifting thousands of miles across territories to face hostility on the other side – is a harrowing reality for millions of refugees worldwide. A defining issue of the current day, migration continues to shape conversation, driving debate on how best to approach the complexities of this on going reality. In response to the division sewn, directors Lorena Ares and Carlos Fernandez de Vigo present short animated film Cafunè, an exploration of the enduring trauma experienced by refugee children. It follows Alma, a young girl haunted by the devastating impact of a shipwreck where she was the sole survivor. The traumatic cycle repeats as her doll falls into a swimming pool – a dark reminder of the pain endured. A recipient of the Goya Award – the highest honour within Spanish cinema, as well as recently becoming Oscars 2026 qualified, Lorena and Carlos tell us more about exploring the film’s timely topic further, what they’ve learned from creating the film and what audiences can expect.
Hi Carlos and Lorena, your short film Cafune has recently become Oscar 2026 qualified. How are you feeling? Continue reading
In an incredibly divisive time whereby migration is a primary focus, it’s important to remember the human lives forced to make the life changing decision of leaving a place they once called home to seek a hopeful, safer future. To nurture understanding, opportunities to broaden awareness on this particular subject matter are increasingly vital – cinema a great way of depicting the reasons why choices are made, fostering the beginnings of some sort of dialogue. Recently qualifying for the 2026 Oscars, short film In the Clouds centres the day to day reality of an Iranian refugee family – humanising their existence. Writer and director Alexandra Bahíyyih Wain has achieved acclaim for the timely film, having won the Grand Prize in the Breaking Boundaries category at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival and Best Director at BIFA qualifying Worcester Film Festival. Ahead of the 2026 Oscar longlist announcement, Alexandra tells us more about the inspirations for exploring the subject matter of migration further, collaborating with the creative team to develop the film and what what she’s learned from creating it.
The polar bear, known as Ursus Maritimus or sea bear has become one of the most recognised symbols of climate change as a result of their natural habitat, the Arctic drastically melting away and sea levels rising as a consequence. With estimations placing the number of polar bears at 26,000 worldwide, the risk of this number dwindling further persists. Alongside climate change, other contributing factors impacting the polar bear’s existence include – commercial activities, conflicts with people, pollution, disease, inadequate habitat protection and the potantial for over-harvest in smaller or declining polar bear populations (Polar Bears International). An exploration of this disheartening reality, Disney animator, writer and director Aaron Blaise presents Oscar 2026 Qualifying short film Snow Bear, a literal, as well as metaphorical tale about a lonely polar bear’s search for connection amid crisis.
With Body Horror’s re-emergence on the world’s stage, thanks recently to Coralie Fargeat’s award winning cautionary tale The Substance as a cinematic niche not to be reckoned with, the subject of human biology is increasingly becoming the focus of our 21st century lives. Social media a prism heightening what it is to supposedly achieve ‘perfection’, and the intentional omission of the horrors that lay beneath this. Team this with the alarm bell being rung about the state of our planet, and we’re presented with insidious issues of microplastics and climate very gradually intruding on our way of life. Post this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival which took place between 7th to 17th August, writer and director Guy Trevellyan had his short Body Horror film Plastic Surgery Screened at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre. A metaphorical piece examining the way plastic pollution is infiltrating our health, Guy tells us more about what inspired him to produce the film, establishing his production company Nice Guy Pictures and what he’s learned from creating the film.
We live in a time of tremendous change, sadly conflict an indicator of the hostility harboured by century or decade-long tensions. 3 years post the ongoing Russian-Ukranian war and the impact of this conflict echoes through Europe and beyond. Lives devastated and changed forever. Made in collaboration with Ukranian communities, BAFTA Award-Winning short Film Rock, Paper, Scissors centres on a father and son who run a makeshift frontline hospital until their world is violently upended by the arrival of Russian troops. Ahead of the film’s screening at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival on Saturday 16th August, producer Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer tells us more about exploring the film’s immediate reality further, how his production company Who’s Here? Productions approaches creating films and what he’s learned from creating Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Forced to flee the place you call home is a devastating reality for millions, separated from those you love the most, and faced with the prospect of survival a traumatic circumstance daily shaping how the world moves. Marking their HollyShorts Festival debut this August, writer-director duo Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore present live action short Largo, the story of a young Syrian refugee seeking reconnection with family. Set to take to the Oscar Qualifying film circuit, Salvatore and Max tell us more about the film’s pertinent topic, crafting the film and developing an outreach program with displaced refugees
2017 witnessed theatre company Crying in the Wilderness perform their work Invisible Man at Certain Blacks’ Harlem Festival, a pertinent production about marginalisation initially performed at the Decibel Performing Arts Festival at the Manchester Royal National College of Music back in 2011. Eight years on, Certain Blacks’ and Crying in the Wilderness reunite as the latter present work-in-progress Best Friends – a work following two successful businessmen who check in to a retreat centre to celebrate their last 24hrs as friends, only to bring to the fore revelations about their pasts at this year’s Afro Futures Festival taking place at Rich Mix from 6th to 9th March. Ahead of the festival, Creative Director Paul Morris tells us more about how the company have approached creating the work-in-progress, what’s been learned from creating it and future plans for the show.
Courtesy of Irven Lewis.
An SEND Advocate and Empowerment Coach – creative Oneness Sankara brings her years of knowledge supporting SEND families, as well as her own personal journey to highlight the story of a British African Caribbean mother supporting a child with Down Syndrome with work-in-progress T21 Alchemy. Playing as part of Certain Blacks’ Afro Futures Festival which takes places from 6th to 9th March, Oneness Sankara tells us more about exploring the show’s topic further, her roles as a creative/SEND Advocate/Empowerment Coach and what’s been learned from creating the work in progress.
Citing the legendary jazz saxophonist and band leader John Coltrane as an inspiration, experimental saxophonist Sean Khan has too inspired others and helped to shape the musical landscape with various albums, showcasing Sean’s versatility as a musician, experimenting with Broken-Beats, Jazz and Brazilian rhythms. His recent endeavour – an album with The Modern Jazz and Folk Ensemble released in 2024 of the same name delving into the rich tradition of folk music. Due to perform with the ensemble on Thursday 6th March at Rich Mix as part of celebrated organisation Certain Blacks’ Afro Futures Festival, which takes place from Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th March, Sean tells us more about what to expect from his curated set.
