Short Circuit: Screening from Scotland

Short Circuit:
Screening from Scotland

Screening from Scotland
Presented by Short Circuit.
In this specially selected touring programme, we are bringing you five short
fiction films from Scotland, highlighting the exciting diversity and wealth of talent
that our emerging filmmakers have to offer.
Take a trip with Miles and Stanley in rural Scotland to a 4th encounter, plunge
back to the 80s for a metal journey to hell, experience a Boys Night in North East
Glasgow, join a brave warrior queen as she shows ‘The Man’ who’s boss and learn
to “take the shite with the good sometimes” in Salt & Sauce.
Short Circuit is a new film talent initiative for Scotland delivered by Film City
Futures in partnership with Glasgow Film, and supported by Screen Scotland and
BFI NETWORK (using funds from the National Lottery). As a key hub for emerging
fiction filmmaking talent in Scotland our goal is to support writers, directors and
producers to develop creatively and professionally.
We believe that international collaboration is vital for our local filmmakers and our
objective is to connect our filmmaking communities through digital networking
so this programme will be supplemented by a special digital industry event.
This programme is rated N/C 15+

Short Circuit: Screening from Scotland
Filmakers
Alia Ghafar
Salt & Sauce
Alia Ghafar is a Writer/Director
from Glasgow, whose stories
centre on the lives of young
people in contemporary Scotland.
She graduated from the Film & TV
programme at Edinburgh College
of Art.
Her graduation film, Salt & Sauce,
premiered at BFI London Film
Festival 2017. The film went on
to screen at over 20 festivals
in the UK and internationally,
including Edinburgh International
Film Festival and London Short
Film Festival. Salt & Sauce won
the Scottish Short Film Award at
Glasgow Short Film Festival 2018
and was nominated for Best British
Short at the London Film Critics’
Circle Awards 2019. The film was
also broadcast on BBC Scotland
and BBC iPlayer, as part of their
series Next Big Thing.
Alia recently completed her short
Scuzz, which was developed and
commissioned by BFI and Screen
Scotland via Scottish Film Talent
Network. The film is currently
being submitted to festivals.
James Price
Boys Night
James Price is a self-taught BAFTA
Scotland nominated writer/
director from Springburn in
Glasgow. He taught himself how
to write screenplays in his teenage
years by studying the screenplays
of films he admired. His work is
usually based on moments or
feelings from his life and the lives
of those closest to him. He has
made short films for BBC iPlayer
and had his work televised on BBC
Scotland. In 2018 he was one of 15
people selected out of 4000 UK
wide applicants to be a part of the
BBC TV Drama Writers’ Programme
in London. He has several projects
in various stages of development
with Sigma Films, Blazing Griffin,
World Productions and BBC
Scotland.

Harvey Gardner
UFO
Harvey Gardner is a 23 year old
writer and director from Glasgow.
Having recently graduated from
UWS with an MA in Filmmaking,
his graduation short UFO has won
the Royal Television Society award
for Best Postgraduate short in the
UK, beating two BAFTA nominated
shorts. UFO only recently started
its festival run, premiering at the
Glasgow Short Film Festival in
August as well as having been
shown at the Encounters Film
Festival in September. It has also
been selected and nominated for
awards at the Edinburgh Short Film
Festival, Cornwall Film Festival,
and the VGIK International Student
Film Festival in Moscow. His
previous short, Shed, played at this
year’s London Short Film Festival
and last year’s Glasgow Short Film
Festival, as well as winning Flick
of the Year at GMAC’s Café Flicker,
presented by Kate Dickie.
Robin Haig
Slingshot
Robin Haig is a director from the
Scottish Highlands. Her Screen
Academy Scotland graduation film
Hula, starring Blythe Duff, won the
BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award
for Drama 2016, the Celtic Media
Festival Torc Award for Short
Drama 2017 and the Glasgow
Short Film Festival Scottish
Audience Award 2017. Robin has
been nominated twice previously
for BAFTA Scotland New Talent
Awards; Best Director and Best
New Work for her directorial debut
Dear Dad, 2007. Her latest short,
Slingshot, stars Sharon Small.
In 2018 Robin was selected for
the BBC New Directors’ Scheme
where she trained on continuing
drama River City. Robin has several
features in development and a sixpart
TV serial based on her multi
award-winning short Hula. She has
directed ten episodes of the BBC’s
River City.
Bryan M. Ferguson
Satanic Panic ’87
Bryan M. Ferguson is a selftaught
filmmaker and music
video director from Glasgow. His
work is paradoxically beautiful
and disturbing - a juxtaposition
of the uncanny and the surreal.
His films have explored chlorine
ingesting cults, teenage gelatine,
self-amputation, piss vandals,
belly-button fetishists and satanic
aerobics tapes.

Short Circuit: Screening from Scotland
Salt & Sauce
A light-hearted drama that follows
Tammy, a girl stuck in a post high school
limbo. While she tries to figure out what
to do next with her life, she has no choice
but to work in the family chip shop. She
passes the days taking photographs on
her old film camera and listening to her
colleague Jordan’s bad jokes. Through
the people around her, Tammy comes to
realise she can’t keep avoiding her future.
Alia Ghafar // 2017 // 11 min

Short Circuit: Screening from Scotland
UFO
After years of estrangement,
two brothers encounter their
father living in a mysterious
Scottish community. But
how far are they willing
to go to reconnect
with someone they
barely know?
Harvey Gardner // 2020
// 16 min

Satanic
Panic ‘87
It’s 1987 and two metal-heads
open a gateway to hell when
following the instructions of a
satanic aerobics tape.
Bryan M. Ferguson // 2019 // 4 min

Slingshot
Slingshot is the spirited tale
of overlooked Kath who
works in the ticket booth of a
Scottish castle. She longs to
join her village’s battle reenactment
but is thwarted
by her annoying younger
boss Gordon. When gifted
a mysterious hag stone Kath
finally summons her courage
to answer the battle cry.
Robin Haig // 2018 // 15 min

Short Circuit: Screening from Scotland
Boys Night
After a heated argument
between his parents, elevenyear-old
Reese has to brave the
night-time wilderness of North
East Glasgow to shepherd his
drunk father home safely.
A semi-autobiographical tale
inspired by a real incident and
night from the writer-director’s
youth.
James Price // 2019 // 16 min

More information
Thank you for watching. If you would like more information
or would like to book the Screening From Scotland
programme please email laura.lawson@glasgowfilm.org
shortcircuit.scot
@shortcircscot
/shortcircscot
@ shortcircuitscot

Short Circuit:
Screening from Scotland