The Fan Carpet’s Marc Jason Ali shares his Reviews for Shorts Block 8 at the 2019 Edition of the London Independent Film Festival

The London Independent Film Festival (LIFF) is the premier event for first and second-time film-makers, micro-budget and no-budget films in the UK. LIFF offers a fantastic opportunity for indie filmmakers to showcase their achievements, with spaces reserved for first and second time filmmakers and for films that have been overlooked by other events.

LIFF presents the best of low-budget filmmaking from around the world, and mixes it up with relevant industry discussions and targeted social networking events. LIFF’s audience is London’s sizeable independent filmmaking community. It’s an indie film festival for indie filmmakers.

Here, The Fan Carpet's Marc Jason Ali shares her Reviews for Shorts Block 8 which showcased the films Samira by Lainey Richardson, The Millennial Disruption by Somi Arian, One by Luke Bradford, Only the Lonely by Clare Holman and Held For A Moment by Edward Japp...

Samira
This fascinating Documentary from filmmaker Lainey Richardson follows Samira, the first female in history to join her University’s all male American football team she also got the lead in Shakespeare’s Othello. Redefining what it means to be a woman in modern day Britain, we need more films like Samira, it is a visual exploration of youth, identity and womanhood.

Well Directed and Edited by Lainey Richardson and er Creative team, Samira is a must watch and shows people, young girls especially, that you can be whatever you want to be.

The Millennial Disruption
Another fascinating Documentary, The Millennial Disruption by Somi Arian takes a look at how our relationship to technology has changed over the years, taking a look at how millennials traverse the world we live in.

Beautifully told with Somi Arian presenting the findings in a poignant and thoughtful way, The Millennial Disruption is an excellent watch from start to finish, shedding light on how technology is used and how we are more and more reliant on it, which won’t change any time soon.

One
Written and Directed by Luke Bradford, One is a thought provoking film with a stellar central performance from Joanne Bradford as Katie, a struggling Writer, tortured by her alcoholism, she has made a prison for herself in her own home.

This is an incredible film that tells the story in one continuous uninterrupted shot, based on a well known saying in addiction recovery that 'you don't have a drinking problem, rather a thinking problem’.

As the film unfolds during its three minute runtime, we witness Katie's battle of self-will and where her thinking leads.

Only the Lonely
Directed by Clare Holman, Only the Lonely is the story of 70-year-old Elspeth, after she loses her beloved husband George, life becomes intolerable and she feels abandoned and alone until circumstances lead to an unlikely friendship.

Beautifully Acted by Anna Calder-Marshall in the lead role of Elspeth, Only the Lonely thoughtfully tackles the subject of grief and loneliness with a hint of Racism, that is until Elspeth befriends Gurmeet (Souad Faress), her next door neighbour who strives to get close to her.

This poignant and thoughtful film is a slice of life that we can all relate to, and is well worth a watch.

Held For A Moment
Inspired by real life testimonies, Held For A Moment from filmmaker Edward Japp is the story of Alice (Antonia Desplat), as she struggles to come to terms with her life after a traumatic and devastating event has shattered the idyllic and seemingly perfect life she has made with her husband.

With an incredible central performance from Desplat, Held For A Moment is a poignant film that will resonate with anyone coping with loss.

Like a lot of the films the I have seen at LIFF this year, I do believe it is better to go into Held For A Moment knowing next to nothing about what you are about to see.

This character piece doesn’t work without strong performances and across the board, Edward Japp and his Creative team has crafted a brilliant and engaging film, the manages to capture the audiences attention right from the start, and for any film to do that, let alone a twenty minute short film, it is an impressive feat.