The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence
A bold short film programme highlighting pioneering work from Scotland and beyond.
Ranging from themes of family trauma and gender identity to existentialist molluscs and werewolves, this year’s competition traverses documentary, stop-motion animation, comedy, and drama all within a limited runtime.
Launching the new Thelma Schoonmaker award, this is a bumper crop of world premieres showcasing talent at the cutting-edge of cinema.
– Lillian Crawford
Paternal Advice
A starkly realist short from Scottish director Lisa Clarkson exploring tough love and masculinity passed down the generations.
Director: Lisa Clarkson. United Kingdom. 2024. 10min. English.
Homework
A powerful film about the secrets kept between a mother and her daughters from British director Jamie di Spirito. Director: Jamie di Spirito.
Cast: Aisling Loftus, Beatrix May, Grace O’Leary. United Kingdom. 2024. 12min. English.
My Dad and the Volcano
Scottish director Gavin Reid explores his relationship with his father and his art in this quirky and poignant documentary short.
Director: Gavin Reid. Documentary. United Kingdom. 2024. 15min. English.
My Exploding House
An experimental documentary by British director Liberty Smith investigating her mother’s thirty-year-old memory of their old house being blown up for a television film.
Director: Liberty Smith. Documentary. United Kingdom. 2024. 18min. English.
Nico
American director Max Olson debuts their unique visual style, in this bold and haunting short about a trans man who reminds an elderly widow of her late husband.
Director: Max Olson. Cast: Lorinne Vozoff, Rene Leech. United States. 2024. 17min. English. Strobe warning.
Manny Wolfe
A funny and moving spin on classic noir featuring a werewolf actor who can’t catch a break in Hollywood, directed by Trevor Neuhoff.
Director: Trevor Neuhoff. Cast: David Warshofsky, Fadoua Hanine, Jens Sweaney, Nicole Wolf, Peter Madison. United States. 2024. 15min. English.
Shoal
Given the task of writing a song about molluscs and existentialism, a young singer works on her entry during a birthday party in this beautiful Argentine comedy from Inés Villanueva.
Director: Inés Villanueva. Cast: Axel Rovner, Eugenia Diaz Cosentino, Juan Ardaiz, Juan Goldberger, Julieta Berenguer, Laila Selci, Tomás Limansky. Argentina. 2024. 12min. Spanish, with English subtitles.
The Jubilee
Blending live-action with napkin-based stop-motion animation, this Scottish short directed by Wilma Smith explores dementia through a new and potent lens.
Director: Wilma Smith. Cast: David Hayman, Tina Gray. United Kingdom. 2024. 12min. English.
