Curated by filmmaker Tomisin Adepeju, these timely and compelling shorts, helmed by a distinct crop of acclaimed filmmakers, bridge the gap between the real and the fantastical – exploring themes around grief, individual and social identity, love and consumerist culture. The fantastical stories are surreal, imaginative and socially conscious, anchoring complex issues around the autonomy of female bodies, greed, identity and celebrity.

There will also be an opportunity for filmmakers and audiences to interact and connect with each other during and after the event.

Speakers:

Tomisin Adepeju
Tomisin Adepeju is a Nigerian-British filmmaker based in London, England. His multi-award-winning shorts have been selected at over 150 international film festivals, including multiple Oscar-qualifying festivals. His award-winning short The Right Choice had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and also screened as part of Sundance London. The film has screened at over 50 international film festivals, including the Pan African Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival & HollyShorts Film Festival.

Tomisin is a 2018 Edinburgh Talent Lab alumnus, in 2019, he was one of the 12 filmmakers selected to take part in the annual NETWORK@LFF development programme at the BFI London Film Festival.

His most recent short, Appreciation had its North American premiere at Oscar-qualifying Aspen Shortsfest. The film was also an official selection of BFI London Film Festival 2019 and was nominated for British/Irish Short Film of the Year by the London Critics Circle. He is currently developing his debut feature.

Kibwe Tavares
Starting out in architecture, Kibwe Tavares was still studying at the Bartlett School when he began making films. His first short, Robots of Brixton won the Sundance Special Jury Award for Animation in 2012. In 2014, he was named as one of Saatchi & Saatchi’s top 20 young directors at their New Directors Showcase, and awarded a TED fellowship.

His subsequent shorts, Jonah starring Daniel Kaluuya, Malachi Kirby was produced by Film4 and played at Sundance and several other film festivals. Robot & Scarecrow starring Holliday Grainger, Jack O’Connell, was released in 2017. Kibwe is based in South London, where he set up the creative studio and directing collective Factory Fifteen in 2011 with co-founders Jonathan Gales and Paul Nicholls. His debut feature The Kitchen (Netflix, Film 4), written by Daniel Kaluuya, is currently in post-production.

Haolu Wang
Haolu Wang (王昊鹭) is a Chinese writer-director based in London. She is an MA Directing Fiction graduate of UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS).

Haolu is directing the final block of Bodies, a new series by Netflix and Moonage Pictures. She recently directed the final episode for the 2022 Specials of Doctor Who.

Her works explore the characters’ psychological and emotional journeys. She creates immersive, subjective narratives, often blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination. Her storytelling sensibility leans towards psychological suspense, sci-fi, and fantasy.

She is a BAFTA China Scholarship recipient, mentored by Alex Garland, an alumna of Berlinale Talents 2020, and a member of BAFTA Crew x BFI Network 2021. She is developing feature film projects, including the UK-set sci-fi love story Fellow Travellers, (prod. Camille Gatin. winner: Best Project, International Film Festival & Awards Macao, Film Market 2020) and the China-set psychological thriller A Dutiful Wife (prod. Liang Ying, winner: ARTEKino International Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021.

Femi Oladigbolu
Femi Oladigbolu is a British-Nigerian director who lives and works in London. His films explore the fabric of the city and the unexamined experiences of working class communities. In 2021, Femi directed the music video for My Family by Pa Salieu & Backroad G. He also shot Very Original by Guvna G and No Mercy by Ghetts and Backroad G. He won Best Grime/Rap video for My Family at the 2021 UKMVAs, where he was also nominated for Best New Director.

In 2022 Femi won a writing competition run by BBH and directed his latest short Oba the story of Ayo, an unsuspecting young man from southeast London who is taken on a surreal journey of reconnection and discovery as he ascends the throne. Femi is also developing a short format TV show with House Productions as a writer & director, the project is titled South London, I love You. Currently, Femi is shadowing as a director on the Disney+ show Extraordinary produced by Sally Woodward Gentle, CEO of Sid Gentle, the team behind Killing Eve.
 

Dailies Instagram / Dailies Twitter 

Haolu Wang Instagram / Haolu Wang Twitter / Kibwe Tavares Instagram / Kibwe Tavares Twitter / Femi Oladigbolu Instagram

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