SHORTS BLOCK – TWO SIDES

DO AS I SAY – A middle-aged piano teacher mourns her failed career as a concert pianist with a drink always in hand. Grappling with this aching disappointment and unfulfilled legacy, she is pushed to the end of her tether by the rebellious student she once perceived as her younger self.

ROUND TWO – In Round Two we meet Hanne and Danel who have just had a successful date and ended up at Hanne’s place. Here a breakdown of communication in an intimate situation, leads a blossoming romance into muddled waters, making them both feel confused and hurt, while leaving the audience pondering important and difficult questions about the grey areas of what constitutes abuse.

IN YOUR HANDS – Late evening in a London barbershop, an awkward stranger becomes enamoured with a charming barber. An unlikely attraction sparks between them and after a life-changing shave for The Stranger, the two go for a drink. As alcohol lowers The Stranger’s inhibitions, his fascination for shaving starts to reveal a dark desire. After an uncomfortable walk home, The Barber politely cuts the evening short. Things take a turn when The Stranger sees The Barber shaving another customer, sending him into a deadly rage and hurtles them both to a grim and unpredictable climax.

DON’T MOCK THE DONKEY – A refugee washed ashore finds himself in the body of a donkey and captured by a man who tries to sell him for labor as a packhorse.

ORIGINAL SKIN – In an alternate world where having sex means swapping bodies with the other person, a young woman struggles to be herself, defying her small conservative community where swapping is taboo. A deeply intimate portrait of identity in transition.

LINDA – Linda gets a job in a post office, but her tall tales soon raise suspicions.

THE FOOL’S MATE – A couples relationship is at a crossroads – as Fred attempts to break how with Holly, she thinks he’s about to propose. But might an impromptu game of chess finally force them to confront how they really feel about one another…

PANDA – On Chef Antonia’s birthday her estranged mother pays a surprise visit to the restaurant. Struggling with feeling abandoned by her Mum when her twin brother died ten years ago, Antonia imagines her brother urging reconciliation.