Jan. 10, 2017 – Berlin's Lichtspielklub Kurzfilmfestival, or “British Shorts” as they like to anglicize it, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year with its biggest edition yet. The film festival takes over one week, starting on January 12, at Sputnik Kino, Acud, City Kino Wedding and Kino Zukunft. With over 200 short films included, the program also features discussions, concerts, parties and a filmmaking workshop. 

Of course, it's not as if Britain is somehow underrepresented within the cinematic world and inherently demands special attention, but the team behind the festival goes to great lengths to pick underrepresented works for the program, from big-budget to no-budget productions. The multiple daily screenings showcase a broad mix – ranging from documentary to animation to sci-fi to music videos – and there are plenty of queer picks, progressively peppered throughout the program rather than confined to their own token segment. 

One highlight is Sunday Morning Coming Down (dir. Harry Lighton), an exploration of brotherhood and homosexuality – no, it's not about incest, but the relationship of two twins in 1994 who travel to a seaside town, where one brother has the explicit aim of visiting a gloryhole. That is getting its German premiere at the festival, as is Nightstand (dir. Charlie Parham): executive produced by Stephen Fry and “supported by Sir Ian McKellen” (whatever that means – did he donate to their KickStarter?), this one is about an affair between an older married man and a gay teen as they maneuver through their feelings and through London's vibrant queer nightlife.

Other noteworthy queer-relevant films include Slap (dir. Nick Rowland), about a teenage boxer who risks losing everything by living an honest gender expression. Returning after its Berlinale premiere last year is Take Your Partners (dir. Siri Rødnes), in which eight-year-old Ollie refuses to conform to the gender conventions that the adult world expects of her. Meanwhile, Roxanne (dir. Paul Frankl) depicts a trans sex worker whose world shifts drastically as she rescues an abandoned young girl. Check the British Shorts website for the full program and showtimes.

Joey Hansom

“British Shorts” (Lichtspielklub Kurzfilmfestival)
Jan. 12-18
Sputnik Kino, Acud, City Kino Wedding, Kino Zukunft
britishshorts.de