May Programme 2024

BODY is a coming-of-age comedy-drama about desire for perfection and acceptance of its unattainability. It tells a story of a 16-year old Ema, who goes on a ballet audition and plans a pitch-perfect first time sex, but needs to overcome her insecurities first.

Follows three interconnected characters through a snippet of their lives as they navigate a crime-ridden city where cannibalism is a part of day to day life, showcases the turbulent political state of the city as well as the group of violent anarchists trying to change the city through extreme means. These three main characters have all had their lives changed by cannibalism and we see how it ultimately culminates.

An obsessive man conducts an investigation to find the animal who keeps pooping on his lawn.

“Imperceptible pinprick of soil born from a thought.”

The Echoes are past, future and present. They affect our perception of the world, they are palpable, emotional. Coexistence of material and immaterial. Ambivalence of our actions, impact on our decisions. Ineffable energy which transits towards a materialized body.

ECHOES is a 3D animated experimental short film which explores the cyclical nature of existence and the ambivalence of immateriality and materiality. It’s an introspective experience, musing on the existence and surroundings of the speaker.

We follow the voice of the narrator, through fictional landscapes, reflecting on life and existence, on thoughts and physicality. Through this surreal world, mixing technology and nature, represented-energy and tangible, the film takes the viewer into an abstract portrait of connection and understanding, and suggests a search of meaning inbetween the realms of dreams and reality.

After 10,000 years of domestication the pigeon is rendered homeless, all by human design. How did we define and impose this stratified value in nature? every dove is a pigeon and every pigeon is a dove explores this question through the story of the pigeon and human’s contradictory, and ultimately exploitative, relationship with the natural world. In a blend of essay, interview and archive this documentary delves into our past and present relations with the bird. In a world defined by the division of human and nature this film highlights the fringes of environment as they peek through the cracks of the urban.

What does it look like to come to terms with losing someone, while they remain a part of you? How does grief move you, leave you, return back to you? The intent of this piece is to offer an exploration of these often painful questions we tend to grapple with most. The decision to film outdoors represents the ongoing nature of grief. While we may feel trapped by grief, it is often as unpredictable as Nature itself. The overcast sky, the mountainous, yet open landscape emphasizes grief being unbound, free of any law or obligation–much like Nature’s own law unto itself. The dancer Katie James’ soft and subtle movements invite us to remember our gentleness in carrying those who remain in our hearts. The wind tethers us to the reminder that grief will inevitably ebb and flow through us. It is how we choose to move with it, honoring its process and the way it shows up, rather than fighting against or resisting it. Further, this piece encourages us to meet grief head on and to allow ourselves to be open to this bittersweet evidence of love for those we’ve lost.

Welcome to Metta Michael. Today, we have another session of Loving Kindness Meditation. Take your seat. Gently close your eyes. Bring to mind someone you love…

A tribute to nature and family through an experimental lense.

Behind the scenes of the music video, directed by Vesely Marek, it felt like someone was guiding us, helping to create this masterpiece. In the video, angels gracefully dance through the sky, capturing the essence of eternity as they await their reunion. Shot in a mesmerizing stone desert in Croatia, every frame reflects the emotional depth of the song.

In the midst of their turbulent relationship, Tracy and Dylan stumble upon a mysterious recorder harboring lessons in communication. However, as Tracy becomes ensnared by the addictive allure of the recordings, their once-struggling connection spirals into deeper disarray.

Dive into the captivating narrative of HoodTrophy Bino – a California hip-hop artist from the projects of South Central and Palmdale, discovered by Soulja Boy in jail, and destined to overcome the generational curse of poverty and incarceration plaguing all of the males in his immediate and extended family. Bino opens up about the trials and triumphs that shaped his life – offering insights into the challenges of growing up in a tough environment. From overcoming adversity to pursuing his dreams, Bino shares poignant stories that resonate with authenticity and resilience. Join us as we explore the powerful narrative of self-discovery, perseverance, and breaking free from the chains of the past. Don’t miss out on this inspiring tale of transformation into a Trophy!

A creature considers its current bindings and finds them wanting.

In 2020, I contracted a viral infection in my brain. In this short documentary I use the medium of film to depict what it was like inside my head at a time I couldn’t speak for myself. WARNING: FLASHING IMAGES.

A pale humanlike creature roaming in an apocalyptic wasteland – like ancient relics left behind by a thriving, living, and breathing human society – suggesting a condition of the nowaday struggle with climate change, anthropocentrism, and the profound loneliness in a world where we are advertised as being more connected to ourselves and to other people than ever before in the history of humanity.

Working Classical Heroes was commissioned by Sky Arts in 2023 in partnership with Arts Council England, Leeds 2023, The Space and Studio 12, in response to the question: What’s worth fighting for?

Classical music is often an exclusive party for the privileged. 23-year-old boxer Ellis grew up on a council estate. Now a student at Leeds Conservatoire, the art form transformed his life mentally, emotionally and intellectually. Ellis is now throwing punches for the right of the working classes to play classical music. Ellis tells his story and performs an original composition ‘What’s Worth Fighting For’ by award winning composer, Ben Crick.

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