We all know films are the best. They transport us to new places and faces, broaden our horizons or just plain entertain us over a box of popcorn. But how often do we watch short films in the cinema and why should we bother?

1. We make really good short films.

Many of the finest UK directors have launched their careers with some killer short films; Andrea Arnold’s Wasp (2003) led us to the talent that would give us Fish Tank, Steve McQueen’s art installations to his Oscar winning Twelve Years a Slave, Jonathan Glazer’s ads (remember the Guinness surfers?) to Under The Skin – one of the most exciting British films of recent years.

2. Short films often give us the freshest perspective on cultural and social change.

Short films are often the place where filmmakers from diverse backgrounds present new narratives about life in Britain and for all filmmakers to explore hot button topics often before Theatre, TV and Feature films catch up. In our line up for our shorts night in September we’ve got two films that touch on two of the flashpoints of our post-Brexit times: the refugee crisis (Home) and relations between minorities and the authorities (Jus Soli).

3. You won’t find many costume dramas or talking heads in shorts programmes

Whilst generally the short form offers less frills and bonnets and more experimentation across art form and genre, a typical short film programme will be pretty hard to generalise into a theme, mood or style of filmmaking. In our September selection alone, we’ve got essay films, documentary, experimental, animation, comedy and straight up hard-hitting drama, all in a killer 60 minute programme.

4. Short Films will give you the thrill of the unexpected.

Short Films can have minor to major budgets, but its safe to say most shorts will cost less than your average Feature films you see every week in your local cinema. That means that you’re less likely to have had a marketing campaign shoved down your throat before you settle into your cinema seat and are more likely to get the thrill of discovery we are so often starved of in our ultra-connected world.

5.The shorts world is where the most daring filmmakers have the most fun with their filmmaking (and their audiences)

On of our highlights from our forthcoming programme is by filmmaker Charlie Lyne (who recently directed feature essay/compilation film about teen movies, Beyond Clueless). At the ripe old age of 24, he’s also made a 607 minute film of paint drying (Paint Drying), one about different kinds of darkness (Blackout) and another about people with names of fish for surnames (Fish). Needless to say, Lyne is our go to guy for cut and paste filmmaking with incisive pop cultural commentary that feels like it was made on the most well worn VHS of all time. His film, Copycat is included in our September programme and is a doc like no other. Revealing a (possible) conspiracy, it tells the story of Rolfe Kanofsky, who made a meta-reflexive horror film, There’s Nothing Out There that bore more than a little resemblance to Scream. Oh and it turns out he had invited WES CRAVEN’S SON TO SEE IT.

The next Evening of Short Films at Carousel is on the 15th September… Full line up here:

Jus Soli   ‘Somebody, Nobody’
Jus Soli opens up a discourse on the Black British experience; interrupting the emotional transition between generations and questioning what it means to be British. The film shines a light on the underrepresented tragedy of 13 British youths killed in The New Cross House Fire, 18th January 1981. 2016 marks the 35th anniversary of this tragic event.

Home   Daniel Mulloy, Afolabi Kuti

As thousands of men, women and children attempt to get into Europe, a comfortable English family sets out on what appears to be a holiday.

Stems   Ainslie Henderson
Making puppet making make music.

Love is Blind   Dan Hodgson, Elizabeth Brown
A fresh twist on the classic love triangle.

Copycat   Charlie Lyne, Anthony Ing
In the summer of 1990, teenager Rolfe Kanefsky successfully raised $100,000 to shoot There’s Nothing Out There, a pioneering post-modern horror film in which his characters knew just as much about the genre as he did. Today, he tells the story of the cult.

The Last Resort Steph Blakey, Gillian Park, Helen Gladders
At their isolated hotel in the Canadian Rockies, a pair of teenage twin girls need to get over themselves and work together in order to defeat the most horrifying threat they have ever faced: their four year-old sister.