If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
A new scene for the seldom seen
2024 Winners
Falling Tree is a brand new platform for the world’s best unsung films. Its mission is to provide a space for outstanding short films that have not been picked up by the bigger film festivals in the UK and deserve to be screened – a place for the underdogs and the overlooked.
Our inaugural Falling Tree took place on 20th July 2024 at Gensesis Cinema and was a packed day of screenings and Q&As followed by an informal Awards Ceremony and After-Party.
The full programme for 2024 can be found below.The 2024 winners were...
Best Film: La Pursé
Director: Gabriel Nóbrega
An elderly taxidermist will do anything to show love for his neighbour.
Best Screenplay: Nuit Blonde
Director: Gabrielle Demers
At night, Victor walks without supervision to live his life.
Best Performance: Patsy Ferran for Kafkas
In the small hours of the night, Fran cold-calls men in search of a soulmate called Kafka.
Audience Award: June
Director: Josh Thornton-Allan
During a camping trip, an unusual set of circumstances forces a father and daughter to confront the rift that’s grown between them.
WeShort Award: Reflections
Director: Zak Harney
Amidst the mountains of the Scottish Highlands, Sid has carved a lonely life of monotony; simply ticking off the days. As time continues to listlessly pass Sid by, he slowly loses his grasp on reality and the world around him, leading to his inevitable dissolution.
Special Mention: RAV1043
Director: Mark Buchanan
Illustrator Mel is tasked with designing a friendly marketing campaign for a drone that maintains public order, but first, he must create its voice.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Drum roll please
Programme
Saturday 20th July 2024
Tickets on sale here
Screening 1 - Guest Films (73 mins) + Q&A/Talk
10:35 - 12:05
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Golden Margarite (7 mins)
Director: Keren Karasik
Following a day in the lives of three young teens living in a neglected ghost town in post-Soviet Europe.Superstition (4 mins)
Director: Sam Ruis
A man becomes concerned that there is something wrong with his toilet.In Passing (10 mins)
Director: Hillia Aho
A burnt-out chef struggles to navigate her growing resentment towards her romantic partner, a fledgling painter. Can their love endure in a world that prioritises productivity over human connection?Intersect(18 mins)
Director:
A visual exploration of the interface between the natural and digital environment.Little Ox (11 mins)
Director: Patrick Vandebroeck & Raf Wathion
The hard existence and survival in nature determine our story.Hotfoot (2 mins)
Director: Matthew Barnett
An average day of foraging in the woods turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse between a tenacious hunter, and a mythical beast known as Sasquatch.The Lizard Laughed (21 mins)
Director: Allen Cordell
Harvey receives an unexpected visit from Nathan, his son he abandoned years ago. They embark on a hike through the New Mexico backcountry, only for the reunion to turn awkward as Nathan confronts his father.
Screening 2 - Competition (92 mins) + Q&A/Talk
12:25 - 14:15
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Best of Three (7 mins)
Director: Katherine Press
A pair of police officers play games to decide which of them is to make an awkward arrest.Forecast: Overcast (15 mins)
Director: Julie Magnaudet
Marcus, a young and freshly evaporated cloud, sets out to explore the skies to discover his place. Little did he know that the sky is nothing like he imagined and can be quite hostile to the young and naive.June (16 mins)
Director: Josh Thornton-Allan
During a camping trip, an unusual set of circumstances forces a father and daughter to confront the rift that’s grown between them.The Fishing Net (15 mins)
Director: Anna Pálinkás
Loving family man Andras is confronted with a life-or-death situation when he is struck with some hard truths by the secret police.Very, Very, Tremendously (12 mins)
Director: Guangli Liu
Drawing on the threads of Virtual Currency and Digital Junk, Very, Very, Tremendously seeks to discuss how the acts of production and consumption from the virtual world interact systematically with reality, whilst also mirrors how the 'two realities' coexist in geopolitical conflict.Rita Goes Viral (13 mins)
Director: Rajinder Kochar
When Rita is exposed in a sex-tape scandal, her mother Sonali and grandmother Sushila are forced to confront their own hidden sex lives.Geronimo (14 mins)
Director: Geraint Morgan
When an anxious arcade owner is prescribed an app rather than sleeping pills, he reluctantly tries it out. However, far from bringing rest, Erebus's soporific voice takes Peter into a waking nightmare from which he may never escape.
Screening 3 - Competition (88 mins) + Q&A/Talk
14:45 - 16:30
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In Plane Sight (14 mins)
Director: Ben Gutteridge
When they discover a bag of white powder on a plane, the cracks in a newly engaged couple's relationship are forced wide open, in this tense and darkly bizarre story.The Gifted Hypothesis (11 mins)
Director: Mario Theodorou
A film about a working-class child prodigy, born with the ability to hear and compose music, fighting the limitations of his social status to make the most of his incredible talent, shining a light on the unfortunate reality that in modern society, it’s better to be born rich than gifted.A.R.P.U. (26 mins)
Director: Phil Spencer
In a world where money is obsolete and user-data is our only currency, a young woman’s suburban life is blown apart when a debt is called in by one of the tech giants that monitor our every virtual move.Fall Better (9 mins)
Director: George Magner
Owusu is learning to walk again. He is in recovery from a debilitating illness and cannot trust his body to respond to him. But rebuilding a body isn’t just about rebuilding muscles: Owusu must learn to let himself fall, and fail, and face up to his weaknesses, in order to grow strong again.Wake (19 mins)
Director: Rebecca Rose
A family comes to terms with a tragic loss, exploring the psychological and practical implications. It raises awareness of the under-reported social issue of mental health in rural settings and how conversations about feelings prevent a spiral towards suicide.La Pursé (9 mins)
Director: Gabriel Nóbrega
An elderly taxidermist will do anything to show love for his neighbour.
Screening 4 - Competition (89 mins) + Q&A/Talk
16:50 - 18:35
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Nuit Blonde (17 mins)
Director: Gabrielle Demers
At night, Victor walks without supervision to live his life.Miracasas (14 mins)
Director: Raphaëlle Stolz
In the 30's, a lost village in South America wishes to perpetuate its strange traditions... The mayor has published an ad: "Seeks corpse to enlarge Miracasas". Freshly murdered, Ernesto is the lucky one and participates in spite of himself in his carnival-like burial. The gathered villagers celebrate the event, waiting with greed for the life brought by death.Kafkas (17 mins)
Director: Nick Blake
In the small hours of the night, Fran cold-calls men in search of a soulmate called Kafka.Moles (aka Talponi) (15 mins)
Director: Vanja Victor Kabir Tognola
Anna, Francesco and the eight-year-old Giorgio can't afford a fancy holiday. Afraid of losing their reputation, they decide to fake the vacation. They hide in their own house and they post on social media photoshopped pictures of the family in the Bahamas. Inebriated by likes and followers, the parents forget their son's needs.RAV1043 (12 mins)
Director: Mark Buchanan
Illustrator Mel is tasked with designing a friendly marketing campaign for a drone that maintains public order, but first, he must create its voice.Reflections (14 mins)
Director: Zak Harney
Amidst the mountains of the Scottish Highlands, Sid has carved a lonely life of monotony; simply ticking off the days. As time continues to listlessly pass Sid by, he slowly loses his grasp on reality and the world around him, leading to his inevitable dissolution.
Screening 5 - Competition (90 mins) + Q&A/Talk
18:55 - 20:40
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Broono (22 mins) - Sponsor's Special Preview
Director: Gerry Lepkowski
In 1970’s Glasgow, an unlikely friendship develops between a bereaved 11-year-old lad and the local bully until tragedy strikes again.Champ (14 mins)
Director: Ben Tricklebank
It's hard to be a boy when your dad wants you to be a man. Jake might only be 14, but that's old enough to be a man as far as his dad is concerned. The only problem is that Jake isn't sure he's ready to grow up – at least not in the way that his dad wants him to.Vibrations (11 mins)
Director: Rudá Santos
The year is 1807. When a young girl miraculously survives a long-established religious act, her mother must fight against local authorities to protect her daughter's fate. It is unclear whether the girl's survival is a holy sign, or if it means the ritual is a hoax.Your Next Breath (22 mins)
Director: Meg Wriggles
Sculptor Kenny Hunter undertakes Scotland's first Covid memorial, speaking to frontline NHS workers about their experience of the pandemic to inform his process.Celeste (9 mins)
Director: Christopher Rogers
A sci-fi music film about the friend zone...Danzamatta (5 mins)
Director: Vanja Victor Kabir Tognola
The morning after a wild party, David and Oscar discover that their roommate Robin is still dancing.
What the heck is going on?The Interview (7 mins)
Director: Eno Freedman Brodmann
An interview with filmmaker Eno on his success and creative process.
Saturday 20th July 2024
Tickets on sale here
Nailing our colours to the mast
Manifesto
1. Falling Tree is a brand new platform for the world's best unsung films. Our mission is to provide a space for outstanding short films that have not been picked up by the bigger film festivals in the UK and deserve to be screened. We want to see compelling stories executed in an exciting way.
2. Our selection decisions will be based first and foremost on the merits of the film, with an emphasis on quality, creativity and a love of cinema. We will never ask a filmmaker about their identity.
3. All submissions are free and we intend to keep it that way.4. Falling Tree is a celebration of storytelling and film craft with a positive, inclusive, good-humoured spirit.
5. We strongly encourage submissions from under-represented groups. Special dispensation will be given to filmmakers from a lower socio-economic background - but only if they voluntarily offer this information. We believe that better access to the industry for this under-represented group will provide the swelling tide on which all boats will rise.
6. We are particularly interested in hearing from filmmakers who subvert genre, make surprising work, and push the form.
7. Our entry criteria are as follows: Your film must have been rejected by at least three UK Majors (as defined by Falling Tree), and must not have screened at any of these.
8. Our intention is to tour the event around UK cities, including London, Bristol and Glasgow – and eventually to take the festival online so the world can see your film.
9. Falling Tree is a glass-half-full movement. If you attend our festival, please bring positivity, optimism and grace, giving your full-throated support and rapturous applause when the credits roll. Making films is hard and the filmmakers we support deserve all the encouragement they can get.
10. If your film is selected, you will get some awesome laurels for your poster and socials.
Submissions are now closed
Submissions
Submissions will reopen later in 2024 for the next festival in 2025. Scroll down for the Small Print and details of how to submit your film for next year.
You may have some questions
Small Print
1. The inaugural one-day festival will take place at Genesis Cinema in Mile End, East London on Saturday 20th July 2024, followed by an informal and friendly awards ceremony.
2. The full programme for 2024 is available on the Genesis website.
3. The winner of the Grand Prix for Best Film will receive a trophy and a crate of apples.
4. Falling Tree's partnership with xFilm means all submission are FREE.
5. To enter the Competition Strand, your film must have been rejected by at least three UK Majors (as defined by Falling Tree), and must not have screened at any of these. Please provide evidence of this (in the form of rejection emails or screen grabs of judging status on FilmFreeway) when submitting your film.
6. To be invited to screen in the Guest Strand, your film must simply have not screened at any of the UK Majors.7. We accept narrative, documentary, live-action or animated short films of all genres from anywhere in the world that have been completed in the last 4 years (since July 2019).
8. Films can be up to 30 minutes in length.
9. In the future, we plan to accept feature films and music videos.
10. Our judging panel is made up of a diverse selection of respected industry professionals.
11. We like apples.
Send us your film (but not yet)
Next Year
When submissions reopen, you will be invited to send us your film for consideration, along with evidence of rejection by three UK Majors (in the form of rejection emails or screen grabs of judging status on FilmFreeway). Before you enter, please read our Manifesto and the Small Print above. Entry fee will be £0. Yes, you read that right. Buy us a drink instead.
