Randan at LFF Work-in-Progress Showcase
We’re excited to announce that three of Randan’s feature projects have been selected for the BFI LFF Work in Progress Showcase. The showcase, part of the 68th BFI London Film Festival, will present nine new feature films and documentaries by UK-based filmmakers at Picturehouse Central on October 12th.
LFF Work-in-Progress is a collaboration between the BFI and the British Council. LFF’s Work-in-Progress Showcase aims to offer opportunities for attendees to discover UK fiction and documentary feature films from emerging directors at their debut or second features, that are currently in production or post-production.
The three Randan feature films selected include the feature documentary ‘Don’t Say Gay’ by Sarah Elizabeth Drummond and co-productions including the coming-of-age drama, ‘Spilt Milk by director Brian Durnin, produced with Laura McNicholas and the feature romance drama ‘On a Winter Night’ directed by Liam Calvert, written and produced by Diego Scerrati.
Reece will also be attending LFF to discuss these projects.
Don’t Say Gay
‘Don’t Say Gay’ tells the story of the rapid unravelling of progressive LGBTQ+ rights in 1980s Britain and the introduction of the homophobic law, Section 28 where gay people were erased. The story is told by activists who united to stage mass protests and outrageous acts of civil disobedience, challenging the Government on the first law to roll back gay rights in over 100 years. For the first time, we hear the stories of the Section 28 generation who grew up under a state-sponsored silence and the experience of the Director, a generation of children and teachers who share stories of anger and shame. In recent years with eerily similar laws being brought in across the globe, we ask, will Section 28 happen again in the UK?
Sarah Elizabeth Drummond is a writer/director with a focus on LGBTQ+ stories and founder of film production studio, Anthro Bricolage. Her debut short documentary, Stonewall Postal Action Network (2023) won the East London LGBTQ Film Festival Documentary Award and was also selected for the Scottish Queer International Film Festival, Palm Springs LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Cambridge 42nd Film Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, as well as LGBTQ+ festivals including Bradford, Leeds, Brighton, Mansfield and Norwich.
Her desktop documentary Lockdown Hugs (2021) was runner-up at the Bertha Doc House competition. Before Anthro Bricolage, Sarah founded Snook, an award-winning R+D studio. She was given an honorary doctorate from the Glasgow School of Art for services to design and a Google Fellowship for Innovation in democratic innovation. Her current works include developing interactive worldbuilding experiences at UK festivals for Brian Eno’s Earth Percent charity and developing a Queer Folk Horror on the Film Ankoth Queer Writers programme.
Spilt Milk
Set in Dublin in 1984 ‘Spilt Milk’ follows 11-year-old Bobby O’Brien who dreams of becoming a great detective like his TV hero Kojak. Bobby sets up a private investigation enterprise with his best friend Nell Casey and the disappearance of his older brother sets them off on a quest to find him…
Director Brian Durnin is an award-winning filmmaker from Dublin. He recently completed principal photography on his debut feature film Spilt Milk, which will hit cinemas in 2025. Brian’s short films have screened at numerous prestigious international festivals including TriBeCa, winning awards at Cork, Kerry, Galway, Belfast, Raindance and Rome, as well as garnering IFTA nominations. He has also directed hundreds of commercials across the globe, working with household names such as Saoirse Ronan and collecting numerous domestic and international awards.
On a Winter Night
On the night he plans to end his life, Lukas, a stone-broke gay actor in his thirties, meets Oliver, a privileged fuck-up with a failing business who carries a guitar wherever he goes. Despite their different backgrounds, they forge a quirky, intimate bond that leads Oliver to talk Lukas into spending the night with him on a quest: roam the city and take the experiences of London to find the elusive “meaning of life” before dawn.
Against the backdrop of London’s streets, Lukas and Oliver dive into a wild night that pushes them to confront their struggles and see life from new angles. But when their unlikely connection turns into something deeper, fears and demons from their past resurface and come to jeopardise the whole mission. As time ticks away, the pressure mounts - if they don’t find a reason to live, they might never see a new dawn.
Liam Calvert is a director and writer originally from Leeds. He studied film, initially focusing on editing and going on to direct after writing the award-winning World War II short film Gisette. During his MA, he created 24 Hours at the Giddy Bridge, a workplace documentary that follows the staff of the pub where he worked. After graduating, he directed a zombie drama titled 1 in 6, before relocating to London and beginning work on his first feature film, On a Winter Night.
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