Scottish Shorts 2 is a short film programme that celebrates the rich tapestry of queer Scottish filmmakers and stories. This collection of films showcases the diversity, resilience, and creativity of the LGBTQ+ community in Scotland, offering poignant and powerful narratives that span love, identity, self-discovery, and the complexities of modern life. The programme offers a diverse and compelling look at queer life in Scotland, highlighting the unique voices and stories of the LGBTQ+ community. Through these films, audiences will experience a range of emotions and insights, celebrating the richness and complexity of queer Scottish experiences. We hope to welcome several of the filmmakers for a Q&A after the screening.
All filmmakers in this screening and ‘SQIFF 2024 Opening Night Scottish Shorts’ are automatically entered into a competition to win the title of Best Scottish Short. The winner will be announced at the closing screening of SQIFF 2024.
Curated by Nat Lall and Huss.
Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of FREE, £2, £4, £6, £8, £10, or £12. To book, click here or call the CCA Box Office on 0141 352 4900.
Accessibility
This programme has:
British Sign Language and English audio with English language descriptive subtitles
Audio Description
English-BSL interpretation for the introduction and Q&A
Live Captioning for the introduction and Q&A
This screening is 90 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+.
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2024 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF 2024, please get in touch with us at [email protected] or by phone on 07873 331 036.
Films in this programme include:
Love [Gaol], Dirs. Giulia Lina Giannetti, Paul Morgan, 2022, United Kingdom, 12 min
A film about all kinds of love within the LGBTQ+ community from folks of North Ayrshire.
Gaol [Scottish Gaelic] [Goohl]
Affection, love
I love my partner.
(object of) love
The queer community is full of love.
(pl.) kindred
Chosen family is based on love and support.
Content notes: Discussion of queerphobia.
Femme Disturbance, Dir. Conor Baird, 2024, United Kingdom, 25 min
Femme Disturbance investigates a closeted adolescence, its surrounding family dynamic and the empowering figure of the Action Heroine. To tell these stories the Sisters are interviewed and the Adolescent speaks alongside the Critic. Home movie footage and action heroine performances across Hollywood film and video games are reembodied, cut and collaged.
Content notes: Discussions of disordered eating, homophobia, family discord, mental health. Depictions of fictional violence, implied nudity.
Growin’ Pains, Dir. Sammson Orr, 2023, United Kingdom, 6 min
During a family argument, a teenager flees to the garden for relief, only to find the conflict follows them. Feeling hopeless, they grow into the grass and are swallowed by the ground. They awaken in a subterranean world as a cryptid creature, escaping humanity. What starts as magical escapism becomes a burden as the house and conflict still haunt them.
Content notes: Depiction of nudity.
Miss Temperance, Dir. Jeremy McClain, 2023, United Kingdom, 12 min
A year after a drug- and booze-fueled night that sparked their sobriety, a drag artist prepares to return to the spotlight. As the evening unfolds, Jackson faces nerves, excitement, and past shadows. With their mentor’s support, they confront their fears and find creative freedom in their sober identity. The film explores self-discovery, resilience, and reinvention while celebrating Glasgow’s queer scene.
Content notes: Depiction of alcohol use, drug use, pregnancy.
Access notes: Flashing lights.
ob-SOUL-1337, Dir. Harry Roberts, 2023, United Kingdom, 17 min
An animated short film that uses death and the afterlife to explore our relationship with technology, the duality of our identities online and off and the monetization of our personal memories of thoughts by Big Tech.
Content notes: Depiction of strong language, gore, cartoon violence, nudity, sexual innuendo, death, sex.
Access notes: Flashing imagery, distorted sounds.
I’ve Got Something To Tell You, Dirs. Ben Clery-Hall, Mandy Mcmillan, 2024, United Kingdom, 4 min
An exploration of queer temporality through the mind of someone realising they are trans.
Strangers, Dir. Klarissa Webster, 2023, United Kingdom, 4 min
2 peoples worlds collide in a graveyard. One dealing with a near loss, another still harbouring the pain after many years.
COWBOY, Dir. Luca Kerr, 2024, United Kingdom, 10 min
Young Transgender man ‘Cowboy’ is run out of his small home town and turns to Glasgow in search of a new beginning. But he is unable to shake the shadows of his past.