Small Axe Winners at Tolpuddle Radical Film Festival

 

The Small Axe Radical Short Film Award winners were announced yesterday at the Tolpuddle Radical Film Festival. The films - selected by our jury earlier in the week - were given an enthusiastic reception by audiences throughout the day, with all screenings packed out and many disappointed festival goers being turned away at the doors.

Iqbal Mohammed director of 'Against the Norm' made an appearance and introduced his film and several other filmmakers sent representatives but many of the successful filmmakers could not be there.

So without further ado the winners were....

Best Student Fiction: Kappu Kalina Shaitana (Devil In The Blackstone) Ananya Kasaravalli - India - 20 mins A beautifully shot and engaging piece of storytelling with a simple and effective twist. This film provides a compelling portrait of people struggling to get by in poverty. It explores how powerful influences are stacked against the poorest in society and how small moral choices become disproportionately difficult under such pressure.

Best Student Factual / Documentary Out Of Darkness Cometh Light Emily White - UK - 4:20 mins An excellent example of the poetic form in documentary. This film is engaging and enjoyable to watch while raising interesting ideas and an emotional response to the subject. Being human is about more than material things. This film explores how our ideas, dreams and shared culture can overcome the physical environment we live in. This is a great example of how films can explore ideas in ways that other mediums cannot.

Best Activist Fiction Immigrants Are Hiding? WORLDbytes - UK - 29 secs This is arguably the most efficient film in the entire festival. It makes a political point, comments on society, and slips in a joke all in less than 29 seconds.

Best Activist Factual / Documentary The Racket Joe Jenkins - UK - 20 mins This is a powerful documentary exploring an interesting debate from an original angle. It contains fascinating insights and research. The film is focused and clear communicating a consistent message without imposing a personal agenda. This is an excellent example of classical, well researched and informative documentary filmmaking.