87 mins | Recommended 18+

What happens when you come into conflict with the powers that be? From teenage rebellion to crossing forgotten gods, these films let us stray from the straight and narrow.

PROGRAMME

Still Life

Dir. Karim Morel | 15 mins | France

Juliette, a police officer, joins her father Rimbaud in a field. Rimbaud is a farmer and one of his cows has been killed and skinned during the night. Juliette leads the investigation.

The Midway Pact

Dir. Pourya Osati | 18 mins | Iran

Masoumeh considers her husband Amir responsible for the death of Majid’s mother in a car accident. Amir, on the other hand, tries to cover up the truth by putting her down, yet the couple both are unknowingly walking into a vicious trap.

Skive

Dir. Corinna Brooke Elleschild | 13 mins | UK

A coming-of-age social realism film based in the British South-West. A story of defiance, hope and the connection between two teenagers against the backdrop of a difficult world.

Beltane

Dir. Helena Houghton | 5 mins | UK

A camping trip becomes a nightmare for Josh and Sarah when they kindle the ire of Unseelie Fae. Steeped in British folklore, this cautionary tale is an evocative exploration of the Summer King myth.

Wheel and Desert

Dir. Reza Sabetpour | 11 mins | Iran

When a man reaches his stall he notices a mess and finds a wounded man sheltering by a bush asking for some water and a bag next to him. On his way back to help get water, his boss tells him “Someone was shot last night and is still on the run.” The game changes…

MAX

Dir. Ant McPhail | 13 mins | Australia

Russ, 17, struggles to figure out what it means to be a ‘man’ in his small coastal town. In gun-controlled Australia, Russ steals shotgun from his elderly neighbour, giving him the chance to prove himself to the local underworld heavyweight. However, Russ decides to carve his own path rather than have it determined by the approval of others through social initiations of manhood.

Midnight Ride

Dir. Alessandro Farrattini Pojani | 13 mins | UK

A drug-dealing, Italian delivery rider resorts to robbing a South London burrito joint after his bike and drugs are stolen, little knowing he might be the one taken for a ride all along.

About Two Short Nights

Two Short Nights Film Festival is returning once again to celebrate short films and the people who make them. The 22nd edition of Two Short Nights will take place on 08 & 09 February 2024, highlighting the best international, national and regional short films.

Two Short Nights has always focused on great stories, and that’s what our 22nd edition will continue to do. We invite our audience to celebrate creativity, diversity and variety. The festival is proud to nurture new and emerging talent through selected screenings, commissions, and our famous 48 Hour Film Challenge!

VENUE: EXETER PHOENIX, STUDIO 74

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>