We have selected four filmmakers who have previously been supported through our Sharp Shorts funding programme to attend the four day market from 5th to 8th February 2024.
The Short Film Market in Clermont-Ferrand is the leading industry event for short films in the world. It brings together 3,600+ accredited visitors yearly from over 80 countries who get access to a catalogue of 7,500 recent titles. The Market combines physical and digital components to address the needs of the industry, from production to promotion and distribution, in an open, inclusive and responsible environment. It is the main marketplace for sales, acquisitions and licensing of short films with opportunities on the French, European and international markets. Its ambitious industry programme fosters creativity, co-production and the circulation of works.
The four Short Circuit delegate filmmakers are;
Read about each of them below.
Lisa is a writer and director from Edinburgh, Scotland. She graduated from the National Film and Television School’s MA Directing Fiction in 2021, as Channel 4 Scholar. Her graduation film, Muse, won the school’s Panalux and Sargeant Disc prizes for excellence. Since returning home to Scotland she has directed a number of projects for film and television; directing an episode of BBC Four’s Skint, writing and directing Paternal Advice (Short Circuit/ BFI NETWORK), as well as shadowing and 2nd unit direction on original series The Rig (Amazon) and Granite Harbour (BBC Scotland). She is currently developing a number of long form projects, including a series set in her beloved Glasgow.
Michael Lee Richardson is a writer and filmmaker based in Glasgow. They are passionate about telling rich, authentic stories about queer and working class lives and culture. They have film and television projects in development with a range of different production companies including their first feature, A Good Spell, with Bombito. Michael is an Edinburgh Television Festival Ones to Watch, a BBC ‘Writer to Watch’ and an alumni of Young Film Foundation, Torino Film Lab and EIFF Talent Lab. Michael’s first short film as a director, Just Jackie – a bubblegum pop tale about queer friendships, for kids – is currently on submission. Michael’s first short film as a writer, My Loneliness is Killing Me, won a BAFTA Scotland Award in 2018. It’s been shown on BBC Scotland, and at film festivals around the world. Outside of writing, Michael likes 80s makeover montages, witches and having a little look around the shops.
Represented by Louisa Minghella at Revolution Talent.
Misha is a producer, with interdisciplinary experience in the creative industries. She is a BAFTA Prince William Bursary recipient and a GFF New Talent Mentee. She was selected for Short Circuit’s Producer Accelerator in 2021. Misha works in association with Blazing Griffin who are executive producers of Misha’s 2022/23 slate. She is currently developing a feature film We Are Not Animals, about Scottish prison reform in the 1980s, directed by Khaled Spiewak, written by RTS winning Stef Smith and with BAFTA winning DOP Alan McLaughlin. She also produced BFI Network short Candy with Sarah Grant which is currently tearing up the festival circuit, with three BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festivals already under its belt and a top prize win at 16 Days 16 Films. Misha also works as a production coordinator, recently on CBBC’s The Dumping Ground, The Hogmanay Show 2022 and Molly and Mack series 3 & 4. Misha is driven to create work that is bold and vivid, amplifying underrepresented voices whilst diversifying and promoting the wealth of Scottish based talent on and off screen.
Theo Panagopoulos is a Greek-Lebanese-Palestinian filmmaker, film programmer and PhD candidate based in Scotland. His work explores themes of collective memory, displacement, fragmented identity and language in an equally sensitive and political way. He has directed multiple short films that have screened in festivals such London Short Film Festival, Encounters, DocLisboa, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival etc. and has completed his first commissioned film with Screen Scotland and BFI Network in association with Short Circuit called The Key, inspired by his Palestinian ancestry. He is currently working on his new film called The flowers stand silently, witnessing commissioned by the Scottish Documentary Institute and Screen Scotland.
Lisa, Michael, Misha and Theo, will be joined by an additional four documentary filmmakers selected by SDI. These filmmakers are; Meray Diner, Caitlin McMullan, Julia Parks and Gregor Sinclair.
