Sharp Shorts Year 2
Synopsis: On her first day at a high school in rural Scotland, a London teenager is targeted for her afro hair by cocksure class bully and must harness her inner power.
FILM CREW:
Writer/Director: Eubha Akilade
Producers: Jack Gemmell, Sophie Chater
Director of Photography: Andrew O’Connor
Editor: Mark Fraser
Composer: Taneka Miles
Casting Director: Anna Dawson
Production Designer: Iveta Schmidt
Costume Design: Honor Anderson
Hair Designer: Helen McEwan
Make-Up Designer: Rhona Stewart
First Assistant Director: Lee Preston
Focus Puller: Sil Derkx
Gaffer: Stewart Torley
Sound Recordist: David McKeitch
Intimacy Coordinator: Georgia Alexandria Johnson
Cast: Miriam Nyarko, William Alexander, Lucianne McAvoy
Photo credit: Shonagh Kelly
Eubha Akilade is an actor/writer/director from Glasgow. Working as an actor and being on sets from a young age, Eubha quickly developed a keen interest in behind-the-scenes.
After completing a 6-month screenwriting programme through the National Film and Television School in 2021, she received her first short film commission, through Short Circuit. The short BLACKWOOL, written and directed by Eubha, was funded by Screen Scotland and BFI and is due for festival release in 2023. Eubha also co-wrote and directed on the BBC monologue series The Wedding.
Jack Gemmell is a Glaswegian filmmaker and writer for stage and screen. He was selected as one of BBC Writersroom’s Scottish Voices 2022, whilst producing BFI/Screen Scotland commissioned short, BLACKWOOL, directed by Eubha Akilade.
With a diverse background in production across shorts, commercials, music videos, and features, Jack wrote and produced 12th Man (GSFF, Portico Media) and acted as an associate producer on the Glasgow-based short film, Unders, due to release in 2023. For the stage, he was selected for Traverse Young Writers and has been in artistic development with Traverse Theatre with his full-length play Tobojo (Boris Johnson is Toast)’. This was performed as part of First Stages Festival.
Sophie Chater is a Scotland-based commercial, short film, and documentary producer.
While working at STV, she began her involvement in the independent film scene, producing her first short, Eyes Down, a trans-focused drama that was shown at a wide selection of festivals globally, and in particular, received acclaim and awards from 16days16films.
After leaving STV, Sophie focused on further independent works, such as the documentary, One Last Spin, which as well as playing at a host of festivals, was officially requested for use in training staff at Citizens Advice in Scotland due to its accuracy in the depiction of addiction.
Sophie is now a freelance member of production teams and has this year worked with Glasgow-based Cut Media to assist on a range of commercials, and with Storyboard Studios where she coordinated the simultaneous filming of two BBC documentaries for their first-time director’s fund.