Big Syn Institute and London’s Piccadilly Lights invited shorts (up to 5 min max) or 59 sec social media videos to be screened on Piccadilly Lights as part of the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival. The finalists are receiving public votes on our Instagram and the Jury will select the winner/s amongst the most like films.
Winning films will be screened in full at the Piccadilly Lights in November 2023.
These are stories or opinions of change, resilience and adaptability covering all major global or local issues such as climate change, poverty, cost of living crisis, war, injustice, discrimination, disability, mental health, and many more.
Donations and patronage help us keep entries free for UK’s marginalised filmmakers, charities and filmmakers from Ukraine.
It also helps us keep the screenings free of cost for millions of viewers from across the world.
NOTE
PATRONS receive exclusive privileges from VVIP tickets for the gala awards ceremony of the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival (10th Nov 2023, Curzon Mayfair), naming awards to dedicated webpages and many more.
DONORS get the chance to win a ticket to the gala awards ceremony of the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival (10th Nov 2023, Curzon Mayfair).
Solace Women’s Aid
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Our film focusses on the work we do to support women and girls experiencing domestic abuse or sexual violence. Although the work we do is London based (30,000 womrn and girls each year) the work we do is relevant to everyone, a women is killed every three days in the UK by a partner or former partner and 1 in 3 women will experience abuse and 97% of women say that they have experienced sexual harassment. Our work is also about educating young people and workplaces and businesses about how to recognise the signs of abuse and how to be an ally to women and girls. Our Good Guys Guide also advises men on how best to ensure that women feel safe and supported. Our Positive Bystander guide helps people to know how and when to intervene if they see someone being abused. Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a global epidemic that impacts on everybody, the trauma of abuse impacts on families and friends, often for decades, Solace work daily to raise awareness of this and to end VAWG.
C999
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In today’s interconnected world, where over 5 billion individuals engage with social media daily, “VULNUS” is a profound exploration of our shared virtual existence. Digital artist C999 uses minimalism to emphasize the repetitiveness, almost ritualistic, online behaviors of people all around the world. “VULNUS” invites viewers to confront the monotony of scrolling, liking, and commenting and so on. The relevance of “VULNUS” lies in its capacity to resonate with anyone who has ever navigated the internet. Online privacy, and the exploitation of personal data are global concerns. “VULNUS” essentially calls viewers to acknowledge reality and act for a safer digital landscape, trust, security, and inclusivity. In essence, “VULNUS” reminds us that our digital actions have global repercussions, influencing lives on an unprecedented scale. Safeguarding the digital realm is not only the responsibility of individuals but a collective mission that transcends borders, an essential step towards to ensure a sustainable digital future that would benefit all.
Juli Manara
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This is a handmade recycled paper-cut animation telling the story about an abused character seeking help and finding hope in the community around who build strength to fight against the situation.
It is a humanitarian video made for my personal projects and also to share awareness through my art and social media.
I am more than happy to know you have noticed this short film and hopefully this is a platform to share it with a wider audience
Emily Malkin
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Rejean Denim, aka Siobhan Mckenna, is a slow fashion brand that uses repurposed “waste” denim to make long-lasting jackets and other garments. Siobhan started this initiative to combat the throw-away nature of the fast fashion industry, seeing value in the perfectly good cloth that was going to landfill. Reclaiming used fabric and giving it a new lease of life not only reduces waste but conserves the natural resources that would have gone into new garments being made from scratch.
The higher price tag (around £300) does pose an accessibility issue, but it also promotes responsible consumption, encouraging people to be conscious of their purchases and not overconsumption.
Siobhan also runs repair workshops that empower people to restore their own clothing. This means garments will last longer, less waste will be produced and less fashion will be consumed all round. As Siobhan says “If you can put pen to paper, you can take needle and thread to cloth”, and it’s so true. Garment repair is a basic skill we can all possess and practice. This would deepen our appreciation for our clothes, teach us to slow down and demonstrate a personal commitment to circularity and the environment that we all can make. When combined together, small, purposeful actions such as mending your old jeans or buying your next jacket for life from a sustainable small business will make a profound difference in creating a more sustainable and conscious future for all of us.
cpag.org.uk
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Imagine shows the experience of a child isolated by poverty and going without. Faced with an empty lunch box, he imagines a fantastical feast with friends.
Devastatingly, 4.2 million kids are growing up in poverty in the UK. Wherever you live, poverty means stolen childhoods that are filled with worry. It means being excluded from fun and opportunities.
Our Imagine campaign highlights the immense power of children’s imaginations. Imaginations that should be reserved for the marvellous and magical, but sometimes are used to dream of the things many kids get to take for granted, like a full lunch box, school trips with their friends, and a warm home.
We are raising the alarm on child poverty. We’re asking everyone to take a stand and imagine and demand better for kids. Because it doesn’t have to be like this, child poverty isn’t inevitable. Together, we’re calling for urgent and real action from leaders.
You only get one childhood. Thank you for helping make sure children’s realities aren’t ignored and for being part of this movement for every child’s right to security, opportunity and fun.
Arthur Cech
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This is the story about me and the cedar trees. It could have been just a personal experience, but it turned into a message that I would like the whole world to understand. I’m 14 years old and I will still be here to see our planet suffer when you will not, so please listen.
Last year (2022) in Morocco, I visited a cedar forest. According to our guide published in 2010, it was to be magnificent. But once we arrived, all we found were immense dead cedar trees. These cedars had lived there for hundreds of years and could have continued hundreds more, as they can live up to 1500 years. They are known for their ability to face draught for years, but not a decade. They disappeared forever because of man-made global warming. A result of excessive consumption all over the world. Moroccan people are not the ones who consume so much, but they are the ones who suffer the consequences.
Our journey continued but I couldn’t sleep. After a few days I persuaded my family to return there so that I could make a film about it. I wanted all people to see and feel what I did make them aware of the severity of the climate crises. Please wake up and change a little bit every day. Think about what you really need and what you can live without in order to let our planet live.
Abai Peace
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The film ICE is centered around the harrowing experiences of families separated at the USA-Mexico border. It portrays the journey of a young Mexican mother-to-be, desperately seeking a brighter future for her unborn child, only to confront the horrors of separation as she goes into labor within an old, decrepit immigration facility straddling the Mexico-U.S. border. The film ICE relevance transcends geographic boundaries because it confronts universal themes of humanity, compassion, and shared responsibility. It emphasizes that the issues at the core of this story are not exclusive to any particular region or culture.
The forced separation of families, the consequences of immigration policies, and the plight of innocent children are matters that affect us all. Addressing the problems highlighted in this film is our collective duty. It underscores that safeguarding the rights and well-being of vulnerable populations, especially children, should be a shared responsibility of all nations. It serves as a reminder that no matter where we live on this planet, we have a role in shaping a safer, more secure, and sustainable future for everyone. It highlights the need for a more empathetic and compassionate approach, resonating with people worldwide who seek to uphold fundamental human rights. Its universal themes and the call for collective responsibility make it relevant to anyone and everyone, regardless of their location, emphasizing the importance of empathy, compassion, and change in our shared pursuit of a better world.
Stephen McGowan
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Twin Mirror is about the unlikely meeting of separated identical twins later on in life via a ‘long-distance’ hook-up app date.
As a non-identical twin myself with little bond, I was fascinated by the idea, as a dreamy youngster, that I had been mixed-up in the hospital and sent to the ‘wrong family’. The film explores the extreme experiences possible in looking for the reality.
Dhananjoy Mandal
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The world has reached a stage of proverbial ‘now or never’; as the climate change triggered natural disasters increasing with every passing day.
Andre Rodney Tila
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Ceasefire is a signal word utilized for stopping acts of war between people or group which is also the film’s title. As you have witnessed today, we are in a difficult situation as conflicts have escalated everywhere. With the most recent being, Israel and the sudden strike of the Hamas terrorist group. One would say that this escalations would have no end. But, what if we ourselves are the key to the problem? What a difference would it make if everybody treated each other like brothers? I am certain that we would be united and undivided. Thus, Ceasefire aims to show how much unity and prosperity allows us to remain at peace with our fellow human being… For the better… For the future…
For God.
Peter Freeth
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We all know the danger of climate change, but what can one person out of eight billion do? What difference can one person make? In any part of the world you’ll see the futility that individuals feel in the face of a global threat. Not everyone can be Greta Thunberg or David Attenborough. “What can I do? It’s just one plastic bottle, it’s just one flight, it’s just one car journey that I could have walked. It’s not enough to make a difference.”
The reality is that each of us, as individuals, cannot turn the tide. When we join together, though, anything and everything becomes possible. We must start, not by stirring up guilt at the weight of the problem but by building something far more powerful – sustainable communities.
Sustainable communities learn together, care for each other, meet the human needs of togetherness, belonging, support, love. Sustainable communities have a purpose which transcends the group’s activities. Whether it’s cleaning beaches, campaigning for change or teaching children how to grow their own food, sustainable communities have the power to change the world by bringing people together, not for some political movement or short term goal, but because people are simply better together.
Peter Freeth shows the work of the Belgrave Community Allotment and Garden in Tamworth, UK and features Etheline Deer, one woman with a love for gardening and for people who inspires a better way to live and work together, saving the planet one potato at a time.
Qiushu Li
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An intimate conversation between two schoolgirls during a group dance between classes, talking about body changes and the experience of UFO sightings.
Baran Yakut
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Most global issues stem from a lack of tolerance, to ensure a brighter future we need to tackle intolerance. Stories about homosexual love tend to focus the social obstacles surrounding homosexual love, but this film does not. Film as a social medium has a responsibility to present these relationships in the same way they do with heterosexual stories of love.
Nuno Barreto
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The film is a testament to the enduring human spirit and the power of will no matter how old we are. After enjoying some circus activities done in a nursing home, Maria and Alberto fall in love with the circus arts and (re)discover the joy lost by life, starting a new duo of of performers.
Sound of the Birds
Makez Rikweda
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British-Afghan bride Noorjahan is preparing to get married in North London. As she puts on her beautiful traditional clothes and carries out her cultural rituals, she finds herself increasingly distracted by the frenetic sounds of the birds outside her window, whose calls feel like a warning, and the television which keeps flickering to horrific images of her homeland.
Sound of the Birds was shot on the exact day the Taliban took over in 2021 and explores the feelings of guilt, trauma and longing Afghans in the diaspora feel watching their homeland fall into trouble particularly as it undergoes another massive political upheaval which will have massive ramifications for human rights and particularly the rights of women. Though it is specifically about Afghanistan the film is resonant for all diaspora communities displaced by war for whom the tie to the homeland never fades away.
Nahal Amiri
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I created this movie to show people do not have the same personalities. Different people can live their lives differently.
Bapi Das
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The wide gap between the haves and have nots is unimaginable yet so very relatable.
Suresh Kumar
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Importance of education is conveyed through a Child Laborer’s Point of View.
Indy Singh
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“No More Red” is a compelling and thought-provoking film that addresses the urgent issue of knife crime, transcending geographical boundaries to resonate with people worldwide. While its primary focus is on London, the film underscores that this problem extends far beyond one city—it is a global concern that affects communities everywhere.
The film sheds light on the devastating consequences of knife crime, not only for the victims and their families but also for the entire society. It showcases the ripple effect of violence, highlighting how it shatters lives, breeds fear, and undermines the social fabric. “No More Red” vividly portrays the emotional toll, trauma, and loss caused by these acts of violence, making it relatable to anyone, regardless of their location.
This film emphasizes that addressing the issues it raises is a shared responsibility for everyone on the planet. It challenges viewers to recognize that the safety and well-being of our communities are intertwined, and the prevalence of knife crime anywhere threatens the security of all. By fostering awareness and inspiring action, “No More Red” calls upon individuals, communities, and governments worldwide to work collaboratively to combat this pervasive issue.
Ultimately, “No More Red” underscores that we are all responsible for creating a safe, secure, and sustainable future for ourselves and the generations to come. It serves as a poignant reminder that by addressing the root causes of knife crime, promoting education, and fostering empathy, we can work together to build a world where violence is replaced with understanding, compassion, and hope. This film is a universal call to action for a more peaceful and harmonious world.
Peter Freeth
Vote on Instagram
We all know the danger of climate change, but what can one person out of eight billion do? What difference can one person make? In any part of the world you’ll see the futility that individuals feel in the face of a global threat. Not everyone can be Greta Thunberg or David Attenborough. “What can I do? It’s just one plastic bottle, it’s just one flight, it’s just one car journey that I could have walked. It’s not enough to make a difference.”
The reality is that each of us, as individuals, cannot turn the tide. When we join together, though, anything and everything becomes possible. We must start, not by stirring up guilt at the weight of the problem but by building something far more powerful – sustainable communities.
Sustainable communities learn together, care for each other, meet the human needs of togetherness, belonging, support, love. Sustainable communities have a purpose which transcends the group’s activities. Whether it’s cleaning beaches, campaigning for change or teaching children how to grow their own food, sustainable communities have the power to change the world by bringing people together, not for some political movement or short term goal, but because people are simply better together.
Peter Freeth shows the work of the Belgrave Community Allotment and Garden in Tamworth, UK and features Etheline Deer, one woman with a love for gardening and for people who inspires a better way to live and work together, saving the planet one potato at a time.