London College of Fashion students and alumni travel to York In November for the annual Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) to celebrate independent films from around the world, and an outlet for supporting and championing filmmaking. The fashion programme of the festival was curated by Nilgin Yusuf, Creative Director of the School of Media and Communications so we took this opportunity to highlight five of our favourite films being screened by those waving the flag for LCF.
The festival is a BAFTA recognised short film festival. ASFF is a hotbed for talent discovery and a key annual event for emerging and established filmmakers to meet alongside industry professionals. British and international films are in competition in their category for an award, alongside the Best of Festival Award, Audience Award, and Best Screenplay. LCF has had an ongoing presence at the festival since it began in 2011 (see previous years), helping promote and facilitate the rise of Fashion Film as a sub-genre in the industry.
Boys Don’t Cry by Turkina Faso
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaWr22cH9d5/
Part of the Dazed mini-series, Turkina’s short documentary turns the spotlight on Moscow’s LGBT community, specifically men who wear make-up. In a society noted for its intolerance, the subjects reveal their beauty routines, the reactions they receive and how cosmetics make them feel from the inside out.
Intimate Strangers by Candice Lo
Intimate Strangers is one of three films around the theme of intimacy, made by Candice Lo for her degree. Two of these films will be screened at the festival and this one is a study of encounters with strangers in Romania. Hitting a note between the conceptual, sensual and comical, it takes the viewer on a brief but memorable journey.
Perestroika Dream by Jekaterina Mirmanova
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjmzSNBHJG6/
Between 1986 and 1991, following the collapse of communism, Russia became flooded with foreign fashion. Denim blouson jackets, sneakers and anything with logos became popular. Decades later, in the minds of today’s London-based Eastern European, Post- Soviet youth, these nostalgic looks retain a certain resonance – associated with freedom, choice and home.
Sisyphus by Daniel Gray
Created for William Dill Russell, this film was inspired by the designer’s gender fluid S/S 18 collection and aims to foster an appreciation of otherness. Shot entirely on VHS and aesthetically inspired by the 1930s Weimar Republic, Renaissance society and East London’s LGBT community, each character we see is inspired by a gender repression, expression or question.
Feeling Blue by Eliška Kyselková
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhr8SXFFvDN/
The model Melanie Gaydos, who has a rare genetic disorder, routinely and bravely challenges fashions ideals of beauty and perfection. This film, showcased on Italian Vogue’s website, is inspired by Picasso’s Blue Period and sets out to visually represent the emotional states of depression and the healing power of self love and acceptance.
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