Showroom Shorts / Miseducation of Cameron Post
Showroom Shorts
Showroom Shorts is a regular, free short film screening event that takes place in the main bar at the Showroom Cinema. I started it in 2010 under the banner of the South Yorkshire Filmmakers Network, with support from the Showroom Cinema, because I wanted to give filmmakers a local benchmark to aspire to a way to get their films on the big screen in the local area, without complications or long waiting periods.
Filmmakers can submit their films on a rolling basis and are invited to come to the screening and talk about their films, introduce them to the audience and do some useful networking with fellow filmmakers, film fans and other practitioners. We are now 70 events on and have become a staple event on the local cinema calendar, screening the best local films made in the region, as well as award-winning films from further afield.
Showroom Shorts celebrates its eighth birthday this year with screenings on 18 September, 16 October and 20 November.
On 18 September, the event will feature films about the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932, comedies starring Sheffield-based actress Laetetia Butler, drama, animation, music videos, films from talented students at Sheffields Wales High School, and plenty more. The evenings programme will be split into two halves of about 35 minutes each, for a 70-minute total running time.
Its popular, free and theres always a good vibe and a positive atmosphere. Its all about people coming to celebrate their films with others, sharing them and chatting about them, rather than criticising or analysing. And always, we want people to use the Showroom Shorts platform to further themselves and their ability to tell great visual stories.
Submissions for Showroom Shorts are open on a rolling basis. See more information, including how to submit, details of upcoming events and more, at syfn.org/events/showroom-shorts. Join us on 18 September at 9pm.
Rob Speranza
Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Based on a novel by Emily M. Danforth, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is an American coming-of-age story featuring Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck, set in the early 90s in a North Western town with strong religious beliefs.
Cameron Post, played by Moretz (Kick-Ass), and her girlfriend sneak away from their school prom to kiss in the back of her boyfriend's car. When her boyfriend catches them, it leads to her conservative guardians sending her away to a remote treatment centre.
At the Gods Promise Centre, they use extreme and sinister conversion techniques on the young residents. The centre is essentially a fanatical experiment run by a brother and sister with dubious motives. Their daily programme is about shaming the young adults in an attempt to make them realise that their sexuality is abhorrent and against the will of God, with sometimes tragic results.
Cameron makes friends with fellow centre attendees Jane Fonda (Lane) and Adam (Goodluck), who have learnt to play the game, pretending they have seen the error of their ways. The three form a strong bond, secretly growing and smoking weed in the woods and undermining the teachings of the centre. This bond ultimately becomes their saving grace.
Beautifully framed and astutely observed, Miseducation is a low-key, witty but deeply affecting film. Despite the heavy subject matter, it manages to project a message of hope and I enjoyed spending time in the company of the three protagonists. The performances are outstanding, with Moretz showing she has come a long way since her Kick-Ass days.
I saw Miseducation as part of the BFI Network's Queer Lives On Film presentation, along with short films Ladies Day and We Love Moses. The screenings were followed by a fascinating panel discussion with the writers and directors of the shorts.
Dawn Stilwell
