Star and Shadow welcomes HSFF, hot from their 4th annual stint at the ICA, Curzon Soho and Roxy cinemas in London, charging the filmscene with the rallying cry “Death to Short Film”. Highlights will include a retrospective of rising stars the Blaine Brothers (Free Speech, Hallo Panda), along with screenings offering the best in new shorts, from lo-budget gems, female fronted dramas, stunning cinematography, experimental forays, messy romances and a special late night programme of weird shit. Plus live music in the bar and DJ-ing shenanigans. www.shortfilms.org.uk www.myspace.com/halloweenshortfilmfestival3

Programme:
Friday 23rd
7pm    F*cked Up Love
10pm Lo-Budget Mayhem

Saturday 24th
2pm  Trick of the Light
4pm    Daughters of Kaos
6pm    Leftfield and Luscious
8pm     Retrospective Blaine Brothers
10pm Late Nite Fortean

Friday
7pm
FUCKED UP LOVE
Is that a tear or a twinkle in your eye? Whether it be romantic or family, love is always fucked up.  Halloween’s romantic programme is wholly unsuitable for first dates.  Films include DAD (Daniel Mulloy), I LEAD (Rob Munday), and LOVE LETTER (Richard Fenwick).

10pm
LATE NIGHT LO-BUDGET MAYHEM
A programme from filmmakers with more urgency than currency, where inventiveness is prized highest and good taste gets short shrift.  Expect a raucous late night show.  Films include DON’T EVEN THINK IT (Martin Gooch), ORIGASMI (Jill Rosenberg), and WITH DICKINSON AND I (Miles Carter).

Saturday
2pm
TRICK OF THE LIGHT
Short films with gorgeous and sumptuous images in this stunning selection of rich cinematography and beautiful animation.  Films include GET GOOD (Francois & Rozi Plain), THE HARVEST (Joseph Briffa), and PURITY (Ali Taylor).
               
4pm  
DAUGHTERS OF THE KAOS
Originally hosted by the Club Motherfucker girls, this programme is all about complex female characters and femmes with attitude, in films made by both genders. Includes Daughters of the Kaos Award.  Films include DON’T DO TRICKS (Lady Lucy), INTERSTELLAR STELLA (AL + AL) and I WANT TO BE A SECRETARY (Sarah Wood).

6pm   
LEFTFIELD AND LUSCIOUS
Experimental jaunts and tasty artists’ landscapes intended for cinematic viewing, this programme features eye opening innovations from an abstract viewpoint. Includes the LUX Award for Best Experimental Film. Films include RABBIT STORIES (Sean Conway), A STORM AND SOME SNOW (Simon Ellis) and THIS IS MY LAND (Ben Rivers).

8pm    
RETROSPECTIVE: BLAINE BROTHERS
British filmmaking brothers extraordinaire, whether creating drama in the guise of their recent Cinema Extreme commission HALLO PANDA, or music docs looking at the New Cross scene, or their promos for the likes of Art Brut, The Rapture and The Dead Pixels, “It's never been our dream to live in the smog of LA or the sweat of Cannes. We try to make popular films without talking down to our audience. Our themes are universal but come from a British outlook and it has always been important to us that our work feels real.”
   
10pm
LATE NIGHT FORTEAN
Weird visions and strange shenanigans; from the unexplained to the creepy. The Fortean Times monthly magazine of strange phenomena and curiosities present an award in this shorts screening and for the film most fitting the Fortean ethos.  Films include THE APPLICANT (Faisal A Qureshi),     THE BOX (Richard Fenwick) and COMPASSION (Tom Geens)