Final Cuts Festival 2025 programme

Writer/Director, Good Luck Connie

This film is all about luck and superstition. We, as humans, all have private little rules that we follow religiously. Crossing on the stairs might be a no-go, let’s say. Or the sight of a black cat might send a shiver down your spine. In the world that the protagonist (Connie) inhabits, these rituals form the basis of a ‘functioning’ society! Inspired by films such as Martin Scorsese’s ‘After Hours’ and Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil’, I’ve aimed to create a film that satirises or humours the idea of feeling in control of your own life. We can all follow our own systems that explain away our experiences, but life can truly be unpredictable sometimes – and this is where the comedy often lies! 

Writer/Director, Where She Was Once

Losing someone is one of the most traumatic experiences that anyone can ever face. Where She Was Once is inspired by a true story that holds personal significance for me.  My six-year-old going missing for a brief moment was one of the scariest and longest moments of my life. I felt that this story needed to be told. Coming from an acting background and venturing into production and directing is like having the best of both worlds. I have always had a passion for storytelling, and as a new filmmaker, telling stories that people can relate to is what I believe sets me apart. This film tested my creativity and my writing ability, and hopefully, it was told beautifully so that it resonates with the audience. 

Writer/Director, Watershed

Watershed was born from the personal grief of losing my sister. The film explores how trauma can distort identity and reality, turning the mind into both a weapon and a sanctuary. Through a psychological horror lens, it confronts the weight of unprocessed pain, the isolating nature of grief, and the deceptive comfort it can bring. At its heart, Watershed is a story of sibling bonds, mental health, and the desperate need to seek help, to abandon the familiarity of suffering and take the first step toward healing.

Writer/Director, Barb Wire Fruit

In growth, we enter the fog, clutching onto beacons of light in the form of those closest to us. We love, and therefore we trust. Barb Wire Fruit is a story of betrayal. Of conformity and acceptance. It explores the prisons we build for ourselves or that others build for us. It was made to encourage questioning the world around you, because something is ‘tradition doesn’t mean it’s right’ Do I fear the madness, or do you fear it for me?

Writer/Director, Olives, Tea and Family Ties

With Olives, Tea & Family Ties, my goal is to explore the beautifully chaotic and imperfect dynamics of family life, capturing how love persists even amidst disagreements and cultural clashes. While the story and characters are fictional, they are deeply rooted in my personal experiences. The central relationship between Michael and Helena draws inspiration from my sister and her partner, reflecting the humour, tension, and warmth that often accompany familial gatherings. This film is a celebration of the messy, heartfelt connections that define family, emphasizing that love endures even when things don’t go as planned.

Writer/Director, Barbara

Barbara is a sci-fi drama about a man who is living the perfect life with his wife until he suddenly starts experiencing strange phenomena. We wanted to make a visually intriguing film exploring grief, memory, and self-deception through a surreal, retro-futuristic lens. Although the production wasn't easy with our amazing cast and crew, who all worked so hard, we were able to create a film that we love.

Writer/Director, 'Til I Saw Her 

‘Til I Saw Her is personal—but not only for me. It was born of a gaze that tried to label us before we spoke, rooted in memory—mine and my mother’s. I step back into sun-scorched Tuscany, where she moved like quiet thunder, shielding her biracial child from provincial cataloguing. Humour strikes flint, irony catches tinder, flashing hidden contours of identity. Tearing the lace veil from polite prejudice, the film salutes women who carry universes in silence. This is where I come from—the soil, the silence, the spark; foundation set, voice rising so our stories never whisper again—here my filmmaking begins.