​Yarns announces the filmmakers tackling this year’s brief: NOSTALGIA

A not-for-profit short film competition run by Stitch, Yarns is open to unsigned filmmakers across the UK. 

This year’s brief invited entrants to explore their relationship with the past. The competition continues to grow, surpassing last year’s record-breaking response for DISINFO, with 11 filmmakers shortlisted before four winners were selected to develop their short film ideas.

With support from sponsors CANADA, Park Pictures and Sine Audio Post, each winner will receive a £2,000 production budget alongside mentorship, access to The Kusp Hub, equipment support from Kodak and ARRI Rental, an edit with Homespun’s editor roster, and full post-production support from Yarns partners Freefolk, 1920vfx, Bubble, Coffee & TV, Sine Audio Post and RESISTER Music.

Owner Tim Hardy shared, "This year’s NOSTALGIA brief inspired some deeply personal storytelling, with each filmmaker exploring unique perspectives on memory, identity and their relationship with the past. We came into the process expecting to select three winners, but the quality and ambition of the pitches made it impossible not to support a fourth. We’re incredibly excited to see these four films come to life."

Joseph Osayande

Osayande is a filmmaker, photographer and curator from Hertfordshire, UK. With experience curating collaborative exhibitions and working with institutions including Black Cultural Archives, Gallery of Caribbean Art and the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Osayande’s work explores intersectionality, global Black identity and nuanced understandings of cultural dynamics.

Osayande’s short Norfolk Dumpling tells a folk tale about a fostered Black girl who discovers a mask that allows her to block out painful memories.

"So humbled to be selected for Yarns. I appreciate the team and partners for resonating with my deeply personal, ambitious and bold story. Being able to authentically depict the Black and British perspective in a genre context is such an honour. Deep respect for Yarns for allowing this story to be told! Can't wait to be on set, and it's so reassuring to be able to have such capable and supportive partners as part of Yarns this year, making this process so much more enjoyable!"

Julia Mervis

Mervis is a filmmaker from London with a distinctive, wry voice and generally pleasant demeanour. Her films are playful, funny and explore the big issues of today through much smaller entry points. She is very happy to have been selected to make a film with Yarns.

Mervis’ very serious documentary Forgive Me, Furby offers a critical examination of the deeply unsettling hyper-realistic robot that once threatened to take over human civilization: the Furby.

"OMFG! What a complete honour to be selected by Yarns. I am so excited to get started and create and grow (figuratively) with their support. As they say in Furbish, dah doo-ay wah!"

Aleah Scott

Scott is a director and curator based in London. Influenced by the vulnerability of human nature, she aims to tell stories through an intricate, intentional and empathetic lens, with a focus on underrepresented communities and women-led narratives. She won Best Micro Short at the BFI Future Film Festival 2023 with her film SAFE, which explores the safety of girls travelling to and from school.

Her short film Passenger Seat follows a young working-class mother and her teenage daughter as they navigate adolescence, generational wounds and everyday life through a series of car journeys across 2007.

"I'm super excited to be one of the winners of the Yarns Short Film Competition this year. I loved the brief and it really got me thinking about what Nostalgia means for me from both a creative and personal level. I'm so grateful for the chance to create something new and a little different to what I usually do - these opportunities as a filmmaker are few and far between so I'm thrilled to be a part of it all."