Ian Gordon wins Best Lockdown Film at the Romford Horror Film Festival
The School’s resident filmmaker, Ian Gordon, was in London over the weekend to screen two of his films at the Romford Horror Film Festival 2022.
Chosen from over 600 submissions, Ian had his Feature Film “Superterranean” and lockdown short “Sair Ane” shown in back-to-back screenings. Ian also delivered Q&As after each of his films to discuss his beard tips, donut budget and using a 5-year-old as a focus puller amongst more serious questions about filming under lockdown, with no investment, skeleton crews and tips for new filmmakers.
Superterranean picked up a nomination for “Best Screenplay” while Sair Ane was given a special award of “Best Lockdown Film”.
“The whole experience has been amazing. The films looked great on the big screen, the passion and support from the organisers as well as the enthusiasm from the audience really brought home what making films is all about. The lack of screenings over lockdown was a bitter pill to swallow after having worked on Superterranean for four years, that frustration is what led to me shooting a much more cathartic and provocative film in Sair Ane whilst under lockdown over the Christmas break last year.”
Superterranean tells the story of an injured climber, sheltering from a storm, who becomes suspicious of the stranger sharing his mountain bothy. Whilst in Sair Ane (Scots for “Sore One”), Ian plays a pharmaceutical engineer desperately trying to cure his own disease with disastrously gory and comical results.
Ian noted: “Sair Ane went down particularly well with the audience. They made some spectacular noises while the mayhem on screen was unfolding. It was unforgettable. My first question at the Q&A afterwards was: ‘What’s wrong with you, Ian?'”
Despite being filmed in his house under the strictest lockdown conditions, Ian did have a little help. He made use of his children as crew members and had help from 2 other School of Medicine staff: Henry Rae and Christal Grierson.
