Masha Thorpe
Producer
A Night of Shorts
Curated screening nights, platforming films made by women
Public and Private, March 2025
The fifth iteration of A Night of Shorts was held at The Social.
Platforming films which responded to Gaze. Secret thoughts, public footage, private movements, kept or left in the dark, things said and unsaid 〜
In conversation with Rita Maria Conry (Director/Editor & One half of OffBeat @offbeatfilm) at the start of the screening to talk about THE ARCHIVE.
To close I chatted to Klara Kaliger, about her film Hope and Beans as well as
Curated by Masha Thorpe, and hosted by Fade Street Studios.
Gaze, October 2024
The fourth iteration of A Night of Shorts was held in Dublin at Fade Street Studios.
Platforming films which responded to Gaze. What gaze does, how it affects or shapes spaces, orders, strips, conceals, or reveals. Looking for films which are interested in medical or unusual ways and forms looking, being seen - or not - being looked at too much or not enough. Puzzles, and mazes, searching for lost objects or attempting to remember them in your mind’s eye.
In conversation with Elena Horgan at the start of the screening to introduce her film Cumha. Elena is a filmmaker as well as a youth and community worker from Cork, living in Dublin City. With an interest in personal filmmaking, she believes that the arts are an amazing tool for self actualisation, understanding and reflection.
To close we chatted to Tara O’Callaghan about her film Call Me Mommy. Award-winning director Tara O’Callaghan is a rising star. Dynamic, experimental and constantly pushing creative boundaries; her love for realism is often blended in a visually experiential journey. She combines surrealism with expressionistic editing for a unique feeling. with her style cutting through narrative to reveal the underlying emotional core. From Kinsale Shark Awards and Vimeo Staff Picks to Galway Film Fleadh, Tara continues to demand attention.
Curated in collaboration with Irish filmmaker Marion Bergin, and hosted by Fade Street Studios.
Movement Through Cityscapes and Landscapes, March 2024
The third evening hosted films which responded to the theme of Movement Between Cityscapes and Landscapes. The short films all respond to the idea of moving within, in between and beyond cityscapes and landscapes.
In conversation with Lily Tiger Tonkin-Wells writer/director of SHE SELLS SHELLFISH and Maxine Gordon, producer of THE ARCHIVE: QUEER NIGERIANS.
Lily started her art education in Coleg Sir Gar, in Carmarthen, Wales. She is currently studying BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins. In 2020, she studied on the Espace Urbain Erasmus programme in La Cambre, Brussels. She has also worked and lived in Copenhagen as Molly Haslund’s artist assistant, and later in Cardiff, supporting the arts organisation tactileBosch. This summer she will spend a month residency in Iceland with sound/sculpture artist Lilja Asmundsdottir. Lily works across video, sculpture, ceramics and drawing. Her style is playful and weird, exploring themes of human and non-human relations, and examining processes of production and consumption through the lens of the surreal. She considers her pen and ink drawings as imaginative meanderings in and out of these subjects.
Maxine is a trained broadcast journalist, after a stint working for numerous record labels (BMG, Virgin), she worked in television production for over ten years for the BBC, C4 and several independent companies (ITN, RDF, Flame), producing award-winning documentaries. THE ARCHIVE: QUEER NIGERIANS is her latest project.
The programme was curated by Masha Thorpe and Lia Gomez-Lang, and the evening was hosted by The Social.
Alternatives, January 2024
The second evening hosted films which responded to the theme of Alternatives - living alternatively or in opposition, feeling different or differently, what could have been, what should have been, what hasn’t yet been.
In conversation with fellow producer Lia Gomez-Lang and Louisa Rechenbach.
Lia is a producer from London working in production and script development, with a focus on developing emotionally complex narrative films. As well as producing her own work, she freelances as a script reader for A24 and in production roles across commercial and music video work. As a co-director of RAX Films, she has produced two narrative short films. Something Else received sponsorship from Panavision and Panalux through Girls in Film’s PanaGiF scheme, and is currently running its festival circuit.
Louisa is an award winning documentary filmmaker passionate about exploring the intersection of art and social commentary. Her work focuses on creating character-driven narratives that shed light on important social issues. Louisa's first short film THEY (2019) is a portrait of a family raising their child with a gender open approach. The film has been selected by the 2019 BFI London Film Festival and was screened at a number of international film festivals. While studying at the University of the Arts London, Louisa was recognised by one of the most prestigious events in UK documentary film - the Grierson Awards. She was shortlisted in the All3Media: Best Student Documentary category. Over the past few years, Louisa has been involved in four commissioned documentary projects for The New Yorker and The New York Times and most recently was selected by the BFI and Doc Society to attend CPH:DOX 2023 as part of their official UK Producers Delegation.
The evening was curated by Masha Thorpe via Girls in Film Network, and was hosted by The Social.
The Body, August 2023
A Night of Shorts began as a fundraiser for Blue Buttercream film, but it’s main incentive was to showcase the incredible work of female filmmakers, directors and screenwriters working right now.
The first evening hosted films which responded to ideas around ideas the body ~ “the inside of the outside”.
The night included a conversation with filmmaker Paolina Stefani about her film MATRIOSCA, a film about her family’s shared trait - big teeth.
Paolina a London and Milan based storyteller, director and editor from Lucca, Italy, where she was born from a dutch/belgian mother and italian father. Just graduated from Central Saint Martins, London, her practice revolves around storytelling. Through film and multidisciplinary design her goal is to facilitate stories that are socially and humanly engaged with a specific focus on women. Through writing and image she aims at becoming a translator and interpreter of universal feelings.
The evening was curated by Masha Thorpe via Girls in Film Network, and was hosted by The Social.
