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31st August 2006
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DramaComedyDocumentaryAnimationExperimentalMusic
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Telling Lies
Simon Ellis
average rating from 40 members 
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comedy | 2000 | East Midlands | 4 min |
Published 22 Nov 05
A comedy of errors and erroneous information told entirely in animated captions.
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very strong language
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synopsis
A funny tale of modern manners and communication breakdown is told entirely in animated captions.
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short fact
The idea for the film hit me when I sat through a festival screening of a poorly-subtitled Spanish film. Simple spelling mistakes made serious scenes amusing, and by the time the screening had finished I had decided on the premise, the amount of characters, and even their 'colours'.

I wrote the script that same evening while I was kept awake by the snoring of a filmmaker I was sharing a room with. Returning home all excited, I pitched it for two separate commissions and was rejected for both, meeting some fierce resistance and harsh feedback along the way.

It is still the most successful out of my fifteen shorts, so the moral of the story is: if the funders say no, make it anyway.
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crew
cast
  • Tim Cunningham
  • Sarah Tutt
  • Juliet Jones
  • Shaun Mechen
  • Penn Linfield
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festivals, awards and screenings include:
  • Bang, London 2001
  • Raindance Film Festival, London 2001
  • The BBC British Short Film Festival, London 2001
  • Shorts! International Film Festival, Amsterdam 2001
  • Brief Encounters, Bristol 2000
  • Resfest, World Tour, 2001
  • Short Cuts Cologne, Germany 2001
  • Cork Film Festival, Ireland 2001
  • Kino, Manchester 2001
  • Stuttgart Filmwinter, Germany, 2001
  • Slamdance Film Festival, Utah US 2001
  • Transmediale International Media Art Festival, Berlin 2001
  • Bradford Film Festival 2001
  • Bermuda International Film Festival 2001
  • Houston Worldfest 2001
  • Britspotting (British Independent Film Festival � 3 screenings), Berlin 2001
  • Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival, Canada 2001
  • Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia 2001
  • Kilkenny Cat Laughs Festival, Ireland 2001
  • Splitski Film Festival, Croatia 2001
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    format
    Super 8
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    � 2000 Simon Ellis & Network Ireland Television

    comments
    comment by Jeff  Prince
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    posted 4 Weeks Ago

    Simple. Unique. Interesting. Superb!
    comment by michelle  heighway
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    posted Apr 12, 2006


    I really liked this. If some one was to explain the concept I wouldn�t have thought it would have worked so well, however I loved it. Philip's voice tone was infectious and the scenario was amusing.

    I really loved the whole concept of been able to intrude and see the true meanings of what they were thinking along with listening to what they were saying!!!
    comment by claud  cunningham
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    posted Mar 18, 2006

    very funny and original. However I had difficulty keeping up with flashing single words on the screen
    comment by Jesse  Malone
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    posted Feb 17, 2006

    I liked this very much - the dialogue was well written and believable to real life - like listening to radio with Goon-effect clapboards - the only thing I would say is the acting was a bit over hammed in places and natural in others - but it did make me laugh - thanks!
    Image Jesse  Malone is Casting Director and a member of Film Network's Industry Panel.
    comment by Bill  Templeton
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    posted Feb 15, 2006

    Hilarious! Cuts cleanly through the crap we all spout without thinking. Pity we can't see the subtitles in real life...
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    world sales & distribution by
    Network Ireland Television

    funded by
    EM Media

    selected by
    This film was selected by Brief Encounters Short Film Festival

    more shorts with similar themes

    This film is included in the film catalogue under the following themes:

    Brief Encounters

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