At last week’s Isle of Wight Film Festival, our intern, Rosie Saban, had the opportunity to chat with filmmakers after screening of short films. Ed
At last week’s screenings of short films, I was lucky enough to catch Brian Harley’s ‘Eventide’ and what a spectacular film that was.
Shot as almost a eulogy, it depicts a young man’s loss of a loved one, by looking at who the person that passed had been, what precisely made him ‘him’; his unique qualities, his flaws, highlighting the complexity of all individuals past and present.
Award-winning short
Brian Harley, the filmmaker was actually in the audience which gave me an excellent opportunity to learn a bit more about the film and its making.
He tells me it has been shown at many other film festivals, was selected for Worcestershire Film Festival and has won a few awards.
Particularly impressive in light of the fact it was shot on a non-existent budget, relying solely on a currency of favours. Brian believes its success is due to the depth of feeling he was able to tap into due to his own personal experience of loss.
“Belongs to the people”
It has a certain understated dimension to it, is poetically written, and possesses a level of simplicity that makes it relatable.
This is proven to be the case, Brian mentions that he has had many emails from viewers at other locations remarking of how well it captured emotions they themselves had felt.
Verifying what a humble man he is, Brian goes on to say that he feels that ‘Eventide’ no longer belongs to him, it belongs to the people that watch it and interpret it in a way personal to their own life.
