BFI FUTURE FILM FESTIVAL 2025
Archie Rowell
RALPH
FESTIVAL SCREENING
Thursday Shorts 20th Feb, 2025
FEB, 2, 2025
After the sudden loss of his mother, Ralph sits to look through the memories left behind of their cherished time together.
Hi Archie, how does it feel to be at the BFI Future Film Festival with Ralph?
It’s really exciting! I’ll be at the festival for a few days - Ralph is screening on the Thursday where there’s also some really exciting events happening too. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone.
How important are festivals like BFI Future Film Festival, in creating a platform for short films and filmmakers?
Film festivals create a brilliant platform for emerging filmmakers to showcase their films, meet new people and also collect potential accolades for their work which can take their career to the next level as they build their reputation. Meeting other creatives and likeminded people is a huge benefit for those at film festivals…especially for those like us from rural backgrounds where these type of events don’t happen.
It can feel disheartening when looking at the sheer amount of people making films and people who struggle to make it work. But, what great events like BFI Future Film Festival do is prove that it isn’t a competition, all of these people have made brilliant things and want to make more!
Short films are a vital medium in the film industry, yet there are few opportunities for the public, outside of festivals, to see them. What more can be done to make short films more visible and accessible to the wider cinema audiences?
It’s about audience behaviour and taking the film to the people that you want to see it. In the theatre world, we talk a lot about engagement work, which references going out into the community and taking work and processes to them. For a touring circus show, this might be a couple of the performers going into schools or care homes and teaching them how they can spin plates and do some of the tricks they see on stage. This approach shows people that they can do it, the work is exciting, and they are cared about by the industry/society which in turn feeds the wider public opinion of the art form.
I’m not sure the exact approach is replicable for short film, but I do think that as a film community we could be thinking of more ways to get work in front of audiences. Is your film about the elderly care system? Then maybe as part of the production, you could pair with a charity such as AGEUK and organise some screenings in care homes, on their website, or cheekily ask whether they could help subsidise the cost of a theatre hire to screen your work. Film funders and companies should assist with this, which would enable the film industry’s new work to reach audiences it wouldn’t do otherwise and help the industry sustain itself.
How essential is the creative collaboration between you and your co-producer and DOP Elliot Millson team when shooting a project like this?
Totally essential. The life of making films or any type of art is all about people and who you surround yourself with. I’m very lucky that Elliot and I started collaborating when we did because we’ve both been forging a career at the same time and helping each other out when able to. He’s a ridiculously talented cinematographer and has an in-depth understanding of all technical aspects behind making films & I’m pretty good at bringing people together and pushing stuff forward.
Ralph was no different, it was a total team effort between myself, Elliot, Fergus (BTS and Assistant), Mark (Actor) and Betty (Fergus’ dog).
Can you tell me a little bit about how Ralph came about? What was the inspiration behind your screenplay?
Back in 2023, Elliot saw that CANON were running a competition called Stories in Motion which was looking for new sub-5-minute short films. We hadn’t made one before, so set out to make something special and emotive, that champions the Dorset landscape.
I wrote a script in an evening, sent it to Elliot, got told it was the same as the first short film we made back in 2022 just with different characters, so I went back to the basics and thought: who can I write a story about/who would I like to dedicate a film to? and I landed on my Mum who solely brought me up as a child (and is still very much alive).
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What were the biggest challenges you faced making Ralph, and what was the message you wanted to convey with this film?
We had a month until the deadline for CANON: Stories in Motion, but only 3 days where both Elliot and I were free to film it which meant that we didn’t have a lot of time to plan or prep. March in the UK is also notorious for changing weather conditions which meant that we had to deal with (and make work in the film) sunshine, rain, hail and a sudden snow storm – all of which made it into the film, and in the end, complimented the story we were trying to tell.
I think with a film about grief and darker subject matters, it’s really important to sit in that feeling, but also find light in the darkness. This film is shining potential hope on whatever comes next, it’s a picture of Dorset’s varied landscape and I hope an audience is able to walk away from its screening with a sense of positivity and reflection.
Did you have any apprehension about writing and directing a short that you also appear in?
Usually I would have done, but in this context I didn’t at all. Acting is actually where the majority of my eggs lie, I’d usually struggle to put myself in things because it can feel ego-driven (for me), but because we were working towards a deadline and RALPH was a passion project for both Elliot and I, it actually felt right to.
How close did you like to stick to your screenplay once you start shooting. Or do you give yourself some flexibility?
We stuck very closely to the script, if you watch the film you’ll be able to see that that wasn’t too difficult. The big change was the ending, which was supposed to be on a rowing boat, but due to the weather, we weren’t able to make that happen - I’m glad we weren’t because the current conclusion of the story is much more fluid.
Was there any one scene that was particularly tricky for you to shoot?
The last scene. It was genuinely freezing.
What was the most valuable lesson you discovered about yourself as a filmmaker during the making of Ralph?
It’s really important to make stuff for yourself.
Where did your passion for filmmaking come from?
It came out of a need to make things. Growing up in rural Dorset, there aren’t professional development pathways to take or schemes you can do down here to get you into the creative industries. Every young person I know down here makes things because they love it and they also have to.
How much does does your background in theatre help inform your approach to your filmmaking?
Almost all of the films we make have a theatrical element to them, and weirdly recently, our theatre has started to gain filmic elements as well. OffPiste’s and my personal directing aim is to ‘explore the gaps between people’ which is both literal and metaphorical. I love the contrast between wide and tiny spaces, as well as the literal space between people when they engage with each other. But also asking the question why is there such a gap between this person and this person? which might for instance be a different generational viewpoint on a subject.
The one thing I’ve learned from theatre which has really benefited the way I make and direct films is the idea of ensemble.
If everyone on set is a little cog in this big machine, then it’s really important to make sure that everyone is able to function and make the best work possible while working towards the same goal. You’ve brought these people onto set for a reason, trust in their ability.
"I love movement on film, I love stories about people and I love wide lenses."
Moving forward, what themes and subjects are you looking to explore with future films?
We’re currently trying to get our next short off the ground called‚ Lily-Rose‘ which explores the idea of family caring for family and delirium in the elderly, which is loosely based on when my Mum cared for her own Mother for four years in Granny’s old home.
It’s a film that touches on generational differences, the care system, the film industry and the reality of what delirium can inflict on the elderly (which is mirrored in the visual language of the film itself).
Also, Elliot and I recently received a bursary from the Almeida Theatre to create a solo film about ROOTS, Dorset and Absent Fathers. It was received really well at the screening, picked up by MAST Mayflower for a residency and is now in development as a one man theatre show.
Who are some of the filmmakers that have inspired you?
I’m really bad at these questions because I embarrassingly don’t watch enough films or theatre at all, and I’ve always struggled to name styles that have inspired how I make work.
I love movement on film, I love stories about people and I love wide lenses.
My top three films (which changes day-to-day) are currently:
- The Blues Brothers
- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
- Casino Royale
Honourable Mentions: I, Robot, District 9, Sunshine on Leith
Is there any advice you wish you had been given when you started your filmmaking journey?
- Ask for help
- When your film is finished, the job is only half done.
And finally, what message would you want your audiences to take away from Ralph?
Just keep going.