RAGS IN COMPETITION

RAGS to screen in competition at Huesca and Oxford International Film Festivals

Co-produced by Partizan, Size 9  Productions and Blonde to Black Pictures, RAGS was written and directed by award winning director and photographer Tom Beard. The film has recently been accepted as the only UK entrant in the prestigious ‘International Short Film Contest’ at one of the world’s pre-eminent short film festivals taking place in June in Huesca, Spain.

RAGS is an unflinching, powerful visualization of one young girl’s life, where revelations of sexual abuse are unravelled and shown to be perpetrated by the hand of the very person meant to protect her.

A hard-hitting but sensitively portrayed story, RAGS was shot with the help of The Big House charity, who work with care leavers at a high risk of social exclusion, and provide a platform for them to participate in drama, and to have their voices heard.

We were immensely proud that RAGS sold out two acclaimed screenings at the world-famous Prince Charles Cinema in London’s Leicester Square, was selected for the 2015 London Short Film Festival, and has since starting gaining attention on the international film festival circuit.

With that in mind we’re really excited to announce that RAGS has been accepted into the International Short Film Contest at Huesca International Film Festival. In its 44th year the Academy recognised ‘Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca’ aims to promote cinematographic culture through innovative work in the short film field.

The world-renowned festival is described by Variety as “Spain’s top short film festival…placing a special emphasis on new talent,” it has a longstanding affinity with Latin America cinema and independent European filmmaking. ScreenDaily goes onto note the festival reflects the enduring “importance of the short film format as a calling card for young talents,” a point emphasised by the fact that the winners in the main categories are automatically qualified to enter the Short Film contest at the Oscars. We’ll be keeping everything crossed.

Before that however, RAGS will be screened as part of the official selection of another international film festival closer to home – the inaugural Oxford International Film Festival. Film-News calls it an “intimate and eloquent filmmaker festival,” while Film FreeWay explains OXIFF is clearly “ambitious and striving to become a world renowned event on the film making calendar,” to this end they have carefully curated a mix of local and international film produced by a vast array of talent such as Bryan Singer, Stephen Fry and Sir Derek Jacobi – so RAGS writer/director Tom Beard finds himself in good company!

London-born Tom spent his formative years snapping record covers for Florence and The Machine, Jamie T and Adele, More recently he has been garnering plaudits as an emerging young filmmaking talent, writing and directing 2012’s darkly comic DINOSAURS FULL THROTTLE, followed by ALBERT CAMUS: THE SEA CLOSE BY, and the Raindance Festival selected GENERATION OF VIPERS.

RAGS stars Daniel Mays, the award-winning actor who has worked with a veritable who’s who of British independent cinema and TV, such as Mike Leigh, Neil Jordan, Antonia Bird and Jimmy Mcgovern; alongside JANE EYRE’s Amelia Clarkson and HARRY POTTER’s Abby Ford.

 RAGS will be screened at the Phoenix Picture House in Oxford, on Sunday 29^th at 17:45.  The 44^th Huesca International Film Festival takes place between the 17^th and 25^th June.