BFI London Film Festival: Debate Shorts - Last Man Standing is a Girl

BFI London Film Festival: 238 films. From 71 countries. 16 cinemas. 12 days. One Festival.

The role of young women in contemporary society is complex and never less than topical. The young women here show how strong they can be under pressure, displaying an independence and a survival instinct when so much seems stacked against them. Some of the films may be harrowing, but there is also a joyous celebration.

(Notes by Philip Ilson)

Groove is in the Heart (dir. Bijan Sheibani, UK 2014, 6 mins)
A tale of music and memory is unspooled through a schoolgirl’s mixtape.

At the Jiznak Estate [Na Jižňáku] (dir. Jan Vondrácek, Czech Republic 2014, 7 mins)
A young girl sneaks out of the house one evening to see her classmates.

A Girl's Day (dir. Rosa Hannah Ziegler, Germany 2014, 16 mins)
Yasmin is searching for happiness and trying to understand her life, as well as dealing with the difficult relationship with her ex-heroin addict mother.

Tuesday Sali (dir. Ziya Demirel, Turkey-France 2015, 12 mins)
A young girl encounters three different men on her way to school, she plays basketball and eventually takes a bus home.

Catwalk (dir. Ninja Thyberg, Sweden 2015, 10 mins)
Ella realises the importance of fashion and starts rebelling against her childhood.

The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul (dir. Kitty Green, Ukraine-Australia 2014, 7 mins)
Adorned in pink sequins, little girls from across a divided Ukraine audition to play the role of Olympic champion figure skater Oksana Baiul.

Beneath The Spaceship [Under Rymdskeppet](dir. Caroline Ingvarsson, Sweden 2015, 15 mins)
A teenage girl has a friendly relationship with an older neighbour, but things begin to take a darker turn.

A Few Seconds [Quelques Seconds] (dir. Nora El Hourch, France 2015, 16 mins)
Five girls living in a women’s centre are all haunted by their traumatised past, which has included sexual and physical assault as well as abandonment.

Rate Me (dir. Fyzal Boulifa, UK 2015, 17 mins)
A fascinating portrait of a teenage escort, Coco.

Total running time: 105 mins.