SOFT (2007)
14:00 | Fiction | Cast: Jonny Phillips, Matthew O'Shea, Michael Socha.
A father rediscovers his fear of confrontation, at the worst possible time. Winner of Sundance International Jury Prize. Nominated for BAFTA Best Live Action Short and the European Academy Award for Best Short Film. Commissioned by UK Film Council & Film4.
External link - The Guardian review by Peter Bradshaw.
External link - Sight & Sound review.
Worldwide sales for this title are represented by Network Ireland Television.
When it was over I was lying on the sofa with a cushion on my face, whimpering in fear and paranoia. Ingenious and harrowing... left me reeling.
- Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)
“Up there with Michael Haneke's Hidden.”
- Encounters International Short Film Festival (UK) 2007
“A sucker-punch of a film that grabs the viewer's attention from the first frame and never lets go. Being topical and provocative are marks of a great short film but Soft was more than that - a movie you couldn't take your eyes off.”
- Edinburgh International Film Festival (UK) 2007
“A frighteningly realistic take on violence that deftly blends emotional complexity with a keen understanding of the darker side of youth culture.”
- Palm Springs International Short Film Festival (USA) 2007
“A powerful, dramatic short about a subject that all of us know in one form or another.”
- Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival (Canada) 2007
“A powerful piece of film summing up the UK zeitgeist of hoodies, happy-slapping and gang culture, while giving us a truthful character-driven drama of a son's disappointment with his father.”
- Hamburg International Short Film Festival (Germany) 2007
SCREENINGS /
Dresden International Short Film Festival / Germany (2007)
Pris de Courts International Short Film Festival / Paris (2007)
Krakow Film Festival / Poland (2007)
Hamburg Int'l Short Film Festival / Germany (2007) - AUDIENCE AWARD
Worldwide Short Film Festival / Toronto (2007) - BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Message to Man Film Festival / St. Petersburg, Russia (2007) BEST SHORT FICTION
Festival de Cine de Huesca / Spain (2007)
Capalbio Cinema Int'l Short Film Festival / Italy (2007) - BEST DIRECTION
European Short Film Biennale / Ludwigsburg, Germany (2007) - BEST SCREENPLAY
Curtas Vilo da Conde International Film Festival / Portugal (2007)
Brindisi International Film Festival / Italy (2007)
West Side Short Film Festival / Valletta, Malta (2007)
Cambridge Film Festival / UK (2007)
Belo Horizonte Int'l Short Film Festival / Brazil (2007) - BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT
Dokufest International Short Film Festival / Prizren, Kosovo (2007) - SPECIAL MENTION
Rushes Soho Shorts Festival / London, UK (2007) - SHORT FILM AWARD: RUNNER-UP
Monterrey International Film Festival, Mexico (2007)
Edinburgh International Film Festival / UK (2007) - PRIX UIP
Sarajevo Film festival / Bosnia and Herzegovina (2007)
Concorto Film Festival / Pontenure, Italy (2007) - BEST INTERNATIONAL FICTION
Palm Springs International Short Film Festival / USA (2007) - BEST OF THE FEST
1 Reel Film Festival / Seattle, USA (2007)
Silhouette Short Film Festival / Paris, France (2007)
North Cape Film Festival / Honningsvåg, Norway (2007)
Sapporo International Short Film Festival / Japan (2007)
Berwick-upon-Tweed Film & Media Arts Festival / UK (2007)
DC Shorts Film Festival / Washington, USA (2007) - AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
LA Shorts Fest / Los Angeles, USA (2007)
Atlantic Film Festival / Halifax, Canada (2007)
Drama International Short Film Festival / Greece (2007)
Athens International Film Festival / Greece (2007)
Milano Film Festival / Italy (2007) - STUDENTS JURY AWARD
Manhattan Short Film Festival / New York City, USA (2007) - BEST EDITING
Imago Int'l Film Festival / Fundão, Portugal (2007) - BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Hull International Short Film Festival / UK (2007)
Tinklai International Short Film Festival / Lithuania (2007)
Flanders International Film Festival Ghent / Belgium (2007)
Colchester International Short Film Festival / UK (2007) - BEST FILM
Cork International Film Festival / Ireland (2007)
FILMINI International Short Film Festival / Sofia, Bulgaria (2007)
St. John's International Women's Film Film Festival / Canada (2007)
Curtocircuito Int'l Short Film Festival / Santiago de Compostela, Spain (2007)
Uppsala International Short Film Festival / Sweden (2007)
Aarhus Film Festival / Denmark (2007)
NYC Shorts / New York City, USA (2007) - BEST DRAMA
International Festival Cinéma Tout Ecran / Geneva, Switzerland (2007) - BEST SHORT FILM
Asiana International Short Film Festival / Seoul, Korea (2007)
Seville Film Festival / Spain (2007)
Filmstock International Film Festival / Luton, UK (2007) - AUDIENCE AWARD
Winterthur International Short Film Festival / Switzerland (2007)
Interfilm International Short Film Festival / Berlin, Germany (2007) - BEST FILM
Tofifest International Film Festival / Torun, Poland (2007) - SPECIAL MENTION
WT Os International Film Festival / Norway (2007)
Cortopotere Short Film Festival / Bergamo, Italy (2007) - BEST FICTION SHORT
Alcine Film Festival / Alcalá de Henares, Spain (2007)
Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival / Toronto, Canada (2007)
Leeds International Film Festival / UK (2007)
MedFilm Festival / Rome, Italy (2007)
Sleepwalkers International Short Film Festival / Tallinn, Estonia (2007)
Ourense International Film Festival / Spain (2007) - BEST DIRECTION
DaKino International Film Festival / Bucharest, Romania (2007) - BEST SHORT FICTION
Exground Filmfest / Wiesbaden, Germany (2007)
Encounters International Short Film Festival / Bristol, UK (2007) - BEST BRITISH SHORT
San Francisco Short Film Festival, USA (2007)
Regensburger Kurzfilmwoche / Germany (2006) - SPECIAL MENTION
Short Cuts Cologne / Germany (2007)
Zwergwerk Oldenburger Filmtage, Germany (2006)
Cinemaiubit International Short Film Festival / Bucharest, Romania (2007)
Festival Tous Courts / Aix-en-Provence, France (2007) - YOUNG JURY AWARD
International Short Film Festival Leuven / Belgium (2007)
Eurostar London Coming Fim Festival / Paris, France (2007)
Northern Lights Film Festival / Newcastle, UK (2007)
Kalpanirjhar International Short Film Festival / Kolkata, India (2007)
London Short Film Festival / UK (2008) - TEENAGE JURY AWARD
Flickerfest International Short Film Festival / Sydney, Australia (2008) - SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Stuttgart Filmwinter / Germany (2008)
Sundance Film Festival / Utah, USA (2008) - INTERNATIONAL JURY PRIZE
International Film Festival Rotterdam / Netherlands (2008)
Victoria Film Festival / Canada (2008)
Portland International Film Festival / Oregon, USA (2008)
Glasgow Film Festival / Scotland, UK (2008)
!f Istanbul International Independent Film Festival / Turkey (2008)
The Indie Shorts Competition / Fort Lauderdale FL, USA (2008) - GRAND PRIZE
Miami International Film Festival / Florida, USA (2008)
Cinequest Film Festival / California, USA (2008) - L.A BAFTA
Tampere Film Festival / Finland (2008)
Sofia Film Festival / Bulgaria (2008)
Minimalen Short Film Festival / Trondheim, Norway (2008)
Cleveland International Film Festival / Ohio, USA (2008) - SPECIAL MENTION
International Human Rights Film Festival / Tirana, Albania (2008)
Future Film Festival / London, UK (2008)
European Film Festival of Lille / France (2008)
Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival / Serbia (2008)
AFI Dallas International Film Festival / Texas, USA (2008)
Bermuda International Film Festival (2008)
Festival Signes De Nuit / Paris, France (2008)
Atlanta Film Festival / Georgia, USA (2008)
Britspotting / Berlin, Germany (2008)
Nemo Film Festival / Paris, France (2008)
International Young Filmmakers Festival of Granada / Spain (2008)
Festival del Cinema Europeo / Lecce, Italy (2008)
Nashville Film Festival / Tennessee, USA (2008)
DeReel Independent Film Festival / Victoria, Australia (2008)
Newport Beach Film Festival / California, USA (2008)
Brussels Short Film Festival / Belgium (2008)
Mediawave International Film Festival / Gyor, Hungary (2008)
International Eskisehir Film Days / Turkey (2008)
Hightide Festival / Suffolk, UK (2008)
St. Kilda Film Festival / Melbourne, Australia (2008)
Delray Beach Film Festival / Florida, USA (2008)
Berkshire International Film Festival / Massachusetts, USA (2008)
VIS Vienna Independent Shorts / Austria (2008)
Transilvania International Film Festival / Cluj, Romania (2008)
Pris de Courts International Short Film Festival / Paris (2008)
Krakow Film Festival / Poland (2008)
Hamburg International Short Film Festival (Wall is a Screen) / Germany (2008)
BAM (Sundance) / New York, USA (2008)
Festroia International Film Festival / Setúbal, Portugal (2008)
Message to Man Film Festival / St. Petersburg, Russia (2008)
Kinemastik Short Film Festival / Gzira, Malta (2008)
In the Palace International Short Film Festival / Balchik, Bulgaria (2008) - SPECIAL MENTION
Artfilm International Film Festival / Trencianske Teplice, Slovakia (2008)
Stolac Film Festival / Bosnia and Herzegovina (2008)
Jerusalem International Film Festival / Israel (2008)
Tabor Film Festival / Desinic, Croatia (2008)
Kodak Short Film Awards / London, UK (2008) - BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival / Korea (2008)
Expresión en Corto Int'l Film Festival / San Miguel de Allende & Guanajuato, Mexico (2008)
Era New Horizons International Film Festival / Wroctaw, Poland (2008)
Belo Horizonte Int'l Short Film Festival / Brazil (2008)
Pleinbioscoop (Open Air Cinema) / Rotterdam, Netherlands (2008)
ISAFF Open Cinema / St. Petersburg, Russia (2008)
Open Air Filmfest Weiterstadt / Germany (2008)
Nordisk Panorama – 5 Cities Film Festival / Malmö, Sweden (2008)
Concorto Film Festival / Pontenure, Italy (2008)
Sapporo International Short Film Festival / Japan (2008)
International Best of Short Films Festival / La Ciotat, France (2008)
Helsinki International Film Festival / Finland (2008)
Ozone Film Festival / Louisiana, USA (2008)
Cologne Conference / Germany (2008)
Panorama of European Cinema / Athens, Greece (2008)
Drama International Short Film Festival / Greece (2008)
Curtocircuito Int'l Short Film Festival / Santiago de Compostela, Spain (2008)
Amsterdam International Film Festival / Netherlands (2008)
Festival de Cine Nacional Margarita / Venezuela (2008)
Uppsala International Short Film Festival / Sweden (2008)
British Film Week / Hanoi, Vietnam (2008)
Alter-native International Short Film Festival / Targu-Mures, Romania (2008)
Braunschweig International Film festival / Germany (2008)
Istanbul International Short Film Festival / Turkey (2008)
Alcine Film Festival / Alcalá de Henares, Spain (2008)
Aarhus Film Festival / Denmark (2008)
Prague Short Film Festival / Czech Republic (2008)
Sequence Short Film Festival / Toulouse, France (2008)
Janela Internacional de Cinema in Recife / Brazil (2008)
Exground Filmfest / Wiesbaden, Germany (2008)
Nordic Film Forum Scanorama / Vilnius/Kaunas/Klaipeda, Lithuania (2008)
Bratislava International Film Festival / Slovakia (2008)
British Independent Film Awards / London, UK (2008) - BEST SHORT FILM
European Short Film Festival / Cambrils-Reus, Spain (2009) - BEST EUROPEAN SHORT
Sofia International Film Festival / Bulgaria (2009)
Timishort Film Festival / Timisoara, Romania (2009)
Warsaw Short Film Festival / Poland (2009)
Expresión en Corto Int'l Film Festival / San Miguel de Allende & Guanajuato, Mexico (2009)
Dinard British Film Festival (Kodak Showcase), France (2009)
ARC Shorts / Stockton on Tees, UK (2009)
Alcine Film Festival / Alcalá de Henares, Spain (2009)
Interfilm International Short Film Festival (Best of) / Berlin, Germany (2009)
Britspotting (Best of) / Berlin, Germany (2009)
EU Shorts Festival / Budapest, Hungary (2009)
Red Hot Shorts / Melbourne, Australia (2009)
FilmDayton / Ohio, USA (2010)
GoShort International Short Film Festival / Nijmegen, Netherlands (2010)
Brest European Short Film Festival / France (2010)
Uppsala International Short Film Festival / Sweden (2010)
The Young Artists Society (UKS) / Oslo, Norway (2011)
Filmwinter Festival for Expanded Media / Stuttgart, Germany (2011)
Mecal International Short Film Festival / Barcelona, Spain (2011)
Silhouette Short Film Festival ('Best Of' Programme)/ Paris, France (2011)
Reading Music Festival (Cinema Tent) / UK (2011)
Leeds Music Festival (Cinema Tent) / UK (2011)
Iraq Short Film Festival / Baghdad (2011)
The 8th Berlin International Directors Lounge / Germany (2012)
Shorts Attack / Berlin, Germany (2012)
Mudgee International Short Film Festival / New South Wales, Australia (2013)
Eskisehir International Film Festival / Turkey (2013)
InterPLAY Film Festival / Alberta, Canada (2013)
Partie(s) de Campagne / Morvan, Burgundy, France (2013)
Pluk de Nacht Open Air Film Festival / Amsterdam, Netherlands (2013)
Milano Film Festival / Italy (2013)
Uppsala International Short Film Festival / Sweden (2013)
Shorts 4 Talks / London, UK (2013)
Tampere Film Festival / Finland (2014)
Erarta Motion Pictures / St. Petersburg, Russia (2014)
Message to Man Film Festival / St. Petersburg, Russia (2014)
Shortvisions International Short Film Festival / Ningbo, China (2014)
Festival Internacional de Curtmetratges Mas Sorrer / Spain (2014)
10 Years of Film4 Shorts / Somerset House, London (2014)
London Short Film Festival / UK (2015)
Regensburg Kurzfilmwoche / Germany (2015)
Dotdotdot Short Film Festival / Vienna, Austria (2015)
Le Long Week-End du Court / Trois Rivieres, Québec, Canada (2015)
Zubroffka International Short Film Festival / Białystok, Poland (2019)