The Veiled City

13 mins / 2023 / 16mm

A speculative city symphony inspired by London’s Great Smog of 1952. Merging reality with fiction, The Veiled City invites us to understand the smog in the context of the present-day climate crisis.

"This film brought archival footage to a new life, retelling history in a modern and restorative way. Through thoughtful and vivid editing, the film captures an atmosphere, that speaks volumes about the past, our present, and the future, through the lens of unsustainability and decay." Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards 2024

"Through meticulously chosen fragments and dreamlike archival footage of this well-known city, a cautionary tale about industrialisation unfolds before us. A timeless voice is taking us on a sci-fi time travel odyssey to an unavoidable future. The eerie and delicate editing mixed with heartfelt narrated letters bewitched us in this poetic yet dark subject matter that is climate change. For this humble and experimental approach to documentary cinema, the award for Best Documentary of the International Competition goes to THE VEILED CITY." Jury for the International Competition, Curtas Vila do Conde


Official Selections 2023/24:

• 02/23 Berlinale, Shorts Competition, 2023 (World Premiere)
• 06/23 Vienna Shorts, International Competition, Austria
• 07/23 Curtas Vila do Conde, International Competition, Portugal (Winner: Best Documentary)
• 07/23 Sundance London, Best of UK Shorts
• 09/23 Festival du Nouveau Cinema Montreal, Nouveaux Alchimistes Competition, Canada
• 10/23 FIDBA, International Shorts Competition, Argentina
• 10/23 Uppsala Short Film Festival, International Competition, Sweden (Winner: Short Film Candidate for European Film Awards)
• 10/23 Archivio Aperto, International Competition, Italy
• 11/23 Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Documentary Competition, UK
• 11/23 Zinebi Bilbao, International Competition, Spain (Winner: Oscar Qualifying Mikeldi for Best Documentary Short Film)
• 11/23 Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, International Competition, Switzerland
• 11/23 Interfilm Berlin, International Competition, Germany
• 11/23 Short Film Festival Cologne, International Competition, Germany
• 01/24 London Short Film Festival, National Competition, UK
• 01/24 Flickerfest International Short Film Festival, Documentary Competition, Australia
• 01/24 Vilnius Short Film Festival, International Competition, Lithuania
• 03/24 Prague Shorts, Labo Competition, Czech Republic
• 03/24 Tampere Film Festival, International Competition, Finland
• 03/24 Glasgow Short Film Festival, Special Archive Programme, Scotland
• 03/24 Akbank Short Film Festival, International Competition, Turkey
• 04/24 FilmFest Dresden, Special Programme, Germany
• 04/24 Las Palmas, Bande á Part Competition, Spain
• 05/24 Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival, Asian Premiere, Taiwan
• 05/24 CineGlobe Film Festival at CERN, International Competition, Switzerland (Winner: Special Jury Prize)
• 05/24 Sprouts Film Festival, Eco Shorts Competition, The Netherlands
• 06/24 Palm Springs International ShortFest, International Competition, U.S.
• 06/24 Huesca International Film Festival, International Competition, Spain (Winner: Documentary Debut Award)
• 06/24 FINCA, Environmental Film Festival, International Competition, Argentina (Winner: Best Short Film)
• 07/24 Lago Film Festival, International Competition, Italy (Winner: UNICEF Young Adults Award)
• 08/24 Concorto Film Festival, Special Programme, Italy
• 08/24 Montenegro Film Festival, International Competition, Montenegro
• 08/24 MakeDox, International Competition, Macedonia
• 08/24 Drim Short Film Festival, International Competition, Macedonia
• 08/24 Interaction Short Docs, International Competition, Serbia
• 08/24 Braziers International Film Festival, Shorts Competition, UK
• 09/24 Chicago Underground Film Festival, International Shorts Competition, USA
• 10/24 Dinard Film Festival, ShortCuts Competition, France
• 10/24 Science New Wave Festival, International Shorts Competition, USA
• 11/24 Braga Science Film Fest, International Competition, Portugal
• 12/24 Leuven Int. Short Film Festival, Best of European Film Awards, Belgium
• 01/25 British Shorts Berlin, Documentary Competition, Germany

Awards:

• Winner: British Short Film of the Year, London Critics Circle, 2024
• Nominee: Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards 2024
• Winner: Mikeldi for Best Documentary Short Film, Zinebi Bilbao, 2023 (Oscar Qualifying)
• Winner: Best Documentary, Curtas Vila do Conde, 2023
• Winner: Special Jury Prize, CineGlobe Film Festival at CERN, 2024
• Winner: Documentary Debut Award, Huesca International Film Festival, 2024
• Winner: Best Short Film, FINCA, International Environmental Film Festival, 2024
• Winner: UNICEF Young Adults Award, Lago Film Fest, 2024
• Nominee: Best Short Documentary, IDA Documentary Awards, 2023

Credits:

Funded by BFI Doc Society