Overview
UPPER AIR is an offbeat comedy-drama short set in an iconic Cumbrian landscape.
Synopsis
It’s the end of the summer when Ethan and Sam head into the English Lake District for the weekend looking for some quiet time together. On arrival, they encounter Isaac - an eccentric elderly resident who has made their *bothy of choice his temporary home. Over the course of the day they must navigate this unexpected third-wheel’s quirks while discovering more about his unusual circumstances.
By nightfall, a rapport has formed between the three unlikely bunk-mates, one that puts them in an odd position when, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Isaac’s family comes knocking.
*bothy ~ a small hut or cottage, especially one for housing farm labourers or for use as a mountain refuge.
Release and reception
Upper Air premiered at Manchester Film Festival (MANIFF), a BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying UK festival.
It was selected to screen for the enjoyment of local audiences at Yorkshire's International Rural Film Festival Hinterlands and at the Osprey Short Film Awards, part of the Keswick International Film Festival, Cumbria. The short was additionally programmed by festivals outside the UK, receiving nominations and awards.
Selected By:
- Manchester International Film Festival (2022)
- Hinterlands International Rural Film Festival, Yorkshire (2023)
- Osprey Short Film Awards, Keswick Film Festival, Cumbria (2023)
Shortlisted By:
- Lonely Wolf Film Festival - Nominee (2023)
- London International Filmmakers Festival - Semi-Finalist (2022)
- Berlin Shorts Award - Semi-Finalist (2022)
- Monte Carlo Movie Awards - Semi-Finalist (2022)
- Stockholm City Film Festival - Finalist (2021)
Awarded By:
- Berlin Indie Film Festival - Best Cinematography (2022)
Cast
Louis Cunningham ~ Ethan
Eleanor D'Souza ~ Sam
Lionel Playford ~ Isaac's Son | Art Dep.
Peter Macqueen ~ Isaac
Crew
- Producer | Casting Director
- Olivia Bradley
- Producer | 1st Assistant Director
- Bruno Atkinson
- Sound Recordists
- Nancy Case
Dylan Byrne - Cinematography | Edit Assistant | Colourist
- Ollie Lansdell
- Producer | Editor | Writer & Director
- Theodore Simmons
- Sound Designer
- Guy Henderson
- Music
- Pecq: Hannah Jacobs, Nicholas O'Brien, Orchestra of St Johns
- Associate Producers (key supporters)
- Andrew Gale
Seth King
Lakeem Rose
Annie Flynn
Nadine Staes-Polet
Liz Stevenson
Jezian Tudor
Production and Funding
Crowdfunded + self-funded
