Family and religious ties are often very similar, and sometimes one and the same, as the characters in this first batch of British shorts know all too well. Whether it’s coming out, coping with grief, or meeting the expectations of others, they explore what it means to shield our private lives from those closest to us, in stories that are funny, sad, poignant and occasionally shocking. From unlikely weddings to arranged marriages, and from illicit love affairs to family secrets, these five short films cover a whole spectrum of experience and emotion.

Poof
Dean Anderson | UK | 16min

Lehenga
Nathalia Syam | UK | 4min

Courted
Andres Heger Bratterud | UK | 22min

Wren Boys
Harry Lighton | UK | 11min

Clothes & Blow
Sam Peter Jackson | UK | 23min