• Birthday Girl

    Directed by Portia A. Buckley
    UK | 17 minutes |

Set in Manchester’s notorious Moss Side, a single mother’s 43rd birthday party ends in disaster when her lover unexpectedly arrives and clashes with her overprotective son.

In competition for Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes

film synopsis

film details

Director: Portia A. Buckley
Producers: Michael Lindley, Jason Maza
Screenwriter: Michael Lindley, Portia A. Buckley
Cinematographers: Adric Watson
Editor: Harry Cepka
Cast: Rebecca Callard, David Judge, Curtis Flowers
Country: UK
Language: English
Year: 2019
Running Time: 17 minutes
Primary Company: Afternoon Pictures
Contact Email: office@afternoonpictures.com
Website: https://www.afternoonpictures.com/

director biography

Portia A. Buckley is a British film-maker who completed her MFA in Writing & Directing Film at Tisch, NYU (2019). Raised in London, she graduated from the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art, receiving a Distinction for her Masters, ‘Documentary, Photography & Film in Contemporary Art’ (2014). Portia is interested in merging the line between documentary and fiction as a way of highlighting contemporary socio-economic issues.

a word from director Portia A. Buckley

"BIRTHDAY GIRL is set in Moss Side, Manchester, a place synonymous throughout the UK with stories of gang culture, which have for years been the subject of nothing more than tabloid sensationalism and has never been depicted on screen. After spending time in the area and working with its community, my goal was to bring to light the stories I recorded of resilient single mothers, toxic masculinity, rudderless young men and absentees fathers." 

2020 ShortFest Archive