Made by festival alumnus, Rob Grant (Yesterday SFL 8), DESOLATE is probably best described as sci-fi mumblecore: lo-no budget and completely improvised around a simple basic story concept.

In this case, a young man is coming to grips with reality after breaking up with his long-term girlfriend. This all occurs in the shadow of a catastrophic explosion in the city that is initially reported as an accident in a chemical plant, but soon conflicting information appears on the news and no one is sure what really happened, but it was clearly something more sinister than a simple explosion or even a terrorist attack.

Taking its lead from recent horror films, a lot of the action takes place off camera, not only to save money but also to create a sense of anticipation and foreboding.

A gripping film in its own right, it is recommended viewing for any wannabe filmmaker who keeps finding excuses not to make a film. Shot with a single DSLR (and not even a top-of-the-range model) and some basic, borrowed, sound equipment it shows what can be done with a good idea and the determination to do something, and at the fraction of the cost of a term’s fees for film school. We also recommend you visit the film’s website to find out how it was made. Who knows, it could be your film here next year.

Improvised script, no budget, excellent film – come see it!