The Playlist team spends of lot of time watching, debating and writing about films, but when the lights are turned off at the office each evening, our passion for the medium doesn’t end there. Over the years, the site has seen contributors take their love of cinema and put it into practice. Filmmaker and Playlister Christopher Jason Bell (“The Winds That Scatter“) has been steadily developing his craft, and also turning his creative efforts to film is our Senior Features Writer Oliver Lyttelton, and today we couldn’t be prouder and happier to exclusively debut “The Listener.”
Penned by Lyttelton, and directed by Michael Gilhooly, the 23-minute picture features a strong cast including Amit Shah (“The Hundred Foot-Journey,” Andy Serkis‘ currently filming “Breathe” with Andrew Garfield), Joanna Horton (“Fish Tank“), Guy Henry (“Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows“) and Tony-nominated Harriet Walter (who you might’ve last seen as the nurse flirting with Chewbacca in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens“).
Even more, the short has hit festivals including the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Palm Springs International ShortFest, and was honored by being long-listed for the Best Short Film BAFTA award.
But beyond all that, it’s a crackingly clever and entertaining film, set in a dystopian, surveillance state future, where Jeremy, a Listener, finds his loyalty to the Directorate challenged when he befriends a new colleague.
We hope you check it out. I realize we’re shining a light on one of our own, but with the talent displayed here by Lyttelton, Gilhooly, and the rest of “The Listener” team, I have a feeling this likely won’t be the last time we’re writing about them.