SIREN
Writer / Director / Producer
23 minutes // Fiction // 2014
A story of lust and desire, of identity and sexuality. A young woman’s mundane life is turned upside down when she meets a sensuous older Spanish woman, who is passing through the sleepy English coastal town she lives in.
Cast | Shian Denovan
Valeria Vereau
Christian Kinde
Director Of Photography | Laura Bellingham
Production Design | Anna Page
Hair & Make-Up | Faye Sarah Hammond
Editor | Neil Fergusson
Composer | Victoria Wijeratne
Sound Design | Guy Fixsen
Company | Freyja Films
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Iris Prize Festival – 2014, UK
Underwire Festival – 2014, UK
Mix Brasil Festival Culture of Diversity – 2014, UK
London Short Film Festival – 2015, UK
Borderlines Festival – 2015, UK
Queer Vision Bristol Pride – 2015, UK
Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival – 2015, Canada
Fairytales Queer Film Festival – 2015, Canada
Eros Festival – 2015, Portugal
Frameline: San Francisco LGBT Film Festival – 2015, USA
Las Vegas Lift Off Film Festival – 2015, USA
Nottingham Alternative Film Festival – 2015, UK
Image + Nation LGBT Film Festival – 2015, Canada
Shorts On Tap: Women in Revolt – 2016, UK
Praise for SIREN
“When watching hundreds of submissions in a year it can be easy to forget but every year there are a few rare gems that stick with you completely. Siren is one of those films. A film that still pops into my head and can take me right back to the way I felt when I first watched it. An incredible achievement and a great film, it holds a permanent place on my list of most treasured shorts that I have had the pleasure of programming.”
Jenna Dufton – Programming Coordinator at InsideOut Toronto LGBT Film Festival
“Both sexually explicit and magically realist, SIREN illustrates the vivid pain of bisexuality: not knowing where your love fits in a binary world that insists you’re one OR the other. A story of both desire and identity, English Rose Elizabeth goes on a journey where she is reborn as her fully realised self at last. A wonderfully constructed story I wish I could have seen as a confused teenager.”
Lucy V Hay – Author and script reader at Bang 2 Write
“Internal and honest, Siren was one of those shorts that simply made our programme. A textured, multi layered piece which gave great insight into sexuality, choice and the idea of identity. Not just excellent during its screening but great in the retrospective. Siren stays with you.”
James Bradley – Head Programmer and Lift-Off Global Network Co-Founder.
“A wonderful mix of compelling story and expert filmmaking, SIREN illustrates how to make a short, my favourite genre and the life blood of festivals such as ours.”
Katharine Setzer – Director of Programming, image+nation, Montreal LGBT Film Festival
UK Film Review
“Right off the bat I noticed how calm and careful Cooke’s approach was. Captured with a soft and steady hand, Siren looks stunning. It’s always a wonderful surprise when a short film has a seemingly high budget, not only lending towards the visuals, but the phenomenal talents involved…”