Research Centre
Art and Design Research Centre

Date
2002

Relativity was selected for Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002 and won the prize for Best Short Film

Researched and directed by Virginia Heath, 'Relativity' was recognised by the Berlinale Short Film Competition Jury for its cinematic investigation of point of view in short narrative film and acknowledged for its exploration of the related questions of 'reality and the perception of reality, truth and the perception of truth, sex and the perception of sex'.

Heath’s underpinning research explores a very contemporary family situation – the conflict between a mother, her young daughter and the mother’s new lover. Her approach was to investigate the cinematic devices and editing strategies that enable the audience to perceive one funny, shocking ‘family’ incident from the three character’s different points of view. But which, if any, is the truth? The film is a dark, comic, original exploration of modern family life, which also explores the relative nature of truth.

'Relativity' was also nominated for the European Film Academy Awards and won the 'Best Film' and 'Kodak' prizes in the New Zealand Drifting Clouds Film Festival 2002 (Jury included Jamie Selkirk, producer Lord of the Rings, Michael Seresin, Cinematographer Angela's Ashes, Harry Potter). As a result of the Berlin Film Festival win, 'Relativity' was invited to festivals around the world including 'Message to Man', St Petersburg, Russia; Cinema Tout Ecran, Geneva; Montecatini in Italy; Tampere Film Festival, Finland (Retrospective Showcase of Best of British Short Films) and many more. Heath gained funding for the film from Yorkshire Arts, the London Production Fund and the National Lottery.

Researchers involved

Professor Virginia Heath - Professor of Film

Related projects

From Scotland With Love - Virginia Heath’s current research project 'From Scotland With Love...

Little Lost David - Devil Don't Mind - Little Lost David is an 11 mins experimental music documentary film written...

My Dangerous Loverboy - My Dangerous Loverboy, researched, written and directed by Virginia Heath...

Point Annihilation - Building on the question of cinematic point of view in her previous film...