Posted by In addition to the Best Short Film winner, Run Outs (UK), two other films were recognized with Awards of Excellence for the April-May 2026 edition of Indie Short Fest. While distinct in style and setting, both works place young protagonists at their center, exploring the challenges of navigating a world shaped by forces beyond their control.
From the streets of Brighton to the English countryside, All the Colours and Ivanko’s Childhood examine themes of vulnerability, resilience, family, and belonging. Through very different storytelling approaches, each film offers a thoughtful perspective on contemporary realities while remaining firmly grounded in the emotional experiences of its characters.
All the Colours by Leo De Haan (UK)
Set against the backdrop of Brighton, Leo De Haan’s All the Colours follows Katie, a teenager groomed into working for a local drug gang who finds herself ordered to carry out a murder. When she refuses, she is forced to flee, seeking refuge with her estranged father, an ex-convict carrying his own unresolved burdens. Beneath its crime-thriller framework, the film examines the vulnerabilities that leave young people exposed to exploitation and the difficult process of rebuilding trust once it has been broken.
Rather than concentrating on gang activity itself, De Haan focuses on the people caught in its orbit. The uneasy reunion between Katie and her father Danny drives the story, with Lorna Dale and Jefferson Hall portraying two characters attempting to reconnect after years of separation. Hall, known for House of the Dragon, Oppenheimer, Tenet, and Taboo, brings a weary sense of experience to Danny, while Dale captures both the resilience and uncertainty of a teenager trying to find a way forward. Jamie Kenna, whose credits include Peaky Blinders, House of the Dragon, The Crown, and Gran Turismo, is quietly intimidating as gang leader Donal. Alongside him, Charles Furness gives Marc an unpredictability that reflects the film’s broader concerns about influence, belonging, and cycles of violence.
Brighton itself plays an important role in the film. The city’s colourful seaside image exists alongside a less visible reality of county lines activity, social fragmentation, and vulnerable young people slipping through the cracks. De Haan avoids sensationalism, grounding the story in recognizable environments and everyday interactions. In doing so, he presents a version of Brighton that feels both specific and familiar, allowing the social issues at the heart of the story to emerge naturally from the lives of its characters.
The project draws on real events connected to Brighton and on De Haan’s own concerns as a parent. His previous work includes the shorts Persistence, Loves Lost, and Vendetta, as well as the documentary Race Across America, broadcast on Eurosport. Conceived as a proof of concept for a feature-length adaptation, All the Colours reflects a filmmaker interested not only in contemporary social issues, but also in the personal relationships and emotional consequences that lie beneath them.
Ivanko’s Childhood by Vera Graziadei (UK)
Vera Graziadei’s Ivanko’s Childhood follows an eight-year-old Ukrainian refugee making his way through the English countryside on what he describes as a “big mission.” Carrying little more than a handful of crumpled notes and a determination that exceeds his years, Ivanko approaches strangers with an offer he believes could help save his homeland. As he wanders through forests, villages, pubs, and cafés, the film gradually reveals a story shaped by displacement, loss, and a child’s attempt to make sense of events far beyond his control.
What distinguishes Ivanko’s Childhood is its commitment to a child’s perspective. Rather than focusing directly on war or politics, Graziadei allows the audience to experience the world as Ivanko does — through fragments, misunderstandings, moments of curiosity, and unexpected encounters. Young actor Luka Vorobei carries the film with remarkable naturalness, while an accomplished supporting cast, that includes Tom Goodman-Hill (Baby Reindeer, The Imitation Game), Sinead Matthews (Pride & Prejudice, Black Mirror, The Crown), Sandra Dickinson, Tom Meeten, and Sasha Syzonenko, helps shape the world that surrounds him.
The film’s visual language reflects Ivanko’s emotional journey. Familiar English landscapes are transformed by the boy’s imagination and uncertainty, with ordinary encounters taking on an almost storybook quality. Graziadei balances humour and warmth with an undercurrent of sadness, allowing the audience to become invested in Ivanko’s mission before gradually revealing the deeper emotions that drive it. The result is a film that explores resilience without losing sight of the vulnerability that accompanies it.
Born in Ukraine and now based in UK, Graziadei brings both personal experience and an established filmmaking career to the project. A BAFTA member, BIFA voter, actor, writer, director, and producer, she has previously earned recognition at festivals worldwide with works including The Silent Canary, which received its US premiere at Independent Shorts Awards, where it was named Best Drama Short of the Year, following its recognition as Second Best Short Film at Indie Short Fest in May 2023. Through Ivanko’s Childhood, Graziadei offers a tribute to displaced children, illuminating their resilience, resourcefulness, and capacity for hope in the face of upheaval.
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