EIFF: Femme
Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping queer the thriller genre in this tense neo-noir.
Dirs. Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping / United Kingdom / 2023 / English
Following a stunning performance as drag persona Aphrodite Banks, Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is violently attacked by a gang of young men, whose ringleader Preston (George MacKay) was making eyes at Jules mere minutes before. The homophobic attack causes Jules to retreat into himself, until a chance encounter with Preston points him in the direction of revenge. But as their relationship develops, so do the complications. A taut character study of the disguises of masculinity, Femme sets the stage for two of our most malleable young actors to deliver career-peak performances. In their debut feature writer-directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping have crafted a tense, stylish thriller about desire and self-loathing.
Anna Bogutskaya, Film and Talks Programmer
Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping will be at the festival to present their film.
Femme is presented in partnership with The Skinny
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Writer-directors: Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping
Sam H. Freeman's debut play Scarlet premiered at the Southwark Playhouse. He has worked extensively in television, selling his first original series Unmasked to Freeform with See Saw producing. He wrote the acclaimed third episode of Industry’s first season for HBO/BBC and has worked in rooms for This is Going to Hurt and The Power Season 2. He most recently developed an original series with Bad Wolf and HBO Max. Sam co-wrote and co-directed the BIFA-winning, BAFTA nominated short Femme starring Paapa Essiedu and Harris Dickinson, which debuted in competition at SXSW in 2021. He followed this up with his debut feature adaptation of the short, collaborating once again with fellow filmmaker Ng Choon Ping.
Ng Choon Ping is is an award-winning director and a graduate of both York University, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and the National Theatre’s 2015 Director’s Course. He was the inaugural recipient of the Royal Exchange Theatre Hodgkiss Award for Young Directors and has also been awarded a bursary from the Michael Grandage Company. He is originally from Singapore and has returned for work with the Singapore Repertory Theatre. He has worked as a translator in the Royal Court’s international department, was a visiting lecturer at Central School of Speech & Drama between 2013 and 2018 and was a text associate at Shakespeare’s Globe 2012-13. In March 2021 Ping’s first short film Femme, co-directed with Sam H. Freeman, premiered at SXSW. He partnered with Freeman once again to adapt the short into a feature of the same name, which premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.
Producers: Sam Ritzenberg, Myles Payne
Cast: Nathan Stewart–Jarrett, George Mackay, John McCrea
Sales Agent: Signature
Read More
Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping on Femme, by Jamie Dunn // The Skinny
‘Femme’ Review: Fearless Performances From Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay Complicate a Riveting Queer Revenge Drama, by Guy Lodge // Variety
‘Femme’: Berlin Review, by Wendy Ide // Screen International
An interview with the directors of BAFTA nominee Femme, by Ben Carter // Epigram
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