PRIFF 2026: Reality, Distorted

Part of PRIFF 2026, now in its fifth year, Reality, Distorted kicks off Friday 13th with a collection of surreal, speculative and darkly comic films in which the ordinary begins to fracture and reality takes on increasingly strange forms.

Across the programme, despair becomes a landscape of its own, intrusive thoughts are transformed into animation, and a group of journalists chasing attention stumble into something far beyond their control. Elsewhere, new technology turns the human body into a commodity, a retired wizard discovers that everyday life may be harder than magic, and an absurd duel forces one man to question how much his pride is really worth.

The programme also moves through memory, folklore and inherited belief. A dying woman reflects on the life she is leaving behind; a family secret exposes the darker side of generational patriotism; and in seventh-century Britain, two strangers divided by language and culture are brought together by something neither of them fully understands. Even the real world becomes strange, as a documentary traces the decades-long mystery of Garfield telephones washing ashore on the coast of Brittany.

Together, these films celebrate the unsettling, the ridiculous and the unexpected, exploring what happens when familiar rules stop applying and the world begins to feel just slightly, or completely, off.

Info: Set on a dying farm on the outskirts of Ash Harbor, Hell follows a patriarch slowly consumed by despair. As the relentless demands of labour and survival take their toll, his struggle becomes an increasingly existential portrait of isolation, exhaustion and collapse. The first instalment of the Hard Times anthology, the film presents a bleak, surreal world where dreams are real, wishes come true and everything is always awful for everyone.

Directed by American filmmaker Parker Croft, Hell premiered at Animation Dingle in 2026. Croft’s previous short films include As Easy As Closing Your Eyes, which received 144 awards across more than 200 festivals, and Suncatcher, which screened at 62 festivals and earned 13 awards. His work is characterised by bold visual storytelling and an exploration of flawed, conflicted characters confronting mortality and love.

Info: An animated stream of consciousness, a selection of personal fears and intrusive thoughts in a cycle of life and death.

Info: In pursuit of likes, subscribers and the next viral sensation, four journalists break into a military base where an alien is being held captive. What begins as an attempt to uncover an extraordinary story quickly takes them into dangerous territory in this science-fiction thriller exploring the collision between social media, sensationalism and the unknown.

Written and directed by German filmmaker Sabi Liebli, C.H.N.O.P.S. builds on her experience in digital media and science-fiction filmmaking. Her previous short films include Einatmen and Scarlett, both of which received international festival recognition. In 2025, Liebli attended the IFA Masterclass as an assistant director, working under the guidance of filmmaker Asghar Farhadi.

Info: In the not-too-distant future, a man who has lost all hope attempts to save the life he was hired to end. In a world transformed by HELPER, a revolutionary technology that allows people to trade control of their physical bodies for money, his decision raises questions about autonomy, exploitation and the value of human life.

Written and directed by Isaac Sparks, USER explores the darker implications of emerging technology through a science-fiction thriller. A recent graduate of Edinburgh Napier University, Sparks is an emerging filmmaker whose work spans science fiction, drama and thriller.

Info: Tired of his magical responsibilities, Father Frost abandons his career and moves to Moscow in search of a new life. But navigating the ordinary world proves far more complicated than he anticipated, as the former wizard discovers that leaving magic behind does not necessarily make life any easier.

Directed by Stepan Azarian, Not Father Frost draws on his extensive background in theatre and experimental filmmaking. A graduate of the Moscow Art Theatre School, Azarian has worked with several theatre companies and directed the films Life in Art and Banana, which have screened at Russian and international film festivals.

Info: In an absurdly apathetic pistols-at-dawn duel, Will, a disillusioned man in his thirties, finds himself confronting the consequences of his own pride. When events take an unexpected turn, he must decide whether defending his honour is really worth dying for in this darkly comic exploration of masculinity and the absurdity of social conventions.

Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Taylor Rettke, The Duel marks his directorial debut. A graduate of London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Rettke draws on his background in theatre, acting and comedy to explore traditional expectations of masculinity and the peculiarities of British culture.

Info: As she bleeds out, a young woman reflects on her final thoughts and memories, confronting the fragments of a life slipping away. How Long Are Your Guts? offers an intimate exploration of mortality, memory and the human experience at the threshold between life and death.

Directed by British filmmaker Liam Beazley, a graduate of the BFI Film Academy, the film reflects his interest in surreal and ethereal storytelling. Beazley was nominated for Cinemagic Young Filmmaker of the Year in 2023 for Birdsong and has directed music videos for artists including Swim School and shoegaze band Deary.

Info: When Nathan finally admits a "hilarious" jaw-dropping family secret, he swiftly realises his parents’ warped patriotism is his inheritance, not a punchline. Now he must confront buried generational trauma before their obsession tears their relationship apart.

Info: Set in seventh-century Britain, On The Same Earth follows Eadlin, a Saxon settler who discovers a mysterious dragon egg, and Leir, a displaced Celt determined to protect it. Brought together by circumstance despite their cultural and linguistic differences, the two gradually learn to communicate through Old English and Cornish. As mutual suspicion gives way to understanding, the mysterious creature that brought them together begins to hatch.

Directed by award-winning British filmmaker and cinematographer Sam Cox, On The Same Earth explores Celtic and Saxon history through fantasy, language and cultural reconciliation. The film has enjoyed sold-out screenings at Exeter Phoenix and received recognition for Best Fantasy and Best Costume at the RED MOVIE AWARDS in France. Cox's previous short, A Vampire's Reflection, has won five gold awards at the Global Indie Filmmaker Awards and screened at several UK film festivals.

Info: For decades, bright orange Garfield telephones have mysteriously washed ashore along the coast of Brittany, France, leaving locals puzzled by the arrival of this unlikely American pop culture icon. Through encounters with beachcombers, environmental activists and residents who have collected the phones since childhood, Silly Little Plastic Cat explores an extraordinary coastal mystery, the persistence of plastic pollution and the unexpected ways discarded objects become part of a community’s identity.

Directed by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Zack Grant, the documentary reflects his interest in finding the extraordinary within the seemingly ordinary. A multidisciplinary director, photographer and producer, Grant has created films screened at festivals including Tribeca, HollyShorts and Sidewalk. He is also the founder of the creative production studio 202land.

Info: Q&A TBC

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