We recently had the privilege of seeing KIN, a short film which was screening in London at The Fighting Spirit Film Festival. The cinematic visual, set in 2042, takes us on a brief, high octane adventure from the perspective of a mother with an infant who must fight for survival in a scorched dystopian future setting.
The visual is a masterclass in cinematography by Calum Yeats, captivating from the very first shot, allowing us to connect with the protagonist played evocatively by Lauren Okadigbo – feeling her every emotion and reaction.
KIN is comprised of a series of fight scenes, akin to watching a Lara Croft movie teaser, or the beginning (and possibly the end) of an apocalyptic zombie film. The violence kicks off after a scene were the cast lead, credited as Mother, is caught stealing tins of food for her child.
The scene doubles as a very plausible metaphorical comparison considering the state of reality on planet Earth. Even though the film is set in Peterborough, England in 2042, it could easily be the reality for a parent in a war dominated country today.
As for the action, the high production and directorial value of the fight scenes is tangible, comparative to major Hollywood blockbusters. It is no surprise that the visual, directed by James Waterhouse picked up three awards at The Fighting Spirit Film Festival, including Promising British Talent, Audience Choice Winner – Sunday, and Best British Cinematography, making it the most awarded film from the festival.
The Fighting Spirit Film Festival is a martial arts action film estival, based in the UK with the intention to inspire, promote, connect, recognise and supporting martial arts and action in film.
This might be considered a niche area, but in the face of SAG-AFTRA strikes and the normalisation of CGI and AI, it gives space for the most complexed part of the rawness of human-created cinema to truly shine.
KIN stars Lauren Okadigbo (pictured above), and is written and directed by James Waterhouse, with cinematography by Calum Yeats, and produced by Oz Thakkar.
