Joe Weiland’s debut film ‘Gorka’ has been nominated for a British Short Film award at the EE British Academy Film Awards, following its selection for the BFI London Film Festival 2023.
‘Gorka’ is an uplifting story about grief, told through the eyes of an unlikely hero, starring Geraldine Somerville (‘Harry Potter’, ‘Gosford Park’) and David Baddiel (‘Baddiel & Skinner’, ‘Horrible Histories’), alongside newcomer Yanis Charifi.
Based on true events, “Gorka” depicts the story of a French exchange student named Gorka (Charifi), who visits England for the first time and stays with a British family consisting of Tanya (Somerville), her husband Morris (Baddiel), and their son Anthony (Searan Ball). Tanya learns that her father is on his deathbed in his retirement home in Bognor Regis. They decide to go and bid him farewell, and due to certain circumstances, they have to take Gorka with them.
On the ambition for the film, Joe Weiland commented, “Grief is such a knotty, protean feeling. It’s unpredictable and hard to define. I’m drawn to the idea that you can find humour, you can find connection in these darker moments. I wanted to tell this story because it approaches grief in a fresh way. People like to call it ‘dark comedy’, I prefer to call it real life. Gorka is thrown into the middle of a very British dynamic and finds his own way.”
‘Gorka’ was filmed in Bognor Regis in 2022, and Weiland, was just twenty-four at the time of filming. He has since received two Young Director Awards (YDA) for the film which was selected for both the BFI London Film Festival and Aesthetica Short Film Festival in 2023.
Weiland is currently editing his next short film ‘Marion’ executive produced by Sienna Miller, who said: “I couldn’t be more excited to be Executive Producing Joe’s next film and I’m feeling quite smug that I managed to join the Joe Weiland train as it’s leaving the station. This is clearly the beginning of a very exciting journey.” On ‘Gorka’ she added: “Gorka is an 18-minute journey through grief and loss that had me laughing then crying my eyes out. It’s an astounding debut that is both tender, charming and brilliantly weird. Best of all – it’s quintessentially British.”
On viewing the film, Helena Bonham Carter also added: “Gorka shows a distinctive style and class that is unusual to Joe Weiland’s youth. It’s a package of delight and heart. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.”
‘Gorka’ is a Somesuch (‘The Long Goodbye’, ‘Home’) production in association with Solab Pictures.
The film is produced by Alex Jefferson (‘Two for Joy’), and written and directed by Joe Weiland. You can watch the short film here.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
