ISHA

Rahmi, a Romanian Muslim man living in London, struggles to reconcile his cultural and religious background with his burgeoning homosexuality after unexpectedly falling in love.

Director Bio

Christopher Manning is an award-winning writer, director, and producer. He worked in documentary, fiction, and television production in New York and Paris before turning to writing and directing. His films have screened at BFI London Film Festival, BFI Flare, Frameline, Uppsala, and London Short Film Festival, among others. His debut short film Jamie was selected for the BFI Flare and British Council’s 2017 #fiveFilms4freedom campaign and won the Alternative Spirit Award at the 2016 BAFTA/OSCAR-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival. Isha, his recent short starring seminal Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2018, was nominated for Best British Short at the 2019 London Short Film Festival, and is currently on the festival circuit. In 2018, Christopher’s screenplay for a short film entitled Outside was shortlisted for the ScreenCraft Film Fund Awards. His debut feature is in development with Jeannette Sutton, producer of Film London’s Microwave/BBC Films-financed film Sick(er). Manning holds a B.A. in History from Columbia University and an M.A. in Filmmaking from the London Film School. He is a BFI Network x BAFTA Crew scheme participant and an Alumnus of the Telluride Film Festival’s Student Symposium.

Plays in

SHORTS: GOTTA HAVE FAITH

The characters across these faith-based shorts combine courage with religious practice, whether channeling spiritual guidance or pushing back…