Father of the Bride

Christian (Jay Lycurgo) is eighteen, the groom's younger brother and the best man, and all he has to do is get through his speech. While he rehearses alone in the hotel restroom, Martin (Dominic Mafham), the bride's middle-aged father, makes a predatory advance on him. Minutes later, Christian has to walk back into the reception, face both families and raise a glass as if nothing has happened. Written and directed by Rhys Marc Jones, this tense 15-minute British short stays close to a young man trying to hold himself together in a room full of people who have no idea what just took place. Isabelle Connolly co-stars. Father of the Bride won the Grand Prix in the British Short category at the 2020 Encounters Film Festival and was an official selection of the SXSW Film Festival's Narrative Shorts Competition, the Galway Film Fleadh and the Moscow International Film Festival. It is featured on Here TV in The Gay Agenda 38.