I used to win loads of things as a kid: hand-written “Sports Day Superstar” stickers for finishing 4th in 3-man races, decorative wooden spoons by the score and a visually stunning array of colourful participation rosettes. Now there’s a short film award to add to that unbroken string of ‘life victories’:

BEST DARK COMEDY SHORT.

This time, however, the laurels weren’t awarded by my long-suffering mum or lovely old Mrs. Aylward in Class 2 who took pity on me when my plimsoll flew off halfway through the 60-yard dash sometime in the summer of ’78.

Oh no.

This time they came from industry judges and viewers who thought it proper to bestow them regardless of what mum thought – many thanks to the Independent Shorts Awards for the tip of the hat. Especially pleased for director Louise Galizia who never struck me as the kind of gal who’d lose her plimsoll in a running race.

The Bug goes from strength to strength!

Independent Shorts Award Winners, April 2018