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film and video art
Duration: 00:08:09
Told through a sequence of meals observed from a single fixed point, Apus Apus charts Bea’s everyday existence in the city, tracing the textures of the landscape and the presence of the ever-changing community.
WRITER & DIRECTOR : Alfie Elms
PRODUCER : Maude Elms
FEATURING : Naomi Yang, Lucy Sheen & Nadia Shaikh
CONTACTS / LINKS : padulaproductions.com @alfieelms @maudeelms @imoanyang @ana.projects
Director’s statement
Apus Apus centres on the character of Bea, whose loneliness in the city is charted by a series of meals inspired by her heritage. Predominantly captured in a series of single, fixed, shots and filmed on 16mm colour stock Apus Apus explores contemporary existence, while looking at themes of the natural; its intricacies, beauties, imperfections and deviations.
Bio
Alfie Elms is an award-winning London-based writer, director and founder of Padula Productions. His work spans narrative, documentary and music video, with credits including the festival-selected short films The Sight of Voices, West of the Lakes and SNCFT. Alfie previously directed the multi award-winning documentary Picturing Wonderland, which screened at festivals across the UK and internationally, winning seven awards and receiving six further nominations. The film was distributed by A Rabbit’s Foot Films in 2025 and screened at leading cultural institutions including the Architectural Association and Arnolfini Gallery. Most recently, Alfie wrote and directed the short narrative film Apus Apus (aka five meals and a swift), starring Naomi Yang and Lucy Sheen, which exhibited in Berlin in 2026 as part of a celebration of East Asian culture and themes of the everyday life and landscape curated by WMA HK and the prestigious Film-Makers’ Co-operative in New York . He also recently directed Roaming On Counter’s Creek for ECIFF, while his latest short, Orecchiette, is currently in post-production. Alongside his film work, Alfie has directed music videos for contemporary artists including Sunken, Natty Wylah and Kamau Kuru.
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Pebbles Underground is focused on showcasing and promoting experimental, avant-garde, underground, and no-to-low budget projects by artist-humans from all over the world. Absurd, uncanny, witty, humorous, slow-video – all are welcomed, and loved. Pebbles Underground is an independent project not funded by any government or corporation, and we intend to keep it that way. Main source of funding is personal donations from humans organizing the project, who are artists themselves, and the main drive of the project is formed by the energy and involvement of the organizers, and the public.