Spotlight on Bertie Gilbert
- Imogen Hatcher
- Sep 22, 2016
- 2 min read
19 years old, the back of his head featured in Harry Potter and producing some of the most beautiful and skilfully produced short films of our generation. His name is Bertie Gilbert and he is a London based filmmaker and actor. His films cover the weird, the wonderful and the sometimes not-so-wonderful bits and pieces of life.
Via YouTube, Bertie posted his first short film on November 15, 2013. It was titled stray dog, and it marked the beginning of an all new era. Since then, he has posted 14 films ranging in length from 1 to 35 minutes, some personal and some character based. His films cover every topic under the sun from insanity to family to the role that the Beatles play in death. Out of these 14 there are two very clear highlights- Let It Be and Blue Sushi, while he has racked up over five million views on his channel, He is nowhere near reaching the numbers other creators are. Yet, he produces some of the most well produced, thoughtfully cast and visually pleasing films there is.
This is clearly evident in his longest film, Blue Sushi, which is also arguably his best piece of work. The 35 minute film covers the often difficult topic of coming out as transgender. Not only did he handle this well by casting someone who was transgender themselves but also showing aspects of it that mainstream media glosses over. The filmography is beautiful and expressive, the soundtrack well suited and the casting perfectly orchestrated. If you only ever see one of his films, make it this one.
One of his more recent films, Let It Be, has won awards since it was released, including the best short film at summer in the city. The film is based mostly off of metaphors for death itself and The Beatles, with the title named after one of their songs. Unlike some of his films, in let it be, he seamlessly ties together every aspect of film making. Though shorter then some of his other films, it never fails to pack a punch with a strong, realistic script, phenomenal cast and beautiful filming with the handheld aesthetic that he is so fond of becoming more polished.
As Bertie continues to grow and flourish as a film maker, more films keep on coming, each better than the last, bringing a new player into the short film industry- If nothing else, he is surely one to watch.
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