HORNBEAM was the winner of BEST DIRECTION at the Toronto LGBTQ+ Film Festival.

Under cover of darkness, two strangers bond over a shared secret. But how well do they really know each other?

Director Biography - Mark Pluck

Mark is a London-based writer, director and producer. In 2017 he wrote voyeuristic thriller ‘The Photographer’ starring Sophia di Martino (Marvel's Loki) which screened at the East End Film Festival, Danny Boyle’s festival ‘Shuffle’ and the British Independent Film Festival. In 2019 he produced the comedy-horror short 'Meat is Murder' - in collaboration with London advertising agency VCCP, which was described by the British Comedy Guide as “Really funny, then genuinely unsettling”. In 2020 Mark made his directorial debut with horror short ‘Platform’ which received its world premiere at Grimmfest and later screened at Lund Fantastic Festival and the British Horror Film Festival, where Mark was awarded the Rising Star Award.

Director Statement

I’ve always been drawn to stories that explore the lives we live behind closed doors, beyond the carefully curated façade we project out to the world. I’m interested in the lengths we go to in order to conceal these truths and, more importantly, how these actions affect those we care for the most. HORNBEAM is a film that aims to explore some of this rich and rather murky territory through the lens of a tender love story. Set almost entirely within the confines of a van over several nights, it follows two men who are both living a lie and seeking a safe space to come clean. But unfortunately, as is so often the case in life, the truth can be hard to bear.

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