When I first came up with Short Stuff, I never thought we’d be launching our first digital cover this quickly, or perhaps at all. I started Short Stuff to help fill the huge gap in media coverage around short films. This meant not only writing and publishing content about shorts, but doing so in a way that reflected the tone, style and format of other magazines. As a consumer of culture media, I knew that I wanted to make something polished, with finesse, something“cool”. 

Whatever cool means, I think we’re getting there, and I think this digital cover is the coolest thing we’ve done so far. 

When it came to choosing who we’d feature, we immediately cast our minds to our filmmaking friends and The Intimacy Coordinator made instant sense to us. The short is produced and directed by, and stars, our friends. They’re also colleagues, people I’ve personally worked with on my previous shorts, and rising stars in the film world. So, we thought, let’s do a shoot featuring four of our friends, made by our friends, around a brilliant, provocative film that encapsulates the creativity and flair of short film. 

I know this sounds more than a little nepotistic, but the reality is quite the opposite. We are a tiny team, but everything we’ve done has come about because of the incredible people that we've surrounded ourselves with in this industry. Short Stuff runs on friendship, collaboration and a lot of hard work, and exactly the same can be said for short filmmaking.

It goes without saying that Louisa is a bit of a genius. She also represents the very best of the short film world – triple threat (writer, director, actor) whose support for others across the industry is exemplary. She encouraged me in my early days of filmmaking, and continues to do the same for countless others through the filmmaking community group Kulty that she founded last year.

Her work speaks for itself – her short film Sister Wives screened at over 65 festivals and won more than 50 awards. It is clever and beautiful, moving and joyful, and it’s being turned into a feature by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope company later this year. Having had the privilege of reading the script for The Intimacy Coordinator and being on set to get a sneak preview behind the scenes, we can confirm that this short is set to be just as brilliant. 

This digital issue was pulled together by a very small team of very mighty people, mainly women. To get to work with so many friends is mind-blowing to me. As a freelance writer of many years, so much of my work is solitary. It is only through making and writing about film that I have come to appreciate the pure joy of collaboration. The crackle in the air when you look around a room buzzing with people all giving up their time and energy to make art, despite the lack of remuneration, is addictive. It has become something I, like so many other creatives, seek out day after day. To have found it so quickly with Short Stuff feels like a miracle, but as with all miracles, it really just comes from the beauty of good people. 

Now, just over a year since we launched, we’ve produced something I never even conceived of. And yet, it’s exactly what we aimed to do all along – give short films the same attention as features. If you’ve ever worked on a short, you’ll know just how much goes into making it; if you’ve ever watched one, you’ll know how creative, expansive and impressive they are. They deserve more, they deserve better, and we hope to continue spotlighting shorts by incredible filmmakers from around the world as we grow. 

The Intimacy Coordinator tells the story of Kate (Louisa Connolly-Burnham), an intimacy coordinator working on a film set, responsible for choreographing and safeguarding intimate scenes. The film opens on her guiding two actors, Max (Kieron Moore) and Ella (Sophie Simnett), through a sex scene. 

Max is professional and eager to do well, while Ella is newer and slightly nervous. Kate appears calm, reassuring, and in complete control, creating a sense of safety for them both. At first glance, she is excellent at her job. But there are small moments where her focus lingers just a little too long, and she begins to make creative choices that feel increasingly personal rather than professional.

Away from set, Kate attends recovery meetings for sex addiction, where she crosses paths with Nigel (Alexander Arnold), another member who is trying to take recovery seriously. Their dynamic quickly becomes complicated, exposing Kate’s inability to maintain boundaries even in spaces designed for healing.

In case you’re wondering, yes, there was an actual intimacy coordinator on set, Rosie Fletcher, and she’s written a brilliant essay addressing why this film is so important and intriguing. We know the film might sound provocative – it’s meant to be, and for good reason. Rosie explores all this in her piece and more.

Louisa Connolly-Burnham as Kate