Robina Rose

Nightshift

It is night and, in the foyer of a small hotel, a receptionist performs her tasks, unhurried and impassive, her face ghost-white, an emotional mask. Like the camera, she gazes steadily, both silent spectator and vicarious participant in the fantasies played out by the hotel's transient guests. As the night progresses, she answers a phone, hands over a key; guests pass back and forth gradually taking on a dream-like presence. She continues to work and, when morning comes, she leaves, her nightshift over. 'NIGHTSHIFT shows what film can do if the conventional pace of narrative is slowed down and montage diminished. It is not a new idea, of course, but the way it is done here is both absorbing to look at and satisfying from the moral point of view.' (Jill Forbes, Monthly Film Bulletin)

Jigsaw

Robina Rose examines the activities of a group of autistic children in a London school. Through the use of detailed shots, long sequences, color and sound, the filmmaker challenges viewers to delve into sensory and emotional perception from the head of an autistic person, where sounds play a more important role than language.

Birth Rites

Birth Rites documents Julia Lauder giving birth at home surrounded by her family. Her film focuses on women’s agency during homebirth in contrast to some women’s experiences in a hospital setting. It shows the value of physical and psychological support during labour, and the importance of touch in establishing bonds with newborns directly after birth.