No Mean City
Northern Ireland | 14" | 4K | 2025
Two workmen and an apprentice drive through Belfast at night, replacing old sodium street lights with LED. Beneath their glow, the city grapples with change, as progress marches on.
Director Ross McClean
Producers Conal Clapper, Heidi Fleisher & Mike Paterson
Director of Photography Ronnie McQuillan
Editors Ross McClean & Phil Harrison
Sound Design & Re-Recording Mix Tamás Varga
Sound Recordist Stevie Lennox
Editing Assistant Ruairi Bradley
Production: Sandbox, Elemental & The New York Times
Nostalgia for the Nighttime - Doc Weekly interview Benjamin Hollis
Festivals
Visions Du Réel - Short Film Competition (April 2025)
Sheffield Film Festival - Short Film Programme (June 2025)
Docs Ireland - Short Film Competition (Winner Best Short - June 2025)
Curtas Vila do Conde - International Competition (July 2025)
Clermont-Ferrand ISFF - International Competition (January 2026)
Curto Circuíto - Short Competition (August 2025)
Drama ISFF - International Competition (Special Mention - September 2025)
Camden IFF - Short Programme (September 2025)
Cyprus ISS - Short Competition (October 2025)
Cork IFF - Short Competition (Winner Best Director - November 2025)
LEEDS IFF - Short Film Competition (Winner Best British Short - November 2025)
ALCINE Madrid - International Short Competition (November 2025)
FRONTDOC Aosta - International Short Competition (November 2025)
Camerimage - Short Doc Competition (Winner - November 2025)
PÖFF Shorts (Black Nights FF) - Short Film Programme (November 2025)
Festival Tout Les Courts - International Competition (December 2025)
Glimmerglass Film Days - Short Programme (November 2025)
Dan Cogan, Jessica Bishop & Stephen Lighthill - Camerimage Jury
"We are pleased to award the Golden Frog for Best Documentary Short to a filmmaking team who executed a crystal-clear cinematic vision. With beautifully unified direction, cinematography, sound design and editing, this short film explores big themes -- the inevitability of change, the disposability of modern life, yet also the value of tradition and legacy -- all through the visual metaphor of light and its creation."
Sanne Jehoul, Kasia Karwan & Dearbhla Regan - Cork IFF Jury
“We congratulate this director for taking a seemingly small subject to highlight – no pun intended – a much broader story about technological, environmental and generational transitions, against the political backdrop of a transforming Belfast. The directorial vision is both controlled and expansive. The Best Director Award goes to Ross McClean for No Mean City.”
Nic Greenan, Matty Crawford & Jade Turner - Leeds IFF Jury
"This beautiful and illuminating documentary immediately captured our hearts and imagination through its incisive and nuanced exploration of the inevitable creep of technology and what we may sacrifice in the process. With gorgeous cinematography that expands from the granular to the truly epic, No Mean City offers a poignant reflection of contemporary life."
Hériter d’une lueur qui disparaît - L'Union des Chef·fes Op review
Nostalgia for the Nighttime - Doc Weekly interview Benjamin Hollis