Yarns, the annual film competition from Stitch Editing and its junior editor division Homespun, has announced the three Homespun editors who are cutting the films currently in production on this year's theme of DIS:INFO: Ruoyu Ou, Luke Anderson and Laura Zvaríková. 

Ruoyu Ou - Homespun's newest editor - will be cutting Ciara O’Rourke’s Doncaster-based end of the world tale Don’t Believe A Word I Say. It's her first Yarns film.

Luke Anderson joins the Yarns roster for his third year, this time cutting Tom Tennant’s surreal romcom Angling For Love.

Laura Zvaríková returns to Yarns to cut Naomi Pallas’ desktop documentary, Clankers (formerly How to Sell A Girl), named after an online slur directed at AI chatbots.

The short film competition gives Homespun’s editors the chance to hone their craft while offering the unsigned directors a taste of the editorial process, shaping their vision into films ready for the big screen.

Ruoyu Ou, who recently joined the Homespun roster, has been carving out a name for herself in music promos and fashion films with directors like Zaineb Abelque, Jessica Madavo and Brioni Farren. She says: "This is my first time doing Yarns, so I’m excited to get stuck in. When I read the script I knew Don’t Believe A Word I Say was going to be a fun challenge in the edit — it’s messy, chaotic and full of energy. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together."

Luke Anderson will be bringing the experience he's gained from previous Yarns projects to bring Tom Tennant’s offbeat script to life. "When you hear the crew cracking up after takes, you know the writing is funny and Tom’s got a great performance out of the actors. His bonkers idea has come to life in the rushes, and I’m excited to get in the edit,” he says. 

“Having dipped my toe in the soapy waters of comedy with Dishes, Dishes, Dishes [a winning film in 2022] to a heartfelt documentary portrait of traditional traveller culture with Travelling Home - I’m excited to explore the comedic tribulations of dating culture with Angling for Love again.”

Laura Zvaríková says that she is really excited to work on a documentary this year — especially a desktop documentary. "I’ve always found that form interesting because it’s such a different way of editing and storytelling compared to fiction," Laura says. "Naomi’s experience in documentaries makes her a great collaborator, and the subject of Clankers feels fascinating and important to bring to light."

Reflecting on her Yarns journey, Laura adds: “The competition has always been a brilliant opportunity to collaborate with new directors. After working with Holly Hunter on her 2023 film Banana Boat, we’ve continued working together on many projects, including her next short Perfect Nails. Seeing how Yarns helped kickstart her directing career makes me even more excited to see where this year’s films will go." 

Editing is well underway on this year's shorts ahead of the screening night on November 13th at Curzon Soho. It’s gearing up to be an exciting evening of bold storytelling — a chance to celebrate UK filmmaking and connect with industry talent. Tickets will be released soon.