SLEAZY TIGER
2025 · 14m · UK
Directed by James Ley
Genres: comedy, fantasy, LGBTQ+
Tones: absurdist, humorous, surreal
Alan, a hopeless romantic, goes on a promising first date with vegan Blair — but when Blair gifts him homemade kimchi, Alan's overwhelming desire catapults him into a surreal 'Horny Hell' where he must fight his way back to reality. A queer fantasy-comedy romp starring Alan Cumming.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Ley's theatrical instinct — take the most absurd internal state possible and literalize it as genre action — is the kind of tonal audacity that makes debut films genuinely dangerous, and landing Alan Cumming in your first short says something about the script's pull.
Alan Cumming, Horny Hell, vegan kimchi as portal — a Vimeo Staff Pick from someone willing to commit to the bit. Either it lands as inspired chaos or it's a long fourteen minutes; either way, swinging.
Ley transposes theatrical grotesque-comedy into micro-budget genre cinema — kimchi as gateway to 'Horny Hell,' Alan Cumming on hand. The premise sustains exactly the right amount of camp.
Festivals
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2025
- Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025
- Iris Prize 2025, Best Performance in a Male Role (Jay Newton)
- PÖFF Shorts - Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2025