A film about making films, we follow the exploits of Kiriko, an indie film director who is struggling to make a road movie that ends on a beach. Why do so many independent films have to have a beach scene? That is a question that gets asked along the way but her journey to the location is beset with difficulties, from budget to casting. There is only so much she can do and so she inches forward making compromises and finding ways around problems to realise her dream, all while living in the real world and fulfilling obligations to others as best she can.

Indeed, a film isn’t often made by one person alone and, breaking the tendency of the genre to focus on an enfant terrible or a wunderkind, Inch Forward convincingly shows collaboration through the people around Kiriko. From producer Takimoto who tries to hash out ideas, to actors seeking to understand a character Kiriko has in her head but not on the page, Inch Forward uses multiple perspectives to portray people who live with cinema in a warm and wry manner. [Jason MAHER]