Go Back Forward (Venezuela) - Coco reaches her drama class at the last moment. Allowed to take a seat on stage she embarks a trip into her past for a very special sensory encounter…
My Daughter Yoshiko (USA) - With her daughter Yoshiko diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and her husband overseas serving in the military, Saki Omura is finding it harder and harder to cope. Too ashamed to burden others and too proud to ask for help, Saki faces the now-daunting task of giving her daughter the best life possible.
La Hague (France) - Julien lost his job from the local factory "La Hague". He tries to convince Louis, his friend and engineered, still employed at the factory, to join him in blackmailing the factory's HR manager in order to find his work and his old life back. However, unforeseen events will change his plans.
We Were There (Canada) - Today is Nahal’s birthday. Her friends have gathered to throw her a surprise party and are faced with an unexpected event. How will they react to their newfound knowledge that surpasses their ethical boundaries?
Method (USA) - A Machiavellian acting teacher pushes an aspiring actor to her breaking point with his unconventional “method.”
Asra (Brasil) - A religious and traditionalist man, defeated by an incurable degenerative disease, decides to end with his own suffering. He entrusts his son Omar, with whom he has a difficult relationship, with the task of finding someone to end his pain.
Only the Lonely (UK) - When Elspeth Morris, 70, loses her beloved husband George, life becomes intolerable. Increasingly surrounded by people she has nothing in common with, she feels utterly alienated, abandoned and alone until circumstances lead to an unlikely friendship with her neighbour, Gurmeet.
Dear John, I’m Sorry (UK) - Based on a true story, a neighbour gets a final letter from the old couple next door.
26 June: HORROR – 8-10pm
The First Date (Australia) - A man gets more than he bargains for while on a blind date.
Tommy (UK) - Jamie has his whole life ahead of him. But he will meet a woman that has other plans for his future.
Circle of Stone (USA) - When rural cops respond to a call for help from one of their own, their search through the woods reveals what happened to a young girl stolen away sixty years before.
Empty Nester (USA) - A woman has recently become the sole inhabitant of her long time home - or has she?
On Air (Netherlands) - Brian, who got stuck in a rut, receives a call during his broadcast that doesn't turn into a pleasant conversation.
The Babysitter (UK) - Doing homework, texting boys, fighting for your life. For a babysitter, it's all in a day's work.
The Barber (Ukraine) - The brutal biker comes to the barbershop when it was already closed, but the barber still agreed to make the last cut...
The Man Who Loved Flowers (USA) - Stephen King Dollar baby adaptation. About a young man obsession with his ex girlfriend.
There’s Someone in the Garden (UK) - Tonight, The Great Amazo is going to Raise The Dead. As Amazo streams his latest trick online, and with the world watching what could possibly go wrong.
Smash the Head (Italy) - Antonia and Zeno struggle with their marriage during a surreal dinner where an ancient Aztec whistle seems to be influencing their spirits.
27 June: ANIMATION/FAMILY – 12-2pm
Regeneration (UK) - ...a dystopian future in London.
THE HANDS (Iran) - An old man wants to collect all his things, but...
Lux Clara (Serbia) - A short, experimental take on Plato's famous allegory of the cave.
Transparent Delusion (USA) - With a map of our very own dream world, hopefully, we are able to lucidly explore from here to there, from today to yesterday.
Balance (Iran) - It’s a story about the soldiers who are sacrificing their lives and resist in order to the people of the city and future generations live in peace...
Dispatches from the Vietnam War (USA) - Follow the surreal and existential journey of a young soldier entering war for the first time.
Division Series (Korea) - Prime Minister Abe goes into a KFC to buy chicken, but the chicken is already sold out...
Magic Play (USA) - A shy boy wizard-in-training is forced into a play date with a witch girl who is unpredictable with her magic.
Flame (UK) - Lightning strikes in the desert, and Flame is born.
The Quiet (Australia) - An astronaut ponders on the quietude of space...
Waiting by the Phone (USA) - As one woman living in an apartment for two, Dani struggles to live while coping with the tragic truth about her sister.
Woolworld (Poland) - Have you ever wondered what life would be in a world made of wool?
The Alligator (USA) - From murky swamplands to one family's home comes "The Alligator"! Find out what happens next...
Age of Bryce (USA) - Smothered by an adoring, over-protective mom, 12-year-old Bryce Yancy Paul (Bip) is pushed to the brink of pubescent revolution. It’s time to ripen. Bloom. Break the shackles of parental paranoia. It’s the Age of Bryce. Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.
Room No. 13 (Iran) - A writer is involved in her words and places her self in the character of her story
A Home for Curiosities (USA) - A young boy discovers a house full of forgotten imaginary friends. Along with his friend Alice, Wallace helps bring these curiosities back to the real world to meet new human companions.
Pepper (Australia) - In 1960s rural Australia, a young girl named Pepper and her classmates are subjected to a narcissistic school teacher, Ms Harpie, and the abuse of corporal punishment. Together with her two friends, Rachel and Susie, Pepper embarks on an adventure of mischievous pranks to restore the balance of power.
SWEET SOLACE (France) - 'Boïko, a penniless, whimsical street musician, smiles again when Christelle and Joseph, two blind passersby, make a striking encounter... Captivated by the series of misunderstandings, BoÏko catapults the two blind fellows into his imaginary world made of movies and music...
27 June: DOCUMENTARY – 3-5pm
The 44 Scarves of Liza Minelli (USA) - A filmmaker purchased 44 of Liza Minnelli’s used scarves at auction and sent them to 43 friends asking them to make images which suggested “Minnelli metaphor.”
PRAY (Japan) - People of all ages pray – children right through to the elderly. Japanese have been praying this way for the last thousand years.
500+ The Ride of a Lifetime (USA) - How far would you push your limits to help find the cure for cancer? The Empire State Ride is 500+ miles of cycling from New York City to Niagara Falls. Hear two cyclists amazing stories about pushing themselves to the limit in the name of honoring those they’ve lost to cancer.
Sweet (UK) - The story of TFL station officer Sylvain’s struggles with loneliness after he moved to Europe from Côte d’Ivoire and subsequent death of his only family in the country died in 2016, and how he tries to make everyone who passes through the station smile.
Ageing Gracefully (Canada) - 94 year old Grace Elliott shares the story of her incredible life, as well as the hardships she experiences as she faces the trials of ageing.
CoronaVegas (USA) - A stark look at the Las Vegas strip and Downtown Fremont Street areas as the threat of COVID-19 forced hotel casinos and many businesses to shut down during the height of the pandemic.
Little Boy (France) - Do you see inside the person as we see his smile. It is not prevention but a message filled with love. Little boy loves you, little boy will welcome you with open arms. A film that aims to overcome suicide and depression.
Reclaiming the Negative (UK) - Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, roughly 31,000 North Koreans have defected from their home country to South Korea. In 2018, photographer Tim Franco began shooting a series of large format portraits using an unusual technique for a book detailing some of their experiences.
Deleted (UK) - A short documentary following the last 5 hours of a 59-years-old man, Ahmed before becoming homeless due to the late payments and bureaucracy by the Department for Work and Pensions.
27 June: DRAMA 2- 5:30-7:30pm
Under the Lather (France) - Ivan, five years old, is forced to take his bath by his babysitter. Once in the water, he discovers with horror, hidden under the lather, a frightful creature that he will have to face ...
The Day You Long For (UK) - A surreal drama set on Christmas Day. Sebastian spends this festive season in the hospital after being involved in a car accident.
IL VESTITO (THE SUIT) (Italy) - An immigrant works in a laundry to buy a wedding suit. One day he is found stealing a suit from a sick groom who has just been left at the altar. To atone for his sins, he will have to avenge the robbed man. Online Shopping (Iran) - A young Iranian girl is preparing his immigration for continuing her studies abroad. Before her travel, she tries sell her belongings online. One of the customer is a man who behaves strangely…
Bye Bye Bridges (UK) - With the arrival of Brexit, a couple who emigrated to Scotland are afraid that in the near future they will have to change their destination again. 'Bye Bye Bridges' is a small example of a global problem: how to manage immigration and how these decisions could affect people? The uncertain future has become as a new philosophy of life.
RedYellowBlue (UK) - A young man faces conflicting emotions after being offered a life-changing job interview.
The Inuring (UK) - A bullied teenage girl finally confronts her sister to drag their fractured past out into the light.
The Cunning Man (UK) - The Cunning Man is inspired by a real Cunning Man, John Harries (c.1785 - 1839). It's an enchanted tale of compassion in the face of callous greed.
Dear Aunt Noa (USA) - A worldly transgender environmental activist from bustling LA and a struggling family-man mechanic from small town Ohio walk into a bar, their years of friendship tested by shades of gray in a modern America desperately masquerading in starkly contrasting monotones.
27 June: NORTHWEST FILMMAKERS- 8-10pm
Gruoch: (UK) - Gruoch is an experimental film aiming to convey guilt and torment.
1:100 (UK) - Graham is a autistic man who is happy with his life and the routine he keeps on a daily basis, but this will all change when he is forced to go on a work retreat to House Autismus.
Fares (UK) - A Liverpool taxi driver considers the duality of people, recounting characters he has driven for whilst working nights.
Skinjob (UK) - A group of slave Androids steal a space shuttle and journey back to earth to find their maker.
A Brief Case (UK) - A group of friends get more than they bargain for when they find a briefcase with a severed hand attached.
Leagues Apart (UK) - A story of two estranged friends brought back together by the untimely death of their childhood rugby coach.
Look/Listen (UK) - When forced to choose between his sight and hearing, a young man and his girlfriend set out to decide what is most important to them.
Jackpot (UK) - A young boy finds a large sum of money hidden in a discarded mattress...
About Time Too: Ivy’s Story (UK) - Meet octogenarian ex-nurse Ivy Lodge on the day she travels to her new home.
Bulldog (UK) - After spending the night in a cell, a rough sleeper has a score to settle.
A Dunder Plunder (UK) - A burglar's plans are derailed, when he encounters a sobbing woman in the master bedroom.
28 June: DRAMA 3 - 12-2pm
Sea Depth Apart (Italy) - A tumultuous relationship encapsulates Vittorio’s creative block: he wants to "write the sea". His quest becomes more and more frenetic and irrational, while all around him, his social relationships shatter. His beloved Marta feels increasely left out, like she’s fading in the background. Vittorio therefore decides to see the sea once again, in person. He bathes thoughfully and understands that to him, the sea was always in Marta’s eyes. But it’s too late, and the boy is overwhelmed by the realisation that she, his Sea, is not with him anymore and it was all an illusion.
Dismissed (UK) - A compassionate catholic teacher panics when she finds a suicide note in her classroom and attempts to discover the vulnerable pupil.
L'Oro di Famiglia (The Family Gold) (Italy) - A young petty thief and a male robbery. Among the stolen goods, an object captures his attention: not gold, not silver and not ancient memorabilia, but something much more precious than the worth returning.
All the Trimmings (UK) - All the Trimmings tells the story of a man’s desperate pursuit to provide Christmas dinner for his young family.
Can’t Hide It (UK) - Kim and Richard face up to the fact that she has cancer - in their own words the treatment is just a process to get through before getting on with their lives.
Limbo (Iran) - A former Iraqi sniper, took refuge in Iran and began to tattoo the names of all the soldiers he had killed in the conflicts and wars in Iraq. The last name is tattooed by a young Iranian, who is asked for a strange favour.
THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME (France) - A man, a woman, a payback!
Ashmina (UK) - Nestled between a beautiful lake and the Himalayas, Ashmina, 13, lives with her family at the outskirts of Pokhara Nepal, paragliding capital of the world. Forced to skip school, Ashmina helps her family make ends meet by working at the landing field, packing the parachutes of foreign pilots in return of small change.
28 June: DRAMA 4 - 3-5pm
Keep Breathing (UK) - A woman gets stuck in a lift with the engineer that's fixing it, only to discover it's the man she had a one-night-stand with just a few weeks before.
Wings (UK) - A heartwarming LGBTQ+ love story that spans over six decades, between two Land Army girls during World War II. A partly silent film, accompanied by a beautiful score, starring BAFTA award-winning actresses Miriam Margolyes, and fifties film legend, Virginia Mckenna.
DAMAGE (UK) - Rav and Emma have recently got together. They are in love but do they really know each other?
Scrable (UK) - The tale of Salif, a middle aged launderette owner and his fear that any day now, his sole employee, 77 year old Mary, might just stop showing up.
CHOKER (UK) - As a girl drops from the sky onto a crowded beach, a mysterious man drives at breakneck speed towards her. CHOKER is a unique narrative take on one of the biggest challenges facing our planet.
Mountain (Iran) - Dream of a child labour in the mountain range.
Approval Needed (UK) - After a day that just can't get any worse, a lonely traffic-warden finds love and an unexpected friend at the supermarket checkout.
Ladies Most Deject (USA) - A teenage girl from the Appalachian mountains struggles to protect her siblings from an addict mother.
Better Than Neil Armstrong (Iran) - Four kids start their journey to the moon with the mission of finding a mysterious place called The Redland but the gates of Redland are being guarded by a mischievous snake.
28 June: COMEDY - 6-8pm
Home Wreckers (UK) - A couple's romantic dinner at home is wrecked by a fly...
Amore, non è come pensi (Italy) - The wife comes back home earlier than expected and catches her husband in bed with another woman. In anger, she tries to kill him, but accidentally she hits the lover...
Holy Cannelloni (UK) - On her Holy Communion day, Maria discovers what ‘sexed’ really means and who she's destined to marry. Taking Nonna’s advice (from God!), she decides to make a change...
Just Desserts (UK) - Revenge comedy where the best man and chief bridesmaid prove their love for each other by accidentally ruining a wedding breakfast.
Crazy (USA) - An insecure and apparently ill-equipped mob boss enlists the help of an eccentric hitman to assassinate his girlfriend's lover who he presumes has a significantly larger penis. They may not be who they think they are.
Sidepiece (USA) - Dating is hard. Especially when you’re married. Nothing is what appears to be in this short romantic-comedy about two people who find each other on a very special dating app.
Extra Sauce (Germany) - Hans, a mediocre heartbroken actor, is greeted by an Angel of Death after attempting suicide an hour before his play's premiere.
On in 15 (UK) - A band are about to perform at the biggest gig of their lives, except a monumental problem hits them 15 minutes before they go on stage, can they fix it time?
The Afterlife Bureau (UK) - There is something that comes after you die and before you meet your maker… Paperwork!
Socks and Robbers (UK) - A gang of notorious sock-headed criminals commit the biggest bank heist of their careers. Things start to fall apart when they find out an undercover cop has infiltrated their ranks.
AWARDS CEREMONY - 8-9pm
Announcing the nominees and winners of each individual category in the festival.
And finally, announcing the BEST IN FESTIVAL award with a grand prize of £1000