SATURDAY 15TH AUGUST 2026
BLOCK 1 - (10am - 12pm)
TEXAS STRANGE (9m 23s)
After two months on a distant planet, John Thurston returns to his ragtag crew of criminals and thieves. He expects a heroes welcome...instead they've held themselves a vote.
THE THRESHOLD (39m )
In a world populated entirely by puppets who are unaware of their condition, a young couple finds themselves aimlessly wandering through an amusement park, yearning for excitement. He is a workaholic, consumed by his job, while she is on the brink of motherhood. Little do they know that their lives are about to be forever transformed.
CAT & CURTAINS (9m 49s)
Filling in for his parents, Chris took on the cat and curtains duty at a neighbour’s house while they were away on holiday. Things took an unexpected turn when the wrong Kat turned up - who is hiding whom?
SOUL TRADER (18m 48s)
A despondent soul arrives in strange place where he must confront his (mostly) inner demons.
II MADE THE INVISIBLE MAN (24m 53sm)
When a jaded ghostwriter is hired to tell the story of a man who claims to be H.G. Wells’ real Invisible Man, she assumes it’s just another doomed commission. But as Victoria Griffin digs deeper, she uncovers fragments of a mystery stretching across centuries and a terrifying truth hiding in plain sight.
IMPERFECT CADENCE (9m 40s)
When a young musician dreams the perfect melody, she wakes with only a trace of it lingering in her mind. Desperate to recreate it, she becomes obsessed, neglecting her career, her relationship, and her own well-being in the process. As her fixation deepens, the lines between genius and madness blur, and the man who once stood by her side begins to unravel too.
DEFINITIONS (7m 43s)
When May, an author and collector rare dictionaries meets Abel, a man sorting through his late mother’s belongings, they share a rare moment of unspoken connection.
BLOCK 2 - (12.30pm - 2.30pm)
THE STORK (8m 17s)
The Stork is a character driven comedy that follows well intentioned, but clueless, parents of a queer woman wanting to start a family via artificial insemination using Norwegian semen ordered online – a popular method for queer couples. However, typically, the receipts of said semen tend to sign for their important delivery but on this occasion they’re not in but, (un)luckily, one set of parents are! On delivery, there is a slight altercation that results in the sample being destroyed leaving the delivery driver and parents in a bit of sticky situation.
MY HERO(14m 57s)
From zero to hero, we follow the life of Nathen, whose life has been pushed around for too long. He soon encounters his alter ego who transforms into his hero and battles on his behalf in difficult situations. However, Nathen quickly discovers that a hero's journey can lead to complicated consequences.
A DANCE TO THE DEATH (14m 42s)
1880, somewhere in the West, a sheriff in pursuit of two bank robbers stops a carriage with three ladies, but all is not as it seems.
THE PAUSE (16m 58s)
The real horror is finding yourself.
After losing her job and her sense of identity, Charlie begins to feel as though her life has turned into a horror film she never auditioned for.
Set against AI job searches and the chaos of menopause, The Pause is a a darkly funny horror about identity slipping and the cost of starting over.
MOON (4m 14s)
The short film Moon follows a self assured yet frustrated field agent who is prepared to take matters into their own hands following a tense briefing. In the short encounter, we follow agent Moon portraying a range of human emotions before getting to grips with reality, and finally acknowledging what truly matters the most.
IF THIS IS IT (12m 32s)
A John Hughes inspired 80s short film about a comic book artist who gets left in limbo when his girlfriend asks for space, but then Lina & The Lions come into his life.
SHAKESPEARE FOR ALL AGES (2m 42s)
"How can you give the target and age group "smartphone" an overview of the work of this unique literary genius without getting bogged down in long-winded lectures on verse and drama theory? The filmmaker and artist Hannes Rall has turned this consideration into a very short and yet for that very reason so great animated film. (...)
THE RINGERS (29m 17s)
When a fire destroys The Ringers, the only pub in a small Dartmoor village, a rural community loses its heart. Told through the voices of local residents, the film reveals a rich spectrum of rural British life - its humour, hardships and solidarity, exploring the fragile future of Britain’s pubs and the vital role they play in sustaining connection, conversation, and community.
THROWING FRUIT (15m 58s)
A grotesque yet chucklesome physical manifestation of Rachel’s thoughts won’t leave her alone
BLOCK 3 - (3.00pm - 5.00pm)
STROLLING DOWN BRIGHTON PIER (4m 58s)
A young Edwardian gentleman, working as a photographer, falls madly in love with a captivating woman as she takes her daily stroll down Brighton Pier. Finally mustering the courage to approach her, he is devastated to discover that there's someone else in the picture.
THE CAROLERS (20m)
A December night of carol-singing for cash sends three young bandmates headfirst into mischief, mistakes, and growing up.
TRUE LOVE AND WORMHOLES (15m)
Maggie’s from the West Country; Craig’s from the Future – and together they might just save the planet. He’s funny, intense, and impossible to resist… but the closer Maggie gets, the more she suspects his story hides something darker. As their bond deepens, the danger escalates, smashing the boundaries between reality and delusion, monotony and wormholes, betrayal and True Love.
THE YARD (8m 30s)
During the Christmas season a girl goes in search of a lost ornament with surprising results
EULOGY (13m 5s)
Eulogy is a short film about the loss of a family member and how it pulls at the threads of family connections.
SPEAK TO ME JACK (10m 57s)
Set in a domestic kitchen. Linda, a woman in her sixties enters with a social worker. She begins to speak to her husband who is seated in silence at the kitchen table. It appears that she is trying to get him to speak to her as they await transport to a care home. The man is in apparent emotional lock down and the woman speaks to him about the good times, constantly addressing him as Bill.
BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD (14m 55s)
An actress returns to the stage to play Lady Macbeth in a local production just as she discovers that her husband is having an affair with one of her best friends, and Lady Macbeth has advice about what she should do next.
BURNT CHAMPAGNE (6m 4s)
With attention to validation, like a tennis match with a crushing blow. Diahann enters Esther's house and confronts the way Esther displays her wealth. This scene exudes sophistication, with the wealthiest driven by a feud for power.
THE ROUNDHOUSE - STRATFORD'S FORGOTTEN THEATRE (10m 55s)
A documentary exploring the RSC's The Roundhouse with Professor Abigail-Rokison-Woodall.
LONLEY DAYS (4m 9s)
A music video telling the story of an old man at the end of his life and his subsequent passing.
TALKING RUBISH (11m 3s)
Carl's morning kicks off the way every hapless single mans does every week. Forgetting to put the bins out. He must race against time before the bin lorry arrives. What follows is a slapstick series of unfortunate events: Carl struggles with his clothes, the recycling bin, a small dog, and ultimately his own emotions as he looks for the chance of new love and companionship.
SATURDAY AWARDS EVENING - (6.00pm - 8.00pm
(Includes a free drink from the bar plus an awesome bufett and networking)
SUNDAY 16TH AUGUST 2026
BLOCK 1 - (10.00am - 12.00pm)
TWO FINGERS (13m 51s)
Written and directed by Anastazia Eden Bea, Two Fingers explores the fallout of a violent hate-crime as Arnold, a young non-binary person, navigates the road to recovery. With the support of their boyfriend Andre and old friend Daphne, Arnold begins to put their life back together. Over two months, their paths intertwine with those the past - forcing Arnold to confront trauma, forgiveness, and the weight of Karma.
THE REAL DEAL (4m 10s)
Based on the unforgettable short story by acclaimed author Andy Weir, 'THE REAL DEAL' tells the story of a man in love and his supportive friend, set against the backdrop of a smoky bar in 1950s America.
REMEMBER WHEN (11m 1s)
Upon their Mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis, siblings Tim and Charlotte revisit a place close to both them and their mothers' hearts. However, what starts out as a sweet recollection of memories becomes something completely unforeseen for Tim.
THE IDEAL SELF (2m 28S)
I decided to create a short film with the premise being about a young individual deciding to find a match for how society views her and her overall identity which she calls her “ideal self”.
Due to technical issues involving booking out professional equipment from my university’s website, I decided to utilise an independent filmmaking method called Guerrilla filmmaking where I utilised my own limited resources to create this short film in the span of 48 hours.
MATRESCENCE (15m)
Set in the early 2000s, 'Matrescence' is a poignant drama that follows Heather, a first-time mother struggling to navigate the isolating reality of new parenthood with her newborn son, George.
New mothers are constantly told they should feel elated — overcome with joy at the arrival of their child. But for Heather, nothing feels further from the truth. The days and nights blur together, basic routines feel gruelling, and the baby she longs to bond with cries endlessly in place of silence.
I'M TOBY (5m 25s)
A reclusive man’s anxiety turns to terror when his unplugged phone begins to ring, just as an eerie figure appears on his doorstep.
ON THE BACKBURNER (11m 6s)
Yusuf, a kitchen porter, bonds with Abiola, an older cynical colleague. Together they inspire a winning dish, but their undocumented status costs them their jobs — yet they face the future together.
MIA ALEX DEAN MAKE A MOVIE (7m 15s)
When three best friends accidentally hijack their own movie, they sprint through shifting genres, fourth wall breaks, and emotional chaos to answer one question: who’s the real main character, and does it even matter?
THE TREES (11m 4s)
A journalist is invited to interview a pagan tribe in the woods he meets mysterious creatures wearing masks. He joined them for a hunt realise there’s no hunting people and that they want him to be a part of their ceremony
WAS I THERE, OR WAS I THERE (37m 30s)
Gary Charles Rowlands has an unseen past. He bought a 35mm film camera in the early 80's for photographing aeroplanes. But captured something entirely different when he went on his first anti-fascism march. As a black resident of West London he couldn't escape its impact. And ever since he's been taking photographs of some of the most significant protests in history. However, these photographs have remained unseen until his neighbour - cinematographer, Simon Reay - started talking to him during lockdown. Together they scanned hundreds of negatives and Gary's story began to unfold.
BLOCK 2 - (12.30pm - 2.30pm)
ROSES & THORNS (15m 20s)
Roses and Thorns is a 15-minute short film that explores the relationship of a couple within a domestic violence setting. We are taken behind the closed doors of a “happy” marriage and are hit with the reality of what many relationships look like beneath the surface. It offers an unusual ending to what is expected of most domestic violences stories.
AIDEN & DEAN DON'T FALL IN LOVE (12m 11s)
Overwhelmed by the weight of unspoken feelings, best friends Aiden & Dean struggle to make the most of their final weekend together before Aiden has to move away.
MILK CANDIES (10m 51s)
As his family's Chinese supermarket closes and his departure looms, Tyler revisits his childhood and re-evaluates his closest relationships.
GO DOWN DILLER (23m)
Diller McCasslin, a single father and hotel security officer, finds his sense of control slipping when he encounters something he cannot explain—a talking bear working at a fast-food restaurant. While others, including his teenage daughter Shelly, seem to accept this reality without concern, Diller becomes increasingly fixated on the threat he believes the bear represents.
THE LAST CALL (15m 44s)
The Last Call follows a day in the life of Jonathan, an isolated man grappling with emotional and financial turmoil. Aimless and burdened by his own self-destructive behaviour, Jonathan drifts from place to place in search for meaning. Desperate for connection, he reaches out to one-time friend Pete, who once represented everything good in his life before their relationship fell apart. As the two open old wounds, certain truths and realities emerge regarding their past and unresolved pain
WILD KATE (18m 3s)
An update on The Taming of the Shrew. This short film weaves Shakespearean text from multiple plays with modern dialogue and a new context: a young woman’s online presence becomes the object of a young man’s obsession.
PRESENT COMPANY EXCLUDED (12m 46s)
Tired of carrying the weight of existence, Life meets Death at a diner, and asks for one final request.
In a quiet, out-of-the-way diner, Life and Death meet for a conversation. Tired and worn down, Life surprises Death by asking if she can finally die. Unsure at first, Death listens as she explains why she’s ready to let go. What follows is a quiet, intimate exchange between two eternal forces, exploring purpose, exhaustion, and the unexpected tenderness between Life and Death.
GOODBYE MUM (10m 11s)
After their car breaks down in the countryside on the way to their mother’s funeral, siblings Imy and Josh are left with no clear way forward. As they try to find a way to make it in time, tensions between them begin to resurface, turning the journey into something far more complicated than they initially expected...
BLOCK 3 - (3.00pm - 5.00pm)
CHILDREN OF ALBION (8m 45s)
London-based artist and folklorist, Ben Edge, embarks on his magnum opus - a dramatic, Bosch-inspired altarpiece tracing Britain’s evolution from prehistory to the present. As he delves into the nation’s tangled past, his search for meaning becomes personal, culminating in a manifesto of hope for a country still defining itself.
A STUDY OF WITCHES IN WARTIME BRITAIN (10m 26s)
An alternative universe where witches exist in ostracization is shown through WW2 propaganda and documentary. Witches gain powers through always telling the truth, unacceptable in a society that relies on lying.
Wartime Britain needs witches, so the Government creates a campaign that encourages witches and non-magics to accept their differences and work together.
JUDGE JURY LATINA FURY (14m 30s)
In Judge, Jury, Latina Fury, court-ordered anger management therapy is the only thing standing between Maria and a prison sentence that would shatter her family. But the "fury" isn't the problem; it’s the mask. In a high-stakes, darkly comedic bid for survival, Maria’s daughter, Ana, hijacks the therapy session, dragging her conflict-avoidant father into an emotional pressure cooker
NOT EVERY FAIRY LIKES THEIR WINGS (10m 54s)
When a fairies body dysmorphia leads her down to a dark mental state, she is forced to confront her intrusive thoughts.
ENDO (2m 12s)
A SONG TO BE MURDERED BY (15m)
A Song To Be Murdered By follows an aspiring singer called Alice Elliot who has got her big break performing at 'The Pretty Flamingo' nightclub. However, problems arise when a nefarious gang, hellbent on taking over the club, arrive one night and Alice is forced to connect with her past and the trauma she buried deep from this gang. The leader of this gang, Jack Mercer, used to exploit and abuse Alice's mother, Betty, so she takes them out one by one to save herself, the club and to get justice.
MY ROOF (2m 19s)
explores the complex theme of the expectations of independence that older generations place on young people. The film examines the contradiction between these expectations and the reality of the contemporary world, a world that those very older generations have gradually shaped, and which today is characterized by growing uncertainty, instability, and limited opportunities for building an independent life.
EXPECTATIONS (21m 14s)
How do you survive a wedding while single? You hide.
A chance encounter at a wedding forces two strangers to confront societal expectations surrounding singlehood and being a ‘late bloomer’.
Expectations is a coming of age, rom-com, drama short film that discusses single life, late bloomer hood, societies pressure to be in a relationship, the pressure to achieve certain milestones by certain ages and how single life is framed as missing out, but especially when invited to events such as weddings
THE YEAST WITHIN (15m 30s)
When a woman wakes up in the middle of a field with no memory of how she got there, she insists her friend abandoned her. Furious, her boyfriend leaps to her defence and sets out to punish the so-called betrayer. But what begins as an act of loyalty quickly unravels into a chain of darkly comic consequences, as revenge twists into something far stranger, and far more unsettling, than anyone could have predicted.
RAINY DAY (2m 48s)
Rainy Day follows Murphy and his cat Meatball as they turn a miserable day around, finding cosy comfort in creation and company. This slice-of-life short film focuses on romancing the mundane and finding joy from the little things in life.
JOHN'S JOURNEY (4m 16s)
Based on a true story, John's Journey is a 3D-animated short that follows one man's identity as it persists through Alzheimer's. As his world gradually loses colour, one object endures as a symbol of who he is. A story showing that John is still John, no matter what Alzheimer's takes.
