Sunday 24th May 2026
11am - 2pm
Screen 7
Short Film Showcase 6
Stroke of Genius
STROKE OF GENIUS, starring Maxim Baldry (Rings of Power, Years and Years) and narrated by Tim Key (Mickey 17, The Double), juxtaposes the calm and emptiness of a morning spent waiting for a letter, where ostensibly little to nothing happens, with the turmoil on a cosmic scale caused by the waiting man’s existential ambivalence about his legacy and purpose.
12 Mins
Karel Van Bellingen
UK
Smiley Faces
Whilst delivering meals across Margate, a hopeless young cook must confront personal aspirations and a brewing resentment for her recently unemployed mum.
15 Mins
Harvey Ryan, Chloe Crocker
UK
Still as a Tree
A reclusive forest ranger, who finds solace in nature over humanity, is forced to confront his mistrust when two environmental researchers arrive, threatening the only world he calls home.
13 Mins
Marion Krim
UK
Goddamn it!
Too lazy to create the Universe on his own, God gathers his Archangels in his workshop for a brainstorming session. He presents them with the Equation of Everything, and together they debate—often heatedly—the cosmos, the cycle of life, grass, celebrity, religion, poetry, chickens, and night vision with zoom function.
25 Mins
Yann Cado, Julien Ordan
Switzerland/France
WORMHOLES
When an introverted cosmology student is reluctantly drawn into conversation by a vivacious late-night cleaner he discovers a universe far bigger than quantum mechanics.
13 Mins
Vanessa Bailey
UK
Homonym
Accused of murder, teenager Sam protests her innocence; claiming a malevolent presence in her family home is responsible. Unable or unwilling to accept her story, the police dismiss it. But as events take a sinister turn, they’re forced to reconsider.
17 Mins
Lily Howkins
UK
Four Hands
QUATRE MAINS (FOUR HANDS) is an intimate short documentary that chronicles the profound relationship between Philippe Entremont, the legendary French classical pianist, and his 35-year-old Japanese protégé, Gen Tomuro. As Philippe, at 90, prepares to give his final concert in Paris, the film captures this emotional milestone. Together, the two pianists perform Schubert’s Fantaisie in F minor for four hands, followed by Philippe Entremont’s solo performance of Chopin’s Prelude, Op. 28: No. 20 in C Minor, which he chooses as his farewell piece.
17 Mins
Helene Sevaux
France
Tulips
Student filmmaker Sophie accompanies her parents to document her grandfather’s last day in his home before being relocated due to dementia. As she films, she becomes confronted by the ethics of creating work that is too close to home.
16 Mins
Rhys Pritchard
UK
The Last Rehearsal
A beloved acting teacher rallies his favourite students one last time to stage his final play.
19 mins
Carling Ernstzen
UK
The Prey
Two siblings, long separated by a troubled past, are compelled to reunite to honor their late father’s final will, an obligation that leads to a revealing confrontation.
13 mins
Clara Casado
Spain
11am - 2pm
SCREEN 8
Bulb
An abstract comedy about a family that only owns one lightbulb.
12 Mins
Guy Taylor
UK
Made In England
After the chaos of the 2024 immigration riots, a working-class father’s loyalty is pushed to the limit when his foreign-born best friend becomes a target of the rioters.
70 Mins
Muneeb Azad Nazir
UK
2pm - 5pm
Screen 7
Short Film Showcase 7
Ice Ice Bye Bye
Los Angeles, an ordinary morning shatters when a seemingly ordinary man is forced to flee as ICE arrives, reducing a life to a case number and routine to survival.
10 mins
Sebastien Abdelhamid Godelu
France
Downsized
On his last day of work, a software engineer attempts to salvage the digital remains of his wife before being discovered by his coworker.
10 Mins
Ed Willey
UK
Salt
Married couple sit down for dinner and have to face some dark truths.
8 Mins
Steven N Sibley
UK
How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg?
The Cock Tavern is no ordinary East London pub. Renowned for its real ales and larger-than-life regulars it also plays host to one of the capital’s quirkiest underground traditions: the pickled egg eating competition.
How Fast Can You Eat a Pickled Egg? is a short documentary that dives headfirst into this ritual, capturing the characters, chaos, and community spirit that make the event truly unforgettable. From local legends chasing eternal glory to wide-eyed newcomers testing their limits, the film is a funny and heartfelt portrait of a place where tradition is steeped in vinegar—and victory tastes oddly sulphuric.
13 Mins
Daniel England
UK
Late Bloomer
30-year-old Harper Muller has always been a Late Bloomer, so when cervical cancer turns her life plans upside-down, she recruits her two best friends to sleep with her so she can lose her virginity. It’s a weird ask; believe her, she knows! But hey, what are friends for?
15 Mins
Kyle Anne Grendys
USA
ICare 9000
A vulnerable old lady is looked after by the ICare 9000, a high tech robot carer, but not everything is as it appears.
14 Mins
Robert Duncan
UK
Swim Sistas
Swim Sistas is a poetic, visually stunning love letter to water, sisterhood, and the enduring strength of Black women across generations.
Featuring the voice of Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris (Moonlight) as Mami Wata, part deity and part ancestral memory, the film flows across generations: from a young girl diving into joy, to Great Britain’s first and only Black female Olympic swimmer breaking historic barriers, to a woman learning to swim at 54, defying a legacy of inherited fear.
It is a celebration of connection, resilience and hope, told through the lens of the rising tide of Black women reclaiming their place in the water, and in history.
12 Mins
Catherine Joy White
UK
Gan Canny
Siblings Tyler and Paige don't agree with the way their estranged mam has arranged their Nana’s funeral, and impulsively take matters into their own hands. What follows is a clumsy grand theft hearse as the siblings decide to take Nana on one last road trip before saying their final goodbyes. What could possibly go wrong?
Gan Canny is a dead funny tale of grief, grudges and Geordie culture. It's heartfelt, it's hilarious, and it's deeply disrespectful in the most joyful of ways. What's not to love?
17 Mins
Lou Burns, Aaron Burns
UK
Deli Meat
Two inept criminals, Cammy and Coops, are tasked with burying their first body in the woods but find themselves at loggerheads when they realise that they’ve only brought one spade.
Deli Meat is a satirical exploration of toxic masculinity and how imposter syndrome can affect anyone, including criminals.
When the killing is easy but the digging is hard.
Starring Elliot Warren of Masters of the Air, A Thousand Blows and The Batman alongside Charlie Rix of Rings of Power, Masters of the Air and Silent Witness.
16 Mins
Brick
UK
Dancing with Death
Tired of the constant cycle of mortality, the personification of Death contemplates its role in the world and comes to realise the conclusion it gives to life.
8 Mins
Evan Preston
UK
2pm - 5pm
Screen 8
Tick
A group of twenty-somethings meet for a catch-up over shakshuka and cheap red wine. With harmless games ticking over, conversation flows, laughter feels easy - but with every tick, every sip, something shifts. Are they just playing, or is the truth about to spill?
17 Mins
Colin Hubbard
UK
Executioner
Robert Marlow is a sharp tongued politician with an unconventional private life. When a tryst goes horribly wrong, a blackmail plot against Marlow takes shape. With more twists and turns than Hampton Court maze, what starts out as black comedy soon turns into an exploration of psychological horror as we hurtle at breakneck speed towards the gates of Hell.
I 107 mins
Will Willoughby, Peter Benedict
UK
4pm - 6:30pm
Screen 7
The Lace
In Victorian England, Julia runs an apothecary shop that sells deadly poison to women in need of escape from their domineering husbands. Mrs Theodora Finchley, unknowingly to Julia, will be her most significant client yet, possessing the potential to unravel her meticulously laid schemes.
15 Mins
Nicole Sarah Fry
UK
Learners
When cantankerous widower David agrees to teach his son’s unemployed girlfriend Ellen to drive, things get off to a terrible start. Ellen is late and flustered, David is irritable and impatient.
They are both lost in their lives. Ellen’s career as an actress is struggling to launch and David feels redundant now that he has retired.
However, after a few stalls and false starts, they find a little bit of common ground. Slowly, the pair learn to navigate each other’s idiosyncrasies as Ellen learns to navigate the roads.
20 Mins
Paul Testar
UK
Diamond Dogs
Dive into the world of British gangster brilliance with a crime caper packed with fun, thrills, and style. A seasoned jewel thief teams up with a retired criminal to assemble a motley crew for the ultimate diamond heist.
115 Mins
Kris Smith
UK
5pm - 8pm
Screen 8
WELL-BEING
In a bleak city where a corporate giant promises to "fix" the broken, a young man enters a free therapy program, only to uncover a sinister plot to turn the vulnerable into obedient AI servants, forcing him to confront his darkest memories and fight for his own humanity.
13 Mins
Kevin McNally
UK
Stargazers
12 year old Jack Parker and best friend Benji race to uncover the mystery of the strange signals transmitting from their town. Could it be proof of Aliens living on Earth? The boys have three days to find out or risk being split up forever.
95 Mins
Jonathan Brooks
UK
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Screen 7
Chronicles of Depression
Within the walls of a 1950s British psychiatric hospital, recorded interviews with patients expose a terrifying truth. Beneath the surface of treatment lies a horrifying secret. As fractured minds begin to speak, their testimonies converge on a single figure known only as the “Shadow Man”.
Starring Megan Tremethick (Spoiling You) and Ian McCulloch (Zombie Flesh Eaters), Chronicles of Depression is a harrowing descent into psychological and institutional horror.
116 Mins
Lawrie Brewster
UK
8pm - 10pm
Screen 8
FINALE
The monsters she fears are real. The one who protects her is the worst.
15 mins
Giovanni Pedde, Vittorino Testa
Italy
Ed Kemper:
The Directors Cut
Based on actual events of American serial killer Edmund Kemper, who murdered his grandparents at age 15 and, after being paroled for that crime, killed eight women in 1972 and 1973 including his own mother
94 Mins
Chad Ferrin
USA
9pm - 11pm
Screen 7
The Quackening
A grumpy Welshman reluctantly visits his grandmother, only to discover she has only gone and got herself cursed! So now he needs to bloody save her (and the world) from a demon duck...before midnight.
20 mins
James Button
UK
Spoiling You
Drew, a lonely insomniac, clings to the online comfort of Miss Mutter, a seductive ASMR-style creator whose videos promise intimacy, care and unconditional attention. When he wins a competition to meet her in person, Drew follows the call with blind devotion. His fantasy curdles into a waking hallucination of affection, manipulation and control. A labyrinth of foam walls, plastic floors and artificial warmth becomes a stage upon which he must unlearn himself.
98 Mins
Megan Tremethick
UK
