Five Days of Cinema

Celebrating 20 Years Of USR

19:57 · Dir. Manpreet Singh Pabla

This documentary centres on resilience, generational sacrifice, and entrepreneurial spirit, capturing real people at pivotal moments in their journeys. Through Story & Motion, Manny Singh Pabla continues to push into long-form storytelling, crafting films that feel cinematic yet intimate, ambitious yet deeply human.

The Big Bad Wolf

5:00 · Dir. Leo William Wright

Set in the Black Country, this film is about friendship, inclusivity and not judging a wolf by its cover. After discovering the power of the humble brick, pigs forged ahead into the industrial revolution — until a little piggie named Richmond befriends a not-so-big bad wolf named Billy, much to the outrage of his father.

Time to Go

15:55 · Dir. Thomas Elliot Griffiths

A fed-up office worker hatches a meticulous plan to get rid of her corrupt, predatory boss once and for all.

QUIET

11:41 · Dir. Lily Portman

Unable to leave her room, Gert spends her anxiety-ridden days talking to a bird outside her window — until he tells her the world has ended.

Cherry B

12:03 · Dir. Ornella Hawthorn Gardez

It's 1969, a housewives soiree, drinking cocktails whilst summoning up an old dead friend. When a spiritual message prompts adolescent Lilith to respond, it alerts us to the demon that lies within.

Dogbone

19:52 · Dir. Austen Taylor Pease

Northern England, 2004. 16-year-old Mark plays football to stay connected to his late father. But after a teammate's suicide, the silence around him grows louder. Burdened by a brutal coach and the weight of buried grief, Mark begins to unravel.

Skate

18:22 · Dir. Elliot Johns

A short film following the journey of Lilah, a figure skater determined to overcome her home life to compete on the big stage of the figure skating world.

WELL-BEING

13:07 · Dir. Kevin McNally

In a bleak city where a corporate giant promises to "fix" the broken, a young man enters a free therapy programme 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.

Living With His Lordship

6:40 · Dir. Josef Quintrell

In this fascinating documentary, we follow the trials and tribulations of the lone survivor of an ancient, crumbling regime. Meet Louis Flintman, a charming aristocrat thrust into the folly and madness of Lordly Living for the bargain price of £20 (plus postage).

BAYLA

5:45 · Dir. Adriana Mourelle

BAYLA follows a dancer through the ups and downs of her career — the successes, but also the frustrations and uncertainty.

Christmas Box

1:30 · Dir. Adriana Mourelle

Erin leaves a gift box on her ex's doorstep, hoping to make amends. An unexpected moment forces her to confront her past. Will she find closure or a second chance?

Burnt Champagne

6:03 · Dir. Sherrie Edgar

With attention to validation, like a tennis match with a crushing blow. Dominique enters Esther's house; Diahann confronts how Esther displays her wealth. This scene contains sophistication, with the wealthiest, based on feud for power.

Mia, Alex & Dean Make a Movie

7:50 · Dir. Declan Smith

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?

DEKHO (Look)

18:09 · Dir. Manjinder Virk

A ten-year-old British Asian boy, Arjun, has to find a way to navigate his world when his grandmother, who has dementia, unexpectedly has to stay with him and his mother.

Please Check Description

8:51 · Dir. Jacob Melling

A mysterious man goes to meet another mysterious man. It's all so bloody mysterious.

Nothing's Impossible

44:49 · Dir. Jacob McClean

Through the voices of his family, this intimate film tells the story of Ashley Wilson, an epileptic cancer survivor whose life challenged limitations. Rowing 3,600 miles of ocean was only a moment in time. This is the story before — a tale of resilience, identity, and living beyond what will ever seem possible.

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE

17:30 · Dir. Jakub Konaszczuk

25 years ago, Michael killed his best friend. His continuous belief in his innocence keeps him from freedom.

The Three Fat Men

15:27 · Dir. Sumin Kim

The three fat men gather for their annual diet camp. But this year an extra guest is coming.

The Hate You Take

5:30 · Dir. Daniel Crew

A schoolboy must come to terms with the hate he spreads by viewing misinformation online.

Daniel's Room

13:59 · Dir. Jack Richardson

On the eve of its auction, Emily returns to her long-abandoned childhood home. She's come for a final reckoning with her estranged step-brother, Daniel. As night falls, buried grief resurfaces and long-hidden truths claw their way to light.

The Fountain

21:00 · Dir. Andrej Srebrnjak

After the death of her parents, eleven-year-old Mila moves to the countryside to live with her grandparents. Traumatised by loss, she stops speaking and withdraws from the world. With gentle patience and long walks in nature, her grandfather tries to awaken the spark of childhood.

The Hero

9:23 · Dir. Oliver Woolridge

At the end of the Great War, a soldier burdened with informing a mother of her son's death faces an impossible decision — tell her a noble lie, or the horrible truth?

Eye In The Sky

18:00 · Dir. Stein Henningsen & Ina Otzko

Not a documentary, but a poetic, political reflection on a shifting geopolitical landscape. The film unfolds across sound and vision to ask urgent questions: What happens when industrial presence ends — and digital presence takes over?

Help Yourself

14:21 · Dir. Hedvig Andersson

Andie, a desperate writer, abandons her family to finish a script in a flat she borrows from a colleague. She keeps getting interrupted by bizarre and hostile strangers who all have unfinished business there. A surreal vortex of emotional experiences and revelations.

Unbalanced

22:00 · Dir. Tayyib Mahmood

After the devastating loss of his young daughter to cancer, university lecturer Professor Morana begins to unravel. Grief turns inward, and the man once known for his reason and intellect is overtaken by a dark transformation.

Distill Bill

12:42 · Dir. Luke Worrall

A distillery in the idyllic English countryside provides beautiful spirits to its adoring guests. Behind this perfect facade is an underground human body disposal operation. When a police officer notices something strange and decides to pop in, the team are left with a difficult choice.

My Hero

15:00 · Dir. Jassica Magaye

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 — but a hero's journey can lead to complicated consequences.

A Film About Dad

13:54 · Dir. Joe Murphy

A personal account of the filmmaker's parents as they face the challenges of Parkinson's and dementia. Through an intimate lens, the film explores the impact of age gaps in romantic relationships, the journey towards acceptance, and the quiet mourning of loved ones who are still with us.

Against Your Nature

14:00 · Dir. Alessandro Magnabosco

Set in a world decimated by a deadly pandemic, a short dystopian queer drama about two women forced to choose which of them will bear the burden of pregnancy to help repopulate the planet.

Obroni Wawu — Dead White Man's Clothes

13:00 · Dir. Luke Dell

Obroni Wawu, meaning "dead white man's clothes", follows Ghanaian creatives and traders as they confront the environmental and social toll of secondhand clothing dumped from the Global North.

Mr Vertigo

20:53 · Dir. Marios Hamboulides

Sam has a developing condition — he is losing his ability to feel. During a review of his ongoing diagnosis, he learns that in his new reality, pain is the price for the connection he craves. With his memory fragmenting, a mystery begins to unfold exploring the theme of perception.

Decode Me

14:29 · Dir. Sharon Sibyl Gatt

Jane is a 30-year-old programmer stuck in a long coding session, isolated in her bedroom and lost in her thoughts. When her close friend Elizabeth starts asking questions, Jane brushes them off — not realising Elizabeth is trying to understand what's really going on.

Learners

20:00 · Dir. Paul Testar

When cantankerous widower David agrees to teach his son's unemployed girlfriend Ellen to drive, things get off to a terrible start. After a few stalls and false starts, they find a little bit of common ground as Ellen learns to navigate both the roads and each other's idiosyncrasies.

Sanctuary

13:28 · Dir. Coralie Bastiaens

After a restless night out in London, Anna stumbles into a church. In the quiet, she is flooded with memories of the home she left behind. A meditative story about queerness, migration, and the shifting idea of home.

WORMHOLES

13:15 · Dir. Vanessa Bailey

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.

FUNK

15:00 · Dir. Adam Harris

Old friends Ted and Tom are reunited as they arrive in Berlin for a stag do. When the stag runs late, the two are forced to spend time with each other after years apart.

The Last Dance

16:39 · Dir. Hayden Mclean

When Fox's "LA Bar" is hit with a compulsory purchase order, a cornerstone of Caribbean life in 90s East London is threatened. As the city begins to forget, the community remembers. In defiance and longing, a last dance ignites.

How to Catch a Fish

15:47 · Dir. Wale Adetula

A workaholic father must survive a chaotic road trip with his happy-go-lucky dad to keep custody of his daughter.

Stay Calm

17:09 · Dir. Chas Harrington

Stay Calm follows three paramedics as they struggle to save the life of a dying hate criminal. As his condition worsens, doubt creeps in. Do they keep fighting for him, or let nature take its course?

AAJAO (Welcome)

15:00 · Dir. Maanuv Thiara

Taj returns to his hometown to speak at a memorial for his father. Unable to speak Punjabi, and therefore unable to communicate with his community, he has 48 hours to learn and embrace an aspect of his identity he has spent years burying.

Largo

18:59 · Dir. Max Burgoyne-Moore & Salvatore Scarpa

A young Syrian refugee, struggling to feel at home in the UK without his parents, resorts to building a boat and attempting to sail home to find them.

Overtones

12:28 · Dir. Ollie Gardner

After her husband's death, a mother struggles to connect with her son, who has retreated into his music — until she discovers it is not an escape, but a way back to him, and to herself.

Dukh

39:56 · Dir. Ajit Mann

Jasbir returns home after studying out of London for three years to introduce his girlfriend to his family. Upon returning, he is quick to learn that old memories of the past still linger.

K-9INE!

11:00 · Dir. Elliot Power

K-9INE! follows Roy, a recently retired police dog handler. His routine takes an unexpected turn when he invites Tea Leaf, a shoplifting door-to-door salesman, into his home.

Clutter

14:36 · Dir. James Card

Jean has a no-nonsense attitude to both her cleaning job and her affluent clientele. But faced with the aftermath of a grieving drag queen's night of hedonism, she is forced to confront the pain of her own loss. Clutter examines how loss affects us all, and how we find the strength to move forward.

Working Title: The Life and Crimes of Finn McClean

12:43 · Dir. Eddie Jackson

When an unassuming man, claiming responsibility for several murders, insists on confessing only to a washed-up detective, a twisted case emerges that could thrust them both into the spotlight — whether for fame or infamy.

Man From Mars

8:34 · Dir. Sophia Dall'Aglio

After spending 15 years in an inter-galactic penitentiary, Jerry Miller returns to Earth.

POST

8:49 · Dir. Jo Lane

A prison officer is deeply affected by an interaction with a traumatised inmate and attempts to emotionally harden himself in order to get back to work — but repressing his emotions pushes him to the edge again.

Different Faces

17:19 · Dir. Gregory William Randolph Jr

After moving to the country, Jack must find himself or risk losing the one he loves.

Our Little Act Of Rebellion

17:03 · Dir. Ranw Aso-Rashid

On his 75th birthday, a man recalls his encounter with a mysterious woman in 1970s Athens, at the height of military government rule.

All The Colours

21:00 · Dir. Leo De Haan

When teenage Katie — groomed to work for a local Brighton drug dealer — is ordered to murder a rival, she doesn't follow through and goes on the run, finding safety with her estranged ex-con father.

Grilled Cheese

16:12 · Dir. Jonathan Reid-Edwards

Desperate to start rebuilding her life, Audrey must contend with a world that seems to be in on all the answers she can't get.

W: A Return To Oz

35:00 · Dir. Daniel Howard-Baker

Locked and loaded with film tape, a man explores an abandoned rave house, once known as The Warehouse, that was once the beating heart of the South West's clubland.

Duphomf's Passing

3:30 · Dir. Alan Harris

Existential horror comes from outside and within for the drifter Jacques DuPhomf, lost in the vastness of the American West. A super-8mm tall tale.

How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg?

13:12 · Dir. Daniel England

A short documentary that dives headfirst into this ritual, capturing the characters, chaos, and community spirit that make the event truly unforgettable. A funny and heartfelt portrait of a place where tradition is steeped in vinegar — and victory tastes oddly sulphuric.

Galar

24:56 · Dir. Niall Duffy

In rural Ireland, a determined father fights to save his crumbling home and protect his family amidst a neglected housing crisis. Based on true events. Made in association with Screen Ireland, currently being developed as a feature film.

Temptation

0:45 · Dir. Matthew James Deeley

In a dimly lit bar, a man is drawn to a radiant woman across the room. Then, without warning, she leaves with someone else. Alone again, he slips a wedding ring back onto his finger. Temptation explores the guilt of unrealised action.

For Sale

5:00 · Dir. Barney Pell Scholes & Thomas Harnett O'Meara

Lucy and David are a young couple trying to get on the property ladder. Visiting a potential flat one evening, they are disturbed by the unsettling behaviour of the estate agent — who seems determined not to let them leave.

O River

18:51 · Dir. Eloise Oui

Ira, a runaway nun, and Bael, a highwayman, share a karmic bond spanning multiple timelines. One seeks transcendence, the other spirals into chaos. Their psychodrama is shaped by supernatural forces as they are pulled toward each other.

Gan Canny

17:43 · Dir. Lou & Aaron Burns

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 take Nana on one last road trip before saying their final goodbyes.

ITCH

10:47 · Dir. Joe Savage

A short folk horror story for the dating app generation. It follows Jules and her second date Thomas, an awkward man with an infectious charm.

Reload

12:12 · Dir. Mckenzie Alexander & Dalila McFarlane-Martin

Dee, a grassroots London DJ, struggles to balance her survival job as a cleaner with her caring responsibilities to her Grandma, alongside pursuing her passion as a DJ. After facing casual sexism and setbacks during her set, she finds the confidence to return and finish what she started.

The Quackening

20:00 · Dir. James Button

A grumpy Welshman reluctantly visits his grandmother, only to discover she has gone and got herself cursed. So now he needs to save her (and the world) from a demon duck before midnight.

Sunburn

6:55 · Dir. William Allum

We follow Jason's life as he enjoys his time with friends at the beach until it suddenly hits him in the middle of the game. Can he hold it in and hide it, or will it show and affect his life?

Just Mates

5:50 · Dir. Patrick Forster

Joe returns to his flat after a night out to discover Ella is waiting for him. Despite being adamant they are "just mates", the pair are forced to confront the truth of their relationship.

Strolling Down Brighton Pier

4:58 · Dir. Zach Stevens

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 there's someone else in the picture.

1 Star Review

9:48 · Dir. John Ferrer

Chef Michael has a murderous obsession with changing negative reviews to save his restaurant, but a date with his latest critic Elysia makes him question his motives.

An Excess Baggage

16:20 · Dir. Myriam Garcia Marienstras

Sophie hides her unease within the intense bond she shares with her daughter, Lila. When Lila leaves for summer camp, Sophie finds herself alone for the first time, overwhelmed by separation and emotional dependency. As the day unfolds, she drifts through encounters and small gestures, trying awkwardly to fill the void.