Crystal Palace International Film Festival 2023 Programme

Presented by

EIN FESTIVAL VON CPIFF

2ND - 25TH March 2023 - CPIFF.co.uk - From only £10

“LIKE A GLOVE!!”

crystal palace international film festival (cpiff) 2023 The world’s coolest!

Known as the world’s coolest film festival, CPIFF ranks in the top 0.1% of over 10,000 film festivals worldwide.

Take your time to watch the trailers - every night is meticulously put together to thrill and entertain. This remarkable selection of creativity has been curated for well over a year to showcase these independent films that blow most major releases away.

Go to as many nights as you can as this is a once only experience. At the screenings you will meet and hear from filmmakers attending from all over the world about how they made their films. It’s fascinating.

There’s short film, animation, horror/sci-fi, comedy, docs & features.

Screening at the Everyman,

Picturehouse & Stanley Arts, many nights quickly sell out.

Music legend Paul Weller said: “I’ve loved CPIFF, the whole independent movement is a wonderful thing.

Mike Reiss, writer of The Simpsons since it began said: “CPIFF is the very best film festival we’ve ever been to - and we’ve been to a lot, this is as good as it gets!”

Following Johnny Vegas, Shappi Khorsandi and Mark Steel (below); top comedian & host of BBC’s ‘The News Quiz’, Andy Zaltzman presents the CPIFF Awards & comedy night. Book now.

Book your tickets early at cpiff.co.uk/schedule2023

Presented by

THURSDAY 9 March

P6

Mid Length Film (18)

7:30PM Everyman, SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

Friday

10 March

Short Film

P6/7/8 (15)

7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Food and bar available.

Thursday 2 March

Saturday

P1

11 March

Launch Night (18)

7:30pm Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £12.50, includes a glass of wine, beer or soft drink Food and bar available.

Saturday 4 March

P1/2

International Film (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Food and bar available.

Sunday 5 March

Long Doc/Short Film (15) 7:30PM Stanley Arts , South Norwood SE25 6AB £10.

Food and bar available.

Tuesday 7 March

P3/4

Fab Eclectix Mix (15)

7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Food and bar available.

Wednesday 8 March

P5

Docs Long & Short

Horror/Sci-fi (18)

7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £11.

Food and bar available.

sunday 12 March

(18)

7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

P11

Feature Film + Shorts (15) 7:30PM Stanley Arts , South Norwood SE25 6AB £10.

Food and bar available.

Tuesday

P3

P8/9/10

14 March

P11/12

Feature Film + Shorts (15)

7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

wednesday 15 March

P12

Long & Short Docs (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Food and bar available.

Friday 17 March

P15/16

Short Docs (15)

7:30PM Picturehouse SE27 9JU £10. Food and bar available.

saturday 18 March P16/17

Animation Night (12a)

7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £12.

Food and bar available.

SUNDAY 19 March

P17

Mixed Length Docs (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Food and bar available.

tuesday 21 March P18

Feature Film + Shorts (18)

7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

wednesday 22 March P18/19/20

Light Dark/Light Dark (15) 7:30PM Stanley Arts, South Norwood SE25 6AB £10.

Food and bar available.

FRIday 24 March

P20/22

Amazing Short Shorts (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Food and bar available.

Thursday 16 March P12/14

SATURday 25 March P22/23

7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

7PM Stanley Arts SE25 6AB £25, includes glass of bubbles & fab food. Bar available.

Fab Eclectic Mix 2 (15)

Comedy & Awards (18)

Thurs 2 march

Launch Night Shorts (18) 7:30pm Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £12.50, includes a free glass of wine, beer or soft drink.

Bar & food on sale.

Tommies

Directed by Brian Fairbairn, Karl Eccleston In Regency-era London five women waiting for a carriage descend into a frenzy of vicious gossip about a notorious scandal - with devastating results.

UK, RT:15m

The Stupid Boy

Directed by Phil Dunn London is being terrorised by christian white supremacists. While a broken man is groomed for the next attack, a boy from Brixton sees the world in a different way.

UK, RT:16m

London Premiere

Bump!

Directed by Andrew Hollingworth After a crash, two lives become tangled in a romantic web, where they complete each other, just not in the way they think.

UK, RT:30m

The Fourth

Sinfonietta

Directed by Donald Scott Masterson A chance meeting with the woman of his dreams at a local coffee shop, leaves one man smitten, but he quickly realises that not everything is as it seems.

USA, RT: 15m

European Premiere

Directed by Johnny Kirk Eager to celebrate the 4th of July, a group of young black and Latino friends experience a police encounter that shatters the meaning of the holiday.

USA, RT:12m

Hamlet, NW5

Directed by Beru Tessema This short film tells the story of Ade, who’s life begins to mirror the life of the character he is playing on stage.

UK RT: 17m

Cold Brew

Directed by David Kennedy A young woman is imprisoned by her inner thoughts in a caffeine-fueled assessment of her co-dependent relationship.

USA, RT:8m

European Premiere

sat 4 march

International Film (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Bar & food available.

The Lord of the Woods

Directed by Julia Bui Warrior Kriss meets a young escapee in the forest, they decide to stop overnight in an old ruined hut where they discover Urobors, a magical object with time travelling properties.

Poland, RT:28m

1

Tilt

Noctuidae

Directed by Alexandra (Ali) Mauritz A lonely seamstress receives a strange request: to sew a cloak made only from the wings of moths. A work of delicate beauty is painstakingly crafted, and with it a fragile bond between two lost souls. But as soon as the work is finished, her client disappears.

Director: Björn Schürmann While a paramedic works a 24-hour shift to help people, she finds herself in a spiral of violence and oppression.

Germany RT: 14

UK Premiere

European Premiere

Ukraine RT: 3m

Raining cats and dogs Temps de chien

Directed by Vanessa Caffin Alice is a talented writer but mostly, she’s broke.

With the end of the Covid epidemic, she lost her day job, and the release of her last novel has been canceled by her publisher who finds it too “world before”. To help Alice pay her bills, her psychic offers her to write horoscopes for cats and dogs.

France, RT 18m

London Premiere

2

Directed by Yiding Wang An experienced thief is hired to burgle someone’s girlfriend’s house, but is caught in the act when he gets his dates wrong.

World Premiere

Neoshin Episode 01: Cold Blood

Tariff

Directed by Andzej Gavriss A film focusing on PTSD suffered by people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Stop The Thief

China, RT: 9m

Germany, RT: 23m

Uprooted

World Premiere

Directed by Shaked Julian Gorbatt An Arab taxi driver and a Jewish passenger experience feelings of discomfort when a news report about operation “Guardian of the Walls” and heavy attacks on both Israeli and Palestinian sides appears on the radio.

Israel, RT: 4m

European Premiere

Seven minutes and thirty-one seconds

Directed by Solmaz Gholami An 18-year-old girl who has been raped is sentenced to death, under the Islamic Republic of Iran criminal law because she cannot prove that she defended herself.

Iran, RT: 12m

Directed by Sebastian Selg, Ramon Schauer Counting time as we know it has stopped after the invention of Cryonic Reality (CR).

Users enter CR by freezing their bodies as they continue life virtually. Influencer Ayuko heads to a concert in CR, blind to the fact a virtual virus will change her life forever.

Germany, RT: 5m

European Premiere

sun 5 march

Long Doc & Short Film (15) 7:30PM Stanley Arts , South Norwood SE25 6AB £10 entry. Food and bar available.

Showbusiness is My Life, But I Can’t Prove It (A Film about Gary Mule Deer):

Directed by G.B. Shannon Comedian Gary Mule Deer’s career has always taken an oddball path. From his start in “show business” at a South Dakota brothel, performing Johnny Cash covers for the awaiting johns, to his over 350 televised performances, his career has been as strange as his comedy itself. Featuring David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien. Steve Martin, Alice Cooper and more..

This isn’t me

Directed by Chris Godwin By day Emma is a successful executive, by night she is plunged into crisis. Struggling with her own sense of identity and stigma at work, she finds salvation in a compassionate nurse. Contains references to self-harm and mental distress which some may find distressing

UK RT: 5m

World Premiere

Skating and Talking: Ben Raemers

European Premiere

Bebe A.I.

UK, RT: 12m

Directed by Dylan Friese-Greene In a launderette late at night, a schoolboy finds a man sobbing alone beside his dryer.

UK, RT: 18m

USA RT:97m

Directed by Rebekah Fortune A young couple with Downs syndrome must overcome prejudice and danger, to try and save the AI baby they want to adopt. A film about the disposability of disability.

Stiff Upper Lip

TUES 7 march

Fab Eclectic Mix (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Bar & food available.

Dimash - The Story Of One Sky

Directed by Alina Veripya Friends face off in a bloody war. People of all faiths join together to save the Earth from death and help the coming of a new Messiah.

Directed by Liam Martin In May 2019, the skateboarding industry was left devastated by the news that British pro skater Ben Raemers had died by suicide at the age of 28.

His tragic death sparks a mental health reckoning within the skate community.

UK RT: 18m

Kazakhstan RT: 14m

World Premiere

3

Monkey or Man

Directed by Oscar Hewitt When a circus trio have a particularly disastrous show, Mandy the Acrobat must decide whether to run away from the circus, or to stay and help her friends.

UK RT 5m

Diversion (Politics of)

I Fall

Directed by Dan Thorburn A dance film created and choreographed by Fallen Angels Dance Theatre and past addicts now in recovery.

UK RT: 11m

Directed by Simon Heymans On the trail of a serial killer, a police investigator with formidable instincts is close to the goal when his superior interferes in his case.

Belgium RT: 17m

No Entry

Directed by Kaleb D’Aguilar Against the backdrop of the Windrush scandal, a Jamaican mother, Valerie Powell, struggles to keep her relationship with her son Eli intact. She suffers in silence as she battles the government’s hostile tactics to deport her.

Monkey or Man

Avocado Toast there series Season 2

Directed by Sam Coyle As Molly and Elle navigate their unseen illnesses and their paths continue to diverge, a permanent friendship-breakup seems inevitable… or could their paths to self-discovery bring them back together?

Canada RT: 15m

Heart Failure

Directed by Paul Sewry When Frank falls for his one night stand, he must do everything he can to stop his heart from breaking completely, in this musical comedy UK RT: 10m

UK 12m

The Door

Directed by Hetong Zhang After a zombie attack, the sole surviving police officer of the rescue team recalls his painful memories during an interrogation. But the truth becomes more elusive as more conflicting evidence comes to light.

China RT: 12m 4

Avocado Toast there series Season 2

European Premiere

weds 8 march

A Fab Eclectic Mix (15) 7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

WHAAM! BLAM! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation

Directed by James L. Hussey Along with Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein created the Pop Art movement of the 1960s, and today his comic-based paintings can fetch more than $150 million.

But critics call this world-renowned artist a plagiarist.

Few of those who admire Lichtenstein realise the artist allegedly directly appropriated his images from the work of comic artists, whose original work went uncompensated and largely unrecognized.

USA RT: 79m

European Premiere

The Foundling

Directed by Cam Howe, Sam Briggs A short experimental documentary, exploring the memories of Janet Feddon, one of the oldest surviving “foundlings” raised in the Thomas Coram Foundling Hospital - an orphanage for illegitimate children, born out of marriage.

The Oldest Pub in Britain

Directed by Joe Bor A short documentary about the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, the oldest inhabited pub in Britain.

UK RT:20m

UK RT: 9m

London Premiere

Standing Up

Directed by Askhat Shmanov Short documentary about a day in a life of a struggling Stand-Up comedian in London.

UK RT: 7m

London Premiere

5

thurs 9 march

Mid Length Films (18) 7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

Winter Bloom

Directed by Rozkwit Zimowy Ivan Krupenikov The world is destroyed by an ecological catastrophe. An old mercenary, experiencing severe health problems, looks for a way to retire and finally gets a job that would grant him that.

Poland, RT: 30m

UK Premiere

Suicide Club

Directed by Antoine Delelis One year after her daughter’s suicide, Anita is still devastated and feels she is holding her loved ones back from processing their own grief. In desperation, she improvises a trip that she hopes will be liberating... at the wheel of a red Citroën BX towing a cement mixer!

France RT: 39m

UK Premiere

European Premiere

Across The Aether

Directed by Nivi Glicklich An Israeli soldier suffering from an unknown deadly illness begins to hear a voice in his head claiming to be an alien. The voice offers the soldier a deal - he is willing to heal the soldier, but in return wants the soldier’s help with his mission in the Israeli army.

Israel, RT 26m

European Premiere

The Meteor Shower: Days Gone By

Directed by Roger Sampson Video for the Meteor Shower song ‘Days Gone By’.

UK RT:3m

World Premiere

Generosity

Directed by T.J. Penton Three young homeless girls with diverse circumstances are living on the streets in the Las Vegas desert.

A chance meeting while panhandling leads to an unusual connection with an elderly widow and the most innocent of the trio.

This compelling relationship becomes complicated by the suspicions of her friends and leads us down a dark unpredicted path. Featuring an all female Cast.

USA, RT21m

European Premiere

fri 10 march

Short Film (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Bar & food available.

UK Premiere

Spinning

Directed by Sam Spruell Robert takes his beloved 3.2 litre saloon for a spin in the neighbourhood. But his world is crumbling, and his car is merely a symptom of male vulnerability and denial.

6

UK, RT: 10m

Pleroma

Wolf Whistle

Directed by Chris Browne A corporation run by machines turns on it’s human servants. The people’s only hope is a discarded prototype built by an amateur.

Directed by Jennifer Handorf A young woman goes for a run. Once the sunsets, she finds herself vulnerable and alone in the park, but all is not what it seems.

Canada, RT: 10m

UK RT: 5m

European Premiere

Fifty-Four Days

Directed by Cat White, Phoebe Torrance When tragedy strikes, a spirited young woman turns to wild swimming in search of answers. By swimming each day at dawn and forming an unlikely friendship, she learns to accept her grief and the grief of those around her.

UK RT: 17m

European Premiere

Bespoke Wedding Dresses

Contact: Catherine Shaw Tel: 07764 196284 Email: catherines@allboneandtrimit.co.uk The Overspill, 4 Coopers Yard, Crystal Palace, London, SE19 1TN

www.allboneandtrimit.co.uk 7

Lilian

Directed by Cathy Elizabeth Tyson The first black woman in the Royal Air Force, Lilian Bader, challenges the history books. Both she and her husband fought in WW2 yet there are no pictures of the contribution of black servicemen and women.

Fifteen years after the war, Edith a person she had tried to help, arrives at her door Why is she there and why now?

Apex

UK RT: 16m

Directed by Serkan Nihat Two Candidates. One Position. Power, Sex, politics and the ruthless side of humanity is explored within the microcosm of a single interview for a sought after position in the world of corporate finance.

8

Directed by Paul Srystad “In Their Custody” is the before and after of police custody shown through the eyes of Joe and Jay, cousins studying at university.

Unbidden

Directed by Azriel Bahadoor A priest has his devotion put to the test, as he listens to the confession of an ex convict; one that was incarcerated at a prison he visited years ago.

UK Premiere

In Their Custody

Horror/Sci-Fi (18) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £11.

Bar & food available.

Sins Of The Father

USA RT: 15m

UK RT: 11m

sat 11 march

London Premiere

Directed by Geoffrey Prather A film about loss and how one grieving mother will go to any lengths to bring her daughter back from the dead.

Directed by Bernard Visser Dan is back (naked) from a Boschian vision of Hell.

Why? God knows, but He’s not telling. Now, with the Devil hot on his tail, this sinner must seek rapid redemption, or face the consequences.¶

UK RT: 11m

UK RT: 10m

A Mind Cannot Touch

Fresh Hell Is This

Trinidad and Tobago RT: 13m

European Premiere

Directed by Andres Rothschild A family spending a weekend in a country cottage must deal with their own grief and fears, when they discover a mysterious boy in the woods that surround them.

UK RT: 22m

Checkpoint

Directed by Jason Sheedy After mysteriously awakening in a barren alien landscape, a self-serving prisoner must conquer a series of grueling trials in order to reunite with his lost love.

USA RT: 10m

Time Tourists

Directed by Ian Sweeney Two strangers stumble upon a beautiful natural sight, and each other. As they hit it off it’s clear that neither of them have experienced nature before. When Fred eventually asks Sally to meet up again, we learn their surroundings are far from permanent.

New Zealand RT: 6m

Solus

Directed by Jonathan Brooks A lone astronaut aboard the International Space Station suddenly loses communication with Earth. He soon begins to experience a series of strange events that put him and the entire station at risk.

UK RT 13m

Bitten

Directed by John Ferrar In a post-apocalypse world one of the women is bitten.

She knows the rules. The other women need to kill her for their survival. But is she willing to give up her life for them or will she fight back?

UK RT: 6m

9

The October Martyr

Directed by Robert Tiemstra In a totalitarian state where individual liberties are crushed and people who speak out are executed without trial, a judge has to confront a prisoner who will not be intimidated by their death sentence.

USA RT: 15m

World Premiere

I XXXX My Sex Doll

Directed by Fay Beck In an attempt to stamp out the ever increasing number of male on female violent acts, in 2030 the British government passed a law requiring all male - female courting/dating be regulated by them through a dating app. So far the effect on relationships has been devastating. The effect on violence remains to be seen.

European Premiere

Dateleap

Directed by Jack Evans Amidst media controversy, a virtual reality dating app whisks Callum and Rachel back to the 1930s. But when their swinging fling takes an unexpected turn, any hope of a future together hangs in the balance.

UK RT: 14m

UK RT: 12m

World Premiere

A Killer Outside

Directed by Joe Zalias Suffering from agoraphobia and believing she is being tormented by an alien entity, Caroline must distinguish between reality and mental illness. With the help of her therapist, she summons the strength to leave the confines of her home.

10

UK RT: 8m

European Premiere

Part Forever

Directed by Alan Chung-An, Ou There is a traditional custom in Taiwan that the soul of a dead person visits their family within three days of their death. Huei along with her husband comes to visit her sister in the morning hall.

However the seemingly calm and sad farewell ceremony hides an astonishing and dark secret. Contains scenes some might find distressing Taiwan RT: 13m

sun 12 march

tues 14 march

Northern Quality

The Creeping

Feature Film (15) 7:30PM Stanley Arts , South Norwood SE25 6AB £10.

Food and bar available.

Directed by Tuukka Matti Johannes Temonen A Finnish farming family struggles to make ends meet. With the promise of an end to their financial strife, they switch crops to a field of cannabis. But their problems have only begun.

Finland RT: 105m

UK Premiere

UK Premiere

Feature Film & Shorts (15) 7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

Vera’s Jump

Directed by Анна

Мифтахова

Vera has no confidence in herself. However, for the parachuting instructor to like her, she decides to jump.

She jumps too late and endangers her life.

Russia RT: 12m

Directed by Jamie Hooper Due to a traumatic childhood experience Anna hasn’t returned home for many years. With her ailing grandmother suffering with worsening symptoms of dementia, Anna moves home to look after her. Soon after, strange things begin happening.

UK RT: 94m

Yaffa 11

Directed by Hassan Kadan Darwish, an Arab-Israeli teenager is struggling to figure out his place in the world. Estranged from his conservative Muslim father, and squatting on a dilapidated boat, he dreams of a new start abroad away from Arab-Israeli conflict.

Israel RT: 16m

11

wed 15 march

thurs 16 march

The Captain’s Heart

The Painter and The Poet

Long Docs & Shorts (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Bar & food available.

Directed by Simon Bang

Project Mycroft

Directed by Jorge Diaz Zamora Mycroft is a machine that will show you a personalized work of art, for better or for worse.

Seventeen years in the making, acclaimed storyboard artist and painter Simon Bang in his first feature documentary digs into a painful family story spanning two world wars and a life at sea.

An epic story that grips from start to finish.

Denmark RT: 94m

Mexico RT:15m

Mantis

Directed by Dan Thorburn Bea goes on a quest to impress society’s elite in order to gain access to this exclusive world, Fin refuses to succumb to a life of fortune-chasing and people-pleasing. In a final attempt to impress the appraisers, Bea‚Äôs plan goes awry when an emotional Fin delivers an impromptu speech that suddenly thrusts the siblings into the limelight, but not in the way they had anticipated.

UK RT: 15m

Directed by Luigi Sibona An uninvited meeting in a dusty London laundrette escalates from tone-deaf flirtations to something more sinister but when the knives are out, who is the prey and who is the victim becomes less clear.

London Premiere

London Premiere

UK RT: 8m

The Electricity In Me 1000 Days

Directed by Jeanette Rourke & Ron Bambridge No one is immune - Globally, close to 800,000 people die from suicide every year. One person every forty seconds. We don’t talk about it. Lets break that silence.

UK RT: 22m 12

Fab Eclectic Mix (18) 7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

London Premiere

Directed by Mat Sheldon Years after giving up her newborn son for adoption, a woman confronts her trauma and memories of the man she calls ‘my monster’.

UK RT: 10m

Stage Door Guy | Beach Party

Directed by Sergio Angot Featuring London’s foremost punk blues act UK RT: 3m World Premiere

European Premiere

The Ratcatcher’s Daughter

Directed by Jim Bryson, Adam Jeffcoat Using defining moments in history, rats are trying to seize power all over the world. 1920, in Petrograd, the rats decide it’s time to rise from the underground.

Canada RT: 13m

Toy Phone

Directed by Gabe Braden When her young son starts “speaking” to his recently deceased father on a toy phone, a mother is forced to confront the loss she never quite dealt with.

USA, RT:15m

European Premiere

European Premiere

Kitty

Directed by Jack Jennings A conservative cat-sitter is hired by a young couple to look after their special breed of feline. As the night creeps on, he soon discovers that all is not what it seems, and his deeply held beliefs are challenged.

United Kingdom 00:09:36

World Premiere

The Blue Scarf

Directed by Hiba Raza This coming-of-age follows a young girl called Lana on the day she secretly decides to start wearing the hijab, and how that decision affects her relationships both at home and at school.

UK, RT: 10m

To My Next Lover

World Premiere 14

Directed by Kieran Charnock This will not end well...¶ A poet forewarns their next lover of what lies ahead.

Based on the poem “to my next lover” by Paula Harris New Zealand, RT: 3m

London Premiere

The Tumuk Humak Expediton

Directed by Freek de Goeje In 1907 the Tumuk Humak Expedition took place under the leadership of Claudius de Goeje with the intention to map the rainforest of South Suriname. During the trip, Claudius made the first contacts with the Wayana, the indigenous people of Suriname. The Goeje Mountains were also named after him. One hundred years later, I’m trekking through the jungle, looking for the Wayana and to see what the consequences of this colonial expedition are.

Netherlands RT:41m

Thrown Away Child

European Premiere

fri 17 march

Short Docs (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Bar & food available.

Nicholas Brothers: Stormy Weather

Directed by Michael Shevloff In the 1940s, virtuoso tap dancing duo the Nicholas Brothers performed a dance routine so beautiful, so athletic, so seminal, it prefigured hip hop dance by 3 decades. Contemporary dancers Les Twins, inspired by their story, bring this iconic routine out of the shadows, creating a modern incarnation of the groundbreaking original.

Love Languages

Directed by Jason Osborne Afro-Caribbean barbershops tend to provide a safe space for the black male community. They are environments charged with boisterous hilarity and touching honesty in equal measure. With the barber’s chair acting as a makeshift therapist’s couch, Love Languages is a nuanced and intimate portrayal of these conversations as six black men share their personal experiences of love and loss through emotive introspection, whilst challenging perceptions of their identity and black masculinity.

UK RT: 13m

Directed by JD Donnelly Failed by a care system that continuously ignored evidence of the abuse she suffered as a child, Louise was saved by her determination to escape home and become an artist.

Fifty years later, Thrown Away Child explores how her case was able to slip through the cracks, and how she uses her past to fight for the rights of looked-after children.

UK RT: 31m

The Pleasure in Pain

Directed by Curtis Blair An arthouse documentary short following key figures of the London kink scene on an exploration into BDSM and the notorious fetish event Klub Verboten. The film touches upon themes of psychology, neurodiversity, trauma, LGBTQ+ rights and black representation.

UK RT: 15m

Bare Metal

Directed by Daniel Ali, Mark Robertson Whilst struggling with his addiction to alcohol, Ben Dean turns to the dark side finding sobriety and solice. Dean’s spiritual journey and quest for a higher power leads him down an unexpected path where he becomes an inspiration to others, leading them on their own path to sobriety.

Directed by Brandon Robert Gries, Ryan Freng, John Shoemaker Microsoft, Google, META, and AWS are some of the biggest single-power consumers in the world. Along with other digital infrastructure companies’ consumption, they make up 2.4% of the world’s energy use.

This film details the digital infrastructure industry’s work to reduce their carbon footprint in an effort to lower carbon emissions and help save the world.

London Premiere

European Premiere

USA RT: 20m

European Premiere

Demons

UK RT: 13m

USA RT: 10m

15

Venetian Men

Directed by Celia Willis 1994. A film about a coach trip, male beauty and the gaze of teenage girls.

UK RT: 9m

sat 18 march

Animation (12a) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £12.

Bar & food available.

Gruf and Me

Directed by Dovi Keich Gruf is a graffiti character that comes to life in animation. When he falls in love with the street artist who created him, Gruf desperately tries to find her in the shabby streets of Tel Aviv and discovers that inter-dimensional love is not easy.

London Premiere

Middle Watch

Candlelight

UK RT: 12m

UK RT:7m

Directed by John Stevenson, Aiesha Penwarden Haunted and scarred by conflict and loss, a sailor must come to terms with the trauma of war and the mysteries of the deep, as he endures another shift in the small hours of the night on the Middle Watch.

London Premiere

Israel RT: 9m

The Top Spot

Directed by Frank Weber Competing for the top spot in the herd is a contest one little ibex is sure to fail. But when being the biggest and the best is valued above all, The Top Spot asks, do you really need to be important or powerful to be happy?

Maybe it’s enough to just be..

UK RT: 7m

Laika & Nemo

Directed by Jan Gadermann Nemo looks different.

Nobody else wears a diving suit and such a huge helmet.

But then he meets Laika, an astronaut.

Germany RT: 15m

The Forest King

Directed by Lubomir Arsov Set in a suffocating over-commercialised future, a young boy’s desire for success and status leads him into a terrifying and deadly new reality through the lens of a mysterious VR game.

Canada RT: 20m 16

European Premiere

Directed by Scott Newton In a dusty attic, two candles discover each other and fall in love. However, a shocking discovery is made when both candles realise that the heat from their combined flames, whenever they touch, causes them to rapidly melt.

The Sprayer

Directed by Farnoosh Abedi In land occupied by the sprayers army, no one is permitted to grow any kind of plants. One day a soldier finds a seed buried deep in the dust. His curiosity is the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary Iran, RT: 9m

Behind The Loom

London Premiere

There’s a Bison on The Prairie

Directed by Morgan Miller A short film about existence and sentience. Satirical in tone, the film chronicles evolution and the development of the carnivore.

USA RT: 7m

London Premiere

My Friend Fly

Directed by Jason Jear Wen A young boy is sent by his mother to clean up his room, after accidentally breaking her house plant. As he begins the clean up, he magically shrinks to the size of an ant.

UK RT: 9m

World Premiere

World Premiere

No.8 Reporting

Directed by Aljosha Kilmov, Matthew Lyon Citizens from the well-fed, fenced off city can only venture beyond the “safety” wall on the government’s official train system.

Canada RT: 18m

World Premiere

Curiosa

Directed by Tessa Moult-Milewska Curiosa tells the story of overly curious Mary, who visits her boyfriend’s flat for the first time, just to discover it‚ it’s been stripped bare of all personal belongings. After being denied an explanation, she climbs into his head.

UK RT:10m

Directed by Heejoo Kim An experimental animated short film about the impact of war on women underscoring rape as a war crime in 1945. Told from the perspective of one family, this common yet forgotten story surrounding the Siege of Berlin.

USA RT: 11m

Cost of Living

A timely short film, curated from more than half a century of archive footage, that reflects on the pandemic cycles of boom and bust that continue to affect us today.

UK 16m

sun 19 march

Mixed Length Docs (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Bar & food available.

Clowntographer

Directed by Joe Bor Steve Best has been a comedian for over 25 years and a photographer for pretty much the same amount of time. We follow Steve as he interviews and shoots comedians, gallery owners, photographers and comedy promoters to find out what makes a great comedy photograph.

UK 60m

Andrew after Angola Directed by Will La Calle Fascinating stuff! We follow a re-entry program created to help former long term prisoners rebuild their lives in Louisiana and explore the complex background of the program’s founder, Andrew Hundley. who spent decades years in Louisiana’s largest prison, known as Angola, for second-degree murder, a crime he committed at age 15.

USA 40m

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Moustache Man

Directed by Sean Joseph Young Jack is taking care of his Mother after the passing of his Father. His absence left a mother dealing with grief and her own mental illness, and a son trying his best to care for her.

UK RT: 12m

tues 21 march

Feature Film + Shorts (18) 7:30PM Everyman Crystal Palace SE19 2TE £10.

Food and bar available.

wed 22 march

Light Dark/Light Dark (15) 7:30PM Stanley Arts, South Norwood SE25 6AB £10.

Food and bar available.

European Premiere

Publish or Perish

Directed by David Liban A dark comedy about a professor, who starts out as an essentially a good man, but is driven to commit terrible crimes in pursuit of tenure at the fictional, Sayles College.

USA RT: 100m

European Premiere

The Space Between

Directed by John Osborne Hughes When Alice and her grandmother, Pearl, woke up this morning, they didn’t know that today might be their last. Steve didn’t either, when his car ploughed into them on a zebra crossing.

UK RT: 11m

World Premiere

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Diomysus

Directed by Emily Elizabeth Morus-Jones An experimental film where a group of mice (voiced by members of the UK polyamorous community who’s identities are masked using puppetry) discuss their experiences of polyamory.

UK RT: 5m

The Bridge

Directed by Rodrigue Hammal The Bridge is about two strangers who meet on a bridge in an unprecedented situation. The events go completely different from their expectations.

Canada RT: 25m

Smile

Directed by Jo Smyth Smile, starring Sue Vincent and Catrin Stewart, is about a woman in her fifties who has to navigate her way through a sexual assault, and corrosive everyday sexism.

UK RT: 14m

World Premiere

Lapse

Directed by Imogen Harrison Lara is a top surgeon at King’s College Hospital in London in the middle of a global pandemic. As life returns to normal, Lara’s pace of life does not slow down and her work/life imbalance continues..

Lamb

Directed by Sinéad O’Loughlin An ordinary day takes a sinister turn for a woman and her child when a stranger walks into their isolated rural home.

Ireland, RT: 15m

UK RT: 13m

So What Did We Learn Today, Georgina?

World Premiere

Directed by Franco Volpi Georgina, a curious and energetic 10-year-old, has a lot to say about her day at school while her mum is busy preparing supper. But something Georgina overheard today is on her mind; a word she doesn’t know.

UK, RT: 6m

Split or Steal

Directed by Jack Bailey Flashing lights, nervous contestants and a host with a permanent grin. It’s the final part of the nation’s favourite gameshow UK RT: 7m

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wed 23 march

Amazing Short Films (15) 7:30PM Picturehouse West Norwood SE27 9JU £10.

Bar & food available.

Voices

Directed by Abbie Lucas When moving into their new home, Tara and Drew are alarmed when they overhear their neighbours arguing.

As the voices get louder and more violent, they must decide if it‚ is their responsibility to act.

Walls Like Windows

UK RT: 11m

Directed by Werner Vivier When Maggie invites a stranger into her home, she is confronted with the very thing she has been trying to avoid.

Directed by Alessandro Amaducci A journey into the world of nocturnal paintings. A dancing celebration of the night.

Italy RT: 5m

UK RT: 12m

The Silent Treatment

Raja’s Had Enough

Directed by Ekaterina [Katia] Saiapina Raja is a creature in human form working at The Afterlife Bureau, where souls are processed after their death. Fed up after years of processing femicide victims, Raja sneaks to Earth to save a stranger Zoey from her upcoming murder.

UK RT: 11m

London Premiere

Directed by Joe Bor A short film about an elderly Jewish man who goes to synagogue to make a confession.

UK RT: 10m

Memories of Mummy and Daddy

Directed by Johannes Magnus Aule A troubled young artist hires two actors to relive childhood memories in order to overcome past trauma.

UK RT: 15m

World Premiere

The Manager Position

London Premiere 20

Progedia We Are the Night

Directed by Craig Trow Months after losing his job, a man is still unable to tell his wife.

USA RT: 16m

London Premiere

Sliced Bread

Directed by Gulliver Moore Sliced Bread is a Comedy short film in which we imagine what a world would look like if Sliced Bread had never been invented - and what would happen in 21st Century society if suddenly it was.

UK RT: 3m

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The Fool’s Mate

Directed by Cian Llewellyn A couples relationship is at a crossroads - as Fred attempts to break up with Holly, she thinks he’s about to propose. ¶ UK RT: 12m

UK Premiere

Custard Creams

Directed by Isabel Steuble-Johnson Don, an army veteran living under the radar, opens the door to Alison brandishing her glossy brochures. As she delivers the trickiest of news over tea and biscuits, it seems their different worlds are not so dissimilar after all.

saturday 25 March

VRDLK: Family of Vurdulak

Directed by Sam Chou A traveling diplomat is caught in a snowstorm and forced to take shelter with a poor Serbian family.

Comedy & Awards (18) 7:15PM Stanley Arts SE25 6AB Awards presented

by Andy Zaltzman, host of BBC’s The News Quiz £25, includes glass of bubbles & fab food. Bar available.

Canada RT: 14m

London Premiere

UK RT: 10m

UK Premiere

The Mourning Bird

Directed by George Somner The Mourning Bird is a coming of age story that takes an intimate look into a 13 year old boys first encounter with grief.

UK RT: 15m

London Premiere

The Soldier’s Post

Directed by Archer Bros In the trenches of World War 1, tensions rise between three British soldiers who long for blood, home, and the forbidden.

UK RT: 10m

Murder Never Looked So Good

Directed by Jerry Chater Detective Mindy Feuker interrogates suspect Gail Lanvers regarding the disappearance of Gail’s roommate.

UK RT: 7m

World Premiere

World Premiere

Anonymity Guaranteed Directed by Paul Edward Armstrong Two men are brought together through a website whose purpose is not what it seems.

USA RT: 12m 22

European Premiere

Comedy Films & Awards Night

Bleep

Borgo the Thinker

UK RT: 8m

UK RT: 6m

Directed by Ben S. Hyland A couple’s relationship is pushed to the brink as they investigate a strange noise that’s woken them in the night.

Directed by Max Ward A documentary crew from 8,000 B.C. meets with Borgo, the tribe’s brightest mind, as he is on the verge of a scientific breakthrough.

World Premiere

Indifference

Directed by Bign Two puppets have an ‘Indifferent’ relationship!

HaHaHaHa (Don’t you just know it)

Directed by Max Ksjonda Music producers recycled a sample from the 1958 US hit Don’t you just know it‚Äô by Huey Piano Smith Ukraine RT: 3m

UK 4m

World Premiere

Do Not Touch

Directed by James Newman, Harrison Newman An adulterer who discovers his one-night stand is now the subject of an art exhibition to which his girlfriend has tickets. He must destroy the artwork before it destroys his relationship.

THE END

UK RT: 8m

“Julia”

London Premiere

Guess What’s Coming to Dinner

Directed by Evan Pitt-Payne In the near future, a man struggles to come to terms with the fact that his daughter is dating an android.

Canada RT: 9m

London Premiere

Directed by Jack Donnelly Touring actors, Jasper and Dario, arrive at ‘digs’ one evening and walk into a peculiar setup. Unintentionally they inflate tensions with their odd host when one causes a blow-up between him and his unusual ‘wife’.

UK RT: 8m

London Premiere

London Premiere

We would like to say a very special thanks to Lucy & James at Martin and Co Crystal Palace for your continued support, to all of the businesses that advertise in the programme each year, to Lambeth & Croydon councils and train stations for allowing us to put up posters and to our absolutely fantastic volunteers who work so hard. We simply couldn’t do it without you!

And to you the public for attending all the screenings.

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