took place from 25th to 28th May 2023 in and around Stratford-upon-Avon.
features short films from local filmmakers as well as international and independent feature films! This year's theme is 'One Planet - Many Stories' so expect adventures to free fairies, a battle for artistic freedom, a family road trip and rare animals in their wild habitats. The festival operates on a pay-what-you-can basis so there is no financial barrier to attend.
The competition is now closed. Nominated films were available to watch on our website for ticketholders during the festival were screened on Saturday 27th May 6pm at the Holy Trinity Parish Centre. Thanks for all submissions.
Big Picture Festival Short Films
Thursday 25th May
Town Hall Stratford-upon-Avon (CV37 6EJ):
7:00pm: 'Mirrors' (30 min) (supported by Film Hub Midlands)
7:45pm: Q&A with Paul Daly, director of 'Mirrors'
8:15pm: 'Beijing Spring' (2021, 1h 40min)
St.Peter's Church Centre, Church Street Wellesbourne (CV35 9LS):
7:30pm: 'Brian and Charles' (2022, 1h 30min, PG)
Friday 26th May
Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon (CV37 6BG):
7:00pm: 'The Velvet Queen' (2021, 1h 32min, 12)
Snitterfield Village Hall (CV37 0JH)
7:30pm: 'Starter for 10' (2006, 1h 32min, 12)
Exhall Village Hall (B49 6EA):
7:30pm: 'Everything, Everywhere, All At Once' (2022, 2h 19min, 15)
Saturday 27th May
Attic Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon (CV37 6YY):
10:00am: 'Song of the Sea' (2014, 1h 33min, PG)
Holy Trinity Parish Centre (CV37 6BQ):
3:30pm: 'Hit the Road' (2021, 1h 33min, 12A)
curated by local refugees thanks to Welcome Here
6:00pm: Short Film Competition with Q&A of winning filmmakers
7:45pm: 'A Bunch of Amateurs' (2022, 1h 35min, 12A)
Sunday 28th May
Attic Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon (CV37 6YY):
10:00am: Escape Arts Showcase
The Bear Pit Theatre (CV37 6LU):
3:00pm: 'Aftersun' (2022, 1h 42min, 12A)
Crowne Plaza (CV37 6YR):
7:00pm: 'Rudy' with Q&A (2022, 1h 48min, 12A)
Beijing, 1978: After the police forcefully shut down the Stars’ (an artist group) confrontational art show at Democracy Wall, thousands take to the streets, marching in protest and demanding the right to free speech. The authorities force most of the Stars group (including a young Ai Weiwei) into exile. Hidden for decades, footage from these daring acts of rebellion are featured in Beijing Spring for the first time ever. ‘this feature film... keeps us in suspense, educates us and amazes us’ (Worship)
Watch the trailer
When the lonely inventor Brian builds a robot, his life changes: The child-like robot names himself Charles having learned the English language by reading a dictionary. Charles becomes more and more eager to discover the world, but will Brian be able to protect him? A humorous and entirely heart-warming story about friendship, family, finding love, and letting go. ‘Funny and touching, this bittersweet robot buddy movie is the oddly-shaped surprise package of the year’ (Time Out)
Watch the trailer
High up on the Tibetan plateau, among unexplored valleys, lies one of the last sanctuaries of the wild world where rare and undiscovered fauna lives. Renowned wildlife photographer Vincent Munier takes the adventurer and novelist Sylvain Tesson with him on his latest mission. For several weeks, they explore these valleys searching for unique animals and trying to spot the snow leopard, one of the rarest and most difficult big cats to approach. ‘a wondrous nature documentary’ (New York Times)
Watch the trailer
Set in 1985, Brian enrols in the University of Bristol, a scholarship boy from seaside Essex whose childhood dream is to know everything since watching ‘University Challenge,’ a college quiz show, as a kid. At Bristol he becomes part of the Challenge team and falls under the spell of Alice. But there is also Rebecca, a friend whose politics and wit he admires. The Challenge finale is coming up; can Brian redeem himself? ‘brimming with laughs and bittersweet whimsy’ (BBC)
Watch the trailer
Just when everything seems to be falling apart for Evelyn – her laundromat business, her marriage, and the relationship with her daughter – an inexplicable multiverse rift emerges. While discovering her superpowers from other universes, she has to fight an evil entity threatening to absorb everything we know. A film about the search for the meaning of life – packed with Kung Fu! ‘Rich performances collide with big ideas, wrapped in a nuanced understanding of how we treat each other.’ (Independent)
Watch the trailer
After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny. When they try to return to their father – a lighthouse keeper – their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales: Can they save the fairies? This Oscar-nominated tale will enchant the whole family. ‘A hand-crafted tale told with real heart, Song Of The Sea is guileless work of magic and imagination.’ (DenofGeek.com)
Watch the trailer
Hit the Road follows a family of four and their dog as they drive across the Iranian countryside. Over the course of the trip, they bond over memories of the past, grapple with fears of the unknown, and sing together. Unspoken tensions arise as it slowly reveals the furtive purpose for their journey. With a glorious performance of an 8-year-old, ‘comic energy bubbles under every scene’ (The Guardian). ‘an impressively made and touching debut’ (The Hollywood Reporter)
Watch the trailer
One of the oldest amateur filmmaker clubs in the world – the Bradford Movie Makers – are struggling to survive. To save their beloved club, they take on adapting the Hollywood musical ‘Oklahoma’. Clinging to their dreams, this gently comedic, profoundly moving portrait of shared artistic folly speaks to the escapist dreamer in us all. ‘A Bunch of Amateurs is a thoughtful film about film-making and has some unexpectedly deep things to say too about camaraderie, community and male friendship.’ (The Guardian)
Watch the trailer
This Oscar nominated ‘luminous’ (The Guardian) drama explores the special bond between father and daughter as Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't...
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Set in the heart of rural England, Rudy finds her relationship with her father being tested. Stuck as a proxy parent to her younger siblings and dealing with a recent loss, she feels increasingly pushed out when her home gets opened up to a paying guest. Through a newfound friendship with a boy from Coventry, she discovers fun, freedom and autonomy, but is it at the sacrifice of unspoken family wounds? Rudy is a poignant insight into love, loss and moving on.
Tickets
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