Projects in genres: Woman Director

Synopsis

A famous Black actor accepts a role in a lucrative government film, but when he learns he’s starring in a welcome video for a British Internment camp, he is confronted by the devastating cost of his political indifference.

Synopsis

A macabre, medieval-set feature, follows a knight who marries his devoted love after murdering her father - only to betray her for a wealthier bride. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2026 - Midnight Madness - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026

Synopsis

A tender, uplifting story about first loves, second chances and the power of human connection. When teenager Danny makes a mistake that could derail his future, he unexpectedly reconnects with Josh, the social worker who once tried to help him but whose own mistakes drove them apart. When their paths cross again, Josh becomes both mentor and mirror, guiding Danny on his journey to manhood. Along the way Danny discovers that family is not always the one you are born into, but the one that believes in you when no one else will. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026 - European premiere

Synopsis

1974. A young woman flees war-torn Cyprus and heads to apartheid South Africa and an arranged marriage. But as an unlikely friendship with a local Black woman unfolds, her buried truth surfaces forcing love and prejudice to collide. A story of friendship and self-discovery, of finding your place in a world fraught with violence and division.

Synopsis

AT NIGHT follows six women in Paris, as they traverse the neon soaked anxiety of the city after dark. A filmmaker struggles to understand the film she is making. A black single mother revolts against oppression. A former sex worker reflects on her past. A poet gives up trying for a child. Taking place over the course of a single night and inspired by the writings of cult literary figure Alice Notley, as well as June Jordan, Kathy Acker and Bernadette Mayer, Beatrice Gibson's debut feature film intertwines dream, fiction and reality, each liquefying one into the other. Official Selection Locarno Film Festival 2026 - World Premiere

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First-time mother Alice’s fragile world begins to unravel when post-partum psychosis transforms the isolation and uncertainty of new motherhood into a disorientating journey through fear, memory, and fractured reality.

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Narrated by actress Guslagie Malanda, THE CENTRE CANNOT HOLD is an essay film that explores what it means to exist on an island, as well as the tensions of living in the shadows of French colonialism. Set across a single day and shot on 16mm, the film recalls a speculative relationship to the island of Corsica. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026

Synopsis

Bill, a timid and overworked Brit, impulsively books a beach escape in the hope of unwinding. On arrival, he's greeted by a mysterious Balkan baba and follows her into the flat of her daughter, Sunny - an eccentric former travel agent. “Welcome to paradise, my darling,” Sunny beams, rebranding their small home into a VIP holiday experience. Out of his depth, Bill is soon commandeered by Sunny’s persuasive upselling and is roped into a unique beach excursion - pay per hour. Each day brings another increasingly absurd encounter: a coffee-cup fortune becomes a massage sales pitch, while an innocent nap takes a strange turn. Yet amidst the oddness, Sunny and Baka’s boundless hospitality and growing fondness for having a man around the house begin to make Bill feel at home. On his final morning, Bill discovers that his bed is actually Baka's bed. Sitting together on the balcony, he confesses his deep dark secret: he’s never been on holiday before and worries he’s doing it wrong. “What a silly thing to worry about,” Sunny says. Bill decides it’s a great day for the beach. Business is back on as Sunny and Baka bicker about how many sandwiches they can sell.

Synopsis

Bel was a Kenyan-Scottish woman who dreamt of singing to the whole world. A gifted musician, singer, and writer, she performed under the stage name Heir of the Cursed and in 2021 was on the absolute cusp of wider fame. But just as the world was finally about to discover her name, Bel took her own life, leaving behind poignant video diaries and a mobile phone full of amazing, unreleased songs. She was a brilliant artist fighting to be heard, yet she remains largely unknown today. Her untimely death and a small but beautiful body of work form her legacy now. Much like the legendary musician Nick Drake who also died young, the power and mystery of Bel’s music lies within the heavy pathos of her life's sudden end. Whatever deep internal struggles led to her tragic death were also at the very heart of what powered her mesmerising art. This documentary tells the story of an artist on the edge of stardom, and her sister Leah’s fierce determination to fulfil Bel's dream: releasing her final record and sharing her with the world. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026 - Closing Night Film - World premiere

Synopsis

A bored woman goes to extreme lengths to feel brand new. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026

Synopsis

Burdened by traditions and her mother’s silence, a girl tries to sift through the desert sand to find her identity card in order to enroll in the Beijing Opera academy.

Synopsis

A woman's New Year's Eve plans are thrown off course in a taut and tense thriller.