Projects in genres: Woman Director

Synopsis

Exploring the filmmaker Rime Tsujino's evolving relationship with their dog Miso, a one-year-old German Shepherd. Tsujino attempts to understand why, despite raising the dog, Miso seems to prefer Tsujino's partner. Blending observational and verité footage with personal narration, this tender story of unrequited love takes the filmmaker on an intimate journey through the complexities of caregiving and cross-species bonds, contending with the influence of intergenerational parenting styles on the human-dog relationship and how dogs express their agency, ultimately asking whether it is possible to love truly without conditions. Official Selection Visions du Reel 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

Set in a mosque waiting room in 1980s South Wales, and inspired by the true story of writer-director Sara Nourizadeh's parents, a young couple whose relationship crossed boundaries of culture, faith and expectation. At a time when Iranian politics dominated UK headlines and shaped public attitudes, a Welsh woman and her Iranian fiancé prepare for an Islamic conversion ceremony – a requirement they must fulfil if they are to marry. What follows is a quietly charged and emotionally intimate portrait of two people trying to navigate a moment that is both deeply personal and subtly political. As they wait for the ceremony to begin, small details – a trembling hand, a whispered joke, a fleeting moment of doubt – reveal the emotional stakes beneath the surface. Their conversation dances between humour and tension, affection and uncertainty, reflecting the push and pull of family pressures, cultural misunderstandings, and their own hopes for the future. Authentic VHS archive footage of the real couple is interwoven within this scripted drama, grounding the film in lived experience and offering an unexpectedly tender glimpse into the decades that followed.

Synopsis

With her teenage daughter being relentlessly bullied for her appearance, her mother - an esteemed plastic surgeon - finds herself in a complex moral dilemma.

Synopsis

In 1991, having just given birth, Farida struggles to cope without knowing if her family in Iraq is dead or alive after the gulf war breaks out. Though physically in Newport, her mind is at war... far away.

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1810. Two governesses embark on their dream of opening a school for girls on the edge of Scotland’s capital, their chance of an independent life is threatened by the arrival of a new pupil, an orphan, and her aristocratic grandmother. As the pressures of class, race and deeply suppressed emotion build at Drumsheugh boarding school, a series of tragically avoidable events lead to the telling of one irreversible lie. At a time of great social conformity – accused of lesbianism – the resulting scandal leaves the teachers fighting for their livelihoods. Based on the book 'Scotch Verdict: The Real-Life Story That Inspired 'The Children's Hour'' by Lillian Faderman.

Synopsis

Under pressure from her adult daughter to move and become a live-in babysitter, 74-year-old Agnes finds agency in an unexpected place. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

Set in an English boarding school. A tale of two teenage schoolgirls as they grapple with all the challenges of girlhood: friendship, boys, studies, growing up and their summer project, "to fall in love". Adaptation of the Rose Tremain short story 'Extra Geography'. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

Determined to live life on her own terms, a mercurial taxi driver is drawn into the underbelly of Lagos’ sex scene, with deathly consequence. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2026 - World premiere Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 2026 - Panorama - European premiere

Synopsis

THE WALNUT OF KNOWLEDGE turns Niyaz and Jonah’s yearly travels to Iran into a layered home movie. Based in a family garden outside of Tehran, we spend time with Jonah: watching his quest finding treasures beneath an old Walnut tree. The 80 year old Walnut tree has been a witness to many events from war to revolution, generations coming and going. Jonah hears these voices whilst he tries to understand his connection to this land. We hear mother and son’s reflections on life, history and belonging. Official Selection London Short Film Festival 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

“It” is difficult to talk about, so there's an asterisk in place of the “i”.

Synopsis

In a modern-day Lisbon, a city caught between locals and tourists, two art students drift through a weekend of sexual fluidity and late-capitalist burnout. Sofia obsesses over nuclear war and lives in the shadow of the narcissistic Amandine but their toxic friendship is put to the test when Amandine crosses paths with Guilherme, a pseudo-intellectual Portuguese artist, at a fringe art event - derailing both friends' plans. An acidic comedy exploring intimacy, identity, and the contradictions of being human in a generation powered by irony, anxiety, and Instagram.

Synopsis

In the midst of a city woodland, 16-year-old Iris explores her attraction to an older man. Their passion turns into a dangerous power play when Iris must indulge his cravings with a humiliating performance. Official Selection London Short Film Festival 2026