Projects in genres: Comedy

Synopsis

Maria is a primary school teacher doing her best to inspire a class of 11-year-olds, but she's unable to because of one unruly and chaotic student. With her career in question and the child’s behaviour spiralling, she makes a series of bad decisions that lead to her accidentally taking and locking this "bad apple” in her home. She tries desperately to backtrack, but when the class starts flourishing and the staff and parents are thrilled with the improvement, she finds herself in a very complicated predicament. As entertaining as it is provocative, BAD APPLES challenges us to think about our society’s systems and how we justify them to ourselves. Loosely based on Rasmus Andersson’s debut novel 'De Oönskare', which plants a mirror at society, lifting up the covers and showing the ethical hypocrisy that lies beneath many of our individual or collective decisions. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection San Sebastián International Film Festival 2025 - European premiere

Synopsis

A true-life comedy of the most epic proportions, SAIPAN chronicles he events leading up to Ireland’s incendiary 2002 World Cup campaign, when the intense rivalry between Manchester United and Ireland football legend Roy Keane and Irish national manager Mick McCarthy transcended the game and gripped an entire nation. In 2002 while preparing for the World Cup on the tiny island of Saipan and when Keane was captaining the Irish national side, he and McCarthy had a very public, very bitter disagreement. On the surface, their feud was all about standards, but deep down it was a hugely emotive story of two men whose rivalry and contempt came to surpass the sport they loved, and whose very public falling out was to become one of the most fractious falling-outs in the history of the sport.

Synopsis

In Brighton, on the South coast of England, sharpened by the sting of sea spray, and mellowed by numinous light, a tight-knit community of oddballs and heart-felts live together in a tatty old mansion, the Fletcher Apartments. When a golden feather, the priceless antique mascot of the building, unexpectedly disappears, the residents have a mystery to solve. Will they find the talisman that previously bound them together, or will their community, now divided against itself, irrevocably unravel?

Synopsis

A surreal comedy featuring five businessmen attempting to conduct some business. However; discussions ranging from the varying degrees of colours that asbestos comes in, the sorrow felt from killing a little blue bird, the strong desire to kick slow walking strangers into oncoming traffic and an idea to use underpants-wrestling as an apology for an out of place physical altercation - all keep getting in the way of actually allowing any formal business transactions to take place. THANKS TO MEET YOU! pushes you face first into a bewildering trip through the corporate wormhole, as the nonsensical water-cooler moments simultaneously fill your nostrils and cover your eyeballs until you can no longer breathe. And then it just sort of stops.

Synopsis

Cherry's neglectful husband departs after placing a secret wager to test her fidelity. Along with her sharp-witted maid, Hero, Cherry must fend off a dangerously seductive visitor: Manfred. Official Selection Venice Critics' Week 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

Can a dog still be man’s best friend if that man is the Führer? Blondi explores the bizarre bond between Hitler and his beloved German Shepherd. From eating the crumbs under the table at the Führer’s birthday, to living in the confinement of the bunker, this film presents intimate glimpses of the dog’s daily life intertwined with the realities of war and fictitious, humorous newsreels, depicting the oblivious pet's significant and surreal impact on the Reich. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

The story of Dinah Little, a no-nonsense, curmudgeonly farmer, and Charlie, the unloved niece who Dinah begrudgingly takes in after discovering her in an orphanage. Dinah's farm is in the self-proclaimed 'Pumpkin Capital of the World' where the biggest event of the year is a high-stakes, cutthroat giant-pumpkin-growing contest with an enormous cash prize. Charlie, who has a special bond with plants, decides to enter the competition where she and the other pumpkin growers face sabotage and a genetically engineered rival. As she nurtures her pumpkin ‘Peter’ and watches him grow, so does a bond between Dinah and Charlie. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

A grumpy, cynical priest and his young, naive apprentice work out of a beat-up van. Called to perform an exorcism, they find the man's wife more concerned about her image and the neighbours' reactions. Things don't go as planned.

Synopsis

The employees of a dying seaside hotel have their lives upended when their colleague, Elle, vanishes. Instead of focusing on the police investigation or Elle’s close family, the story delves into the psychological impact on Elle’s co-workers, especially Leonard, who lives in the hotel. In stark contrast to sensationalised true crime narratives that capture media attention, this film explores the unsettling nature of such cases and the creeping dread that threatens to overwhelm Leonard. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

Becky, an ambitious but struggling writer, is overcome by envy and spite when she meets Stacy, a beautiful but insatiable socialite, at a lavish party hosted by Stacy’s father at their country estate. The evening descends slowly into chaos, and the girls’ lives are forever transformed after the unexpected arrival of a modern-day genie who promises to grant their deepest, darkest wishes. A dark comedy set in New York, inspired by Aesop’s fable 'Avaricious and Envious'. Official Selection Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 - World premiere

Synopsis

A retro futuristic short film about beauty, identity, and the dangerous pursuit of perfection. Cosmetic enhancement is more extreme than our own. New boobs, butts and faces can be purchased, sewn on and bedazzled to your choosing. And the latest beauty trend? “Sleeping Beauty Makeovers”. A living embalment all performed by a mortician, where teens, for their Sweet 16, jump out of a sparkling coffin instead of a giant cake. Official Selection Fantasia Film Festival 2025

Synopsis

In a dead-end town in the East of England Jayce, a young man, is released from prison after serving time for a crime he didn't commit. Looking for answers, Jayce returns home only to become embroiled in a scheme to sell a large amount of cannabis grown in a garden shed by Kev, the elderly neighbour of his childhood friend, Paula. The young people form an unlikely alliance with the old man and manage to sell the weed to a disarmingly-friendly dealer. But this attracts the attention of two local dimwit hoodlums who notice a dent in their trade and immediately suspect the odd thruple. Jayce finally learns the truth about his incarceration: he was framed by his ex-best friend and leader of the local dimwits, Lee. Jayce, Paula and Kev are kidnapped by the two hoodlums hoping to usurp Lee's position. Lee, meanwhile, is disinherited by his father and switches allegiance to rescue the trio, seeking (and gaining) redemption for his framing of Jayce. Looking for a new start, Jayce leaves town on his dream motorbike – purchased with the money from the weed deal. He leaves behind him a new 'family' in the shape of Paula, Kev and Lee.