Projects matching: Just

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

For the first time in 30 years, a film crew gains rare access to Pennsylvania’s maximum-security women’s prisons. Inside, The Lady Lifers – a band led by former soul singer Naomi Blount – turn grief into music and defiance. Though Naomi never took a life, she is serving life without parole. To have any hope of freedom, she must express guilt she does not feel – a cruel paradox of the justice system. As her music echoes beyond the prison walls and reaches the public, lawmakers and activists, the question remains: Will her voice be enough to finally set her free - and to free those she left behind? Official Selection Durban International Film Festival 2026

Synopsis

Told through the lives and motivations of those on the frontline, WE, THE HATED turns its camera on the people behind one of the most polarising protest movements in recent memory. What emerges goes deeper than placards and road blocks: these are individuals who have weighed up the personal consequences of action against the existential stakes of inaction. With fossil fuels driving both the climate crisis and global conflict, and governments increasingly cracking down on dissent, the film raises urgent questions about protest, power and what democracy actually means in practice. Director Rich Felgate, who is in a relationship with Just Stop Oil's founder, brings an insider closeness to the story whilst retaining enough balance to speak to audiences well beyond the already converted. Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

An intimate portrait of a women's group in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The documentary follows the women as they collaboratively create a stage production. Through writing sessions, rehearsals, and candid conversations, the women craft a performance rooted in their lived experiences - stories shaped by addiction, family fracture, and encounters with the justice system. The documentary follows the evolving group dynamic, capturing moments of vulnerability, frustration, and unexpected humour as the women negotiate what it means to share such personal stories in a public space for the first time.

Synopsis

In the grey rhythms of a 1990s British secondary school, a student begins to sense a discomfort that has no name, just a feeling that the role they’re playing doesn’t quite fit. Through a missing pair of joggers, an unexpected line from Macbeth, and the quiet rituals of uniforms, registers, and school corridors, this film traces the first flickers of identity forming - not through revelation, but recognition.

Synopsis

Based on Virginia Woolf’s funniest novel, VIRGINIA WOOLF'S NIGHT AND DAY is an un-romantic comedy about a passionate astronomer Katharine Hilbery who does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage. Fun and contemporary in tone, this refreshing film showcases an ensemble of humorous performances against the ravishing backdrop of London in 1910, advances in science and technology and crumbling Edwardian patriarchy. Virginia’s story is as relevant to today as it ever was: women balancing romantic love with careers! Official Selection SXSW London 2026 - World premiere

Synopsis

The law is calm and considered but its consequences exist outside where life is often neither. The two worlds rarely meet but what if they did? What if the Justice Business was on trial?

Synopsis

All Edie has ever known is her Granny’s world. A crumbling mansion, where Edie does whatever Granny does. And what Granny does is pickle. Together they preserve everything - cucumbers, of course, and green pickle juice, yes, and Edie’s childhood toys as well; plus all the family heirlooms of a vast and forgotten empire. Everything must be pickled. It’s no easy task to capture all these memories forever. Sometimes, Edie gets a little distracted. In fact, sometimes Edie doesn’t want to pickle at all. No, what she really wants is to dance. Luckily, Granny keeps her on track. Best friends, working side by side. But there’s something Edie doesn’t know: it’s all just training, for the most important pickling yet. Granny has taught Edie everything she knows, and now it’s time for Granny Pickleworth to join her ancestors. It's also time for Edie to decide what life she wants to live. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2026 - La Cinef

Synopsis

Darla arrives home early hoping to surprise her fiancé Richard; only to catch him butt-naked, clad in a VR headset, with a fleshlight pumping on his crotch, making sweet digital-love to whoever is on the receiving end of the virtual exchange. Distraught, embarrassed and heartbroken; their perfect life begins to crumble when Darla discovers that the recipient of the internet-affair turns out to be an AI anthropomorphic cat avatar in a 3-D sex-dungeon! In the midst of this very precarious and relationship-defining situation (and just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse); Darla’s overbearing parents arrive at the apartment…. to talk about the wedding. Cue a series of increasingly awkward events, as Richard and Darla try to keep up appearances, hashing it out behind the scenes, as the shame and secrets threaten to spill over to the in-laws; culminating in a first dance you’ll never forget and an interesting choice in hand cream.

Synopsis

In a remote village in southeast Turkey, 35-year-old Meryem begins the annual olive harvest. For generations, the groves have sustained the village women's livelihoods, but this year, the harvest takes place under a shadow of fear. Following a devastating earthquake that destroyed Meryem’s home, 60% of the village’s olive lands have been seized by the government to build a new satellite city. As the concrete edge presses steadily toward their remaining fields, this harvest may be their last. Once a stay-at-home mother, Meryem picks up a camera to document the slow unraveling of her community. Women, previously confined to the home, step into public life - leading protests, sit-ins, and a landmark lawsuit alongside thousands of indigenous landowners, to protect the land they have tended for centuries. Interweaving Meryem’s video diaries with observational footage, the film moves between intimate scenes of the family harvest and the female-led resistance. As the movement unfolds, the once-perfect harvest is gradually disrupted by destruction. HERE TO STAY tells the story of a people’s fight for justice, tracing how tragedy transforms Meryem from mother to resistance leader, as she seeks to protect the land she calls home.

Synopsis

A global butt-dial outbreak sweeps the planet, but the real nightmare is only just beginning. Official Selection Glasgow Film Festival 2026

Synopsis

An elevated drama-thriller that blends gripping crime storytelling with intense, high-stakes action - all confined within the claustrophobic walls of a single prison cell. Just days before his long-awaited release, Joe - a volatile inmate - receives a chilling phone call: his ex-wife and son have been taken, and their fate depends on his immediate compliance. Caught in a tense psychological battle, Joe must confront not only the shadowy criminals orchestrating events outside but also the hardened prison officers inside. With time running out, a mobile phone as his only tool, and escalating tension with his new cellmate - a man of a different racial background - Joe is thrust into a desperate race against the clock to save his family and himself. The film balances razor-sharp suspense with heart-pounding action sequences while exploring profound themes of guilt, redemption, power, race, trust, survival, and the complexities of the father-son relationship. Official Selection FrightFest Glasgow 2026 - World premiere