Branded

Director: Pauline Amos

Year: 2023

Set at some time in the past or the present or the future and not in any defined country. ‘She’ is the name of an Artist, arrested and imprisoned by a regime that forbids Art. She is without a name, anonymous, without a presence in the world, the non-existence of a political prisoner. She is held captive in a prison cell. Alone and frightened, surrounded by noises of torture and the approaching war, her thoughts and words are directed towards the four walls of the cell. She asks: is this the end of Art? With fear and developing insanity, She hallucinates and has a vision. Leonardo da Vinci visits her, She asks him; will Art survive. Raving, her desperation increasing, She paints with her own faeces on the Wall. She has a second vision and a future artist visits her cell. He tells her not to despair. Art is like water; it finds a way to flow. Art cannot die. He and She are the future The war is closer. She fears for her life and knows the approaching allies will not save her in time. She smiles, knowing Art and Freedom are the future.

Director: Claire Molloy

Year: 2026

A drama set in rural England amidst the backdrop of World War II exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the impact of war on personal lives - highlighting the human capacity for both empathy and cruelty in times of crisis. Martha, an 11-year-old mixed-race girl, is evacuated from London to the northern English countryside. Martha finds herself in the care of a gruff gamekeeper and his family. Feeling isolated and rejected due to her racial background and the community’s war-induced tensions, she tries to adapt to her new life, becoming captivated by the natural beauty of the countryside. Martha forms a secret friendship with Enzo, an Italian POW, whose gentle demeanour and shared sense of displacement draw them together. Martha also navigates a complex relationship with George, the gamekeeper's son, who is torn between his familial prejudices and his growing fondness for Martha.

Director: Ryan Pollock

Year: 2025

Set in the decaying housing estate of Gowkthrapple and based on a true story, Gowk follows a young boy as he begins to uncover a painful family secret. His mother’s sudden absence casts a shadow over the household, while his father, unable to express his own suppressed pain, keeps the truth of the incident buried. As the boy begins to realise the emotional weight of his family’s past and the fragility of its present, he navigates a world of unspoken truths and generational wounds. The film explores the cyclical nature of family bonds, the struggle to connect across generations, the impact of inherited trauma, and the beginnings of a premature loss of innocence.