Hard Shoulder

Director: Nicholas David Lean

Year: 2012

Carl Foster, a work obsessed man, reluctantly agrees to a weekend away with his disgruntled wife and disruptive children - it’s as much as he can do to muster any kind of enthusiasm for the few days he must endure in their company. Their constant bickering finally takes its toll on Carl when they are passed, on a deserted country road, by a convoy of ‘carnival types’, who, by mischief or accident, cause Carl to swerve off the road. With rage descending Carl gets into heated exchange with the travellers. Taking an enforced stop hours later, in a small layby, the family are again affronted as their stationary vehicle is rammed by an unseen assailant in a large truck. Dazed by the impact they wake, bound and gagged, within the dreary confines of an abandoned roadside diner, with, seemingly, the same carnival types now their abductors and antagonists. As the gang demeans, insults, and tortures each of their captives in turn, it falls to Carl to free his family from their predicament. But not everything is as it seems, their environment not as tortuous as they imagined, and Carl not all that he would have us believe.

Director: Kim Bartley

Year: 2026

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.

Director: Peter Glanz

Year: 2026

England, 18th Century. The Savages are at their lowest: they despise each other, their house is falling apart, and they are disliked in polite society - sleeping with their servants, and selling off jewellery to keep their gambling and drinking going. Oh, and Chauncey Savage’s foot might be rotting off. This is until they are set to be visited by higher ranking nobleman. The honour gives them a renewed energy to get new outfits, polish their silver, and hire new help to make sure the House of Savage is looking as impressive as possible. Official Selection SXSW London 2026