Imperial Illusions

Director: Janire Najera and Matt Wright

Year: 2025

A fulldome dance film set amidst the rich and varied landscapes of Zimbabwe, where performers express the tension, resilience and interconnectedness between people and the natural world under the pressures of climate change. With their movements, the dancers explore the consequences of environmental disruption and the profound ways in which people and nature are intertwined. Through abstract choreography, symbolic imagery and an atmospheric score, the work reflects the planet’s vulnerability, the challenges posed by environmental shifts and the transformative potential of collective effort. As the dancers navigate these ever-changing locations, their movements evoke the escalating consequences of a warming world, capturing both its fragility and the urgent call for action.

Director: Callum McCulloch-Nowlan

Year: 2026

Rob Beaton has been weaving tartan and tweed in the Scottish Borders since he was 14. Now 84, he is Scotland's oldest and longest-serving mill worker, operating 100-year-old traditional shuttle looms. With no apprentice to carry on his craft, the mill where he has worked for over four decades may soon be forced to close. But elsewhere in Scotland, a different story is unfolding. At another mill in Highland Perthshire, a young apprentice is learning the trade, and the ancient rhythms of the looms are being passed to a new generation. Once, Scotland's textile industry employed nearly 75% of the population. Today, that figure stands at just 0.2%. Against the backdrop of that decline, the stories of these two mills paint a portrait of an industry at a crossroads. Through his film, Callum McCulloch-Nowlan celebrates the workers, machines, and spaces of Scotland's weaving tradition, while exploring the urgency of preserving a disappearing craft.

Director: Martin Tracey, D.G. Torrens

Year: 2024

Birmingham: A City Rooted in Talent is a compelling and groundbreaking documentary series that shines a spotlight on the city’s unparalleled creative and cultural heritage. Blending rare archival footage, exclusive interviews, and never-before-heard stories, the series features the trailblazers, musicians, broadcasters, athletes, and cultural pioneers, who shaped Birmingham’s sound and soul, propelling it onto the world stage alongside the likes of Black Sabbath, Duran Duran, and many more. Driven by the city’s own talent, this is a landmark celebration of Birmingham’s enduring influence.