Small Time Obsession

Director: Piotr Szkopiak

Year: 2018

In post-war England, journalist Stephen Underwood is keen to prove his worth. Working for a local newspaper he spends his days covering weddings and funerals while always on the lookout for a story that will catapult him into the big league. When he comes across the suicide of a Polish soldier from a nearby Displaced Persons Camp his journalistic instincts kick in, sensing something isn’t quite right, and his first port of call is to question Colonel Janusz Pietrowski, a Liaison Officer for the re-settlement of Polish troops under British command. Their meeting leaves Stephen unsettled – something just doesn’t quite ring true. Stephen’s lover is Jeanette Mitchell, a Junior Commander in the Auxiliary Territorial Service working under Captain John Underwood, Stephen’s brother. Trapped in a marriage of convenience with a military intelligence officer, she shares Stephen’s dream of escape. It is during one of their clandestine meetings that Stephen witnesses a confrontation between a local farmer and Michael Loboda, a new arrival at the Camp, during which Loboda lets slip that he is Russian... not Polish. Sensing a twist, Stephen questions Loboda to find out why he is posing as a Polish refugee. Loboda reacts aggressively but tries to give nothing further away. Later, unbeknownst to Loboda, Stephen discovers he is hiding a small cash-box containing a blood stained diary... From here, Stephen’s investigation escalates as he finds himself embroiled in a dangerous, multi-layered conspiracy concerning the execution of 22,000 Polish military and civilians by Stalin’s secret police. This is a fictional re-imagining of a bloody, heart-breaking, true tale. One that has been covered up for far too long.

Director: Jack Sain

Year: 2026

Long-lost siblings meet for dinner. They end the night in drag. By sunrise, a shocking revelation tests the limits of love and acceptance. PAPER CUT is a debut feature from queer British writer-director Jack Sain. Alex has just found Alice - the birth sister he never knew existed - living four tube stops away. He invites her and her boyfriend over for dinner at the comfortable London home he shares with his boyfriend Sasha. Everyone is on their best behaviour. Everyone has rehearsed. By midnight, all four of them are in drag at a queer nightclub. By 5am, something comes to light that none of them can take back. The film puts social satire through an experimental lens, with a propulsive original score and formally adventurous set pieces, including a split-screen sequence. It asks what happens when people who pride themselves on openness are confronted with something they cannot absorb. The cast includes legendary trans actress Adèle Anderson, Olivier Award nominee and longtime member of cabaret trio Fascinating Aïda, and Barney White of ITV's Professor T - pairing established stage and screen talent with brilliant newcomers.

Director: Jeevan Singh

Year: 2026

A coming-of-age drama exploring identity, faith and belonging. What begins as an internal conflict develops into an emotional journey that forces the central character to confront what his faith, family and heritage truly mean to him. Inspired by true events, Life Is 4½ Metres is an intimate and heartfelt story about growing up, the bonds between father and son, and the quiet struggles that can shape a young person’s identity. At its heart, the film explores how the traditions we sometimes question can ultimately become the things that connect us most deeply to who we are.