A story about a modern girl who gives up her life, much to the surprise of her family and friends, to persue her calling to become a nun. What she doesn't expect is the initially cold reception from the nuns themselves. Eventually the cloistered women begin to warm to Joanna until an unexpected revelation makes all the women, including Joanna herself, re-assess her commitment.
In a small, remote mountain top primary school in the Kenyan bush, hundreds of children are jostling for a chance for the free education newly promised by the Kenyan government. One new applicant causes astonishment when he knocks on the door of the school. He is Maruge, an old Mau Mau veteran in his eighties who is desperate to learn to read at this late stage of his life. He fought for the liberation of his country and now feels he must have the chance of an education so long denied.
Moved by his passionate plea, head teacher Jane Obinchu supports his struggle to gain admission and together they face fierce opposition from parents and officials.
Full of vitality and humour, the film explores the remarkable relationships Maruge builds with his classmates some eighty years his junior. Through Maruge's journey, we are taken back to the shocking untold story of British colonial rule fifty years earlier where Maruge fought for the freedom of his country.
The First Grader is a heart warming and inspiring tale of one man's fight for what he believes is his right in order to overcome the burdens of his past.
Some people are beyond help when it comes to meeting someone. An American Pie meets Male Bridget Jones.
Jamie, age 29 going on 12, loser, virgin, stumbles upon a group of misfits who meet every week above a pub in order to discover the secrets of love, relationships and finding the perfect partner. The Flirting Club. Is it the answer to what he is searching for?
Jamie has one month to meet a real girl otherwise he has to marry Laura 'the human pig' from next door. Inadvertently hampered by his best mate Bill, stuck with a schoolboy infatuation with his Hot Boss, two left feet and zero pulling skills an accidental encounter with his local flirting club, might just hold all the answers. The group of six, thirty-something singles and Miriam, their teacher who has an unusual approach to flirting success, seem unlikely to succeed. But as everyone knows the course to true love is never easy and the gang of misfits soon learn that getting it right is more about being yourself then trying to be someone else.
Kate was a dancer, a good one. The future was hers, the excitement, the competitions, the awards. At just 16 she had it all. But then the accident happened.
Not only was she scarred for life, but her injuries took away her voice. Now a reclusive mute, she lives a secluded life, hidden from the world.
But when she meets Danny in an Internet chat room he is determined to break her out of her shell. Smooth talking and not afraid to bend a few rules, Danny makes it his personal mission to get Kate back on the stage. However as their friendship grows, Kate begins to suspect that Danny is not everything he claims to be.
Mary and Shelly used to be neighbours until Shelly and her husband moved away. One day they bump into each other in the street and promise to arrange to catch up over some tea. That day comes sooner than expected as Mary has something she just has to get off her chest. But when it comes down to it, she wonders if she’s doing the right thing. After all, they were never best friends and Mary wouldn’t classify Shelly as being an old-fashioned romantic, like herself. Shelly thinks it’s a great idea that Mary’s coming over. That way she can put aside her own troubles and concentrate on Mary for a little while - but can she?
A dark and moving tale of injustice and deception, Who’s afraid of the Water Sprite? unfolds the intertwined fates of a young girl, a Blacksmith and a malevolent Water Sprite.
A crew of Rastafarians evacuated to London after a volcanic eruption in Montserrat, adjust to life in inner city London.
The Rastamen reinvent themselves as 'rude-boy' rappers and small time hustlers. They pitch between enjoying the thrills of the city and committing to Rastafari ideals.
Sixteen year old Lem lives on Planet 51, a white picket-fenced world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950's America. He is happy in his safe, predictable world and spends his time daydreaming about running the local planetarium and dating the girl next door, Neera. The only thing that rocks the idyllic life of the planet's green-skinned inhabitants is their fear of 'alien' invasion. No-one is more fearful of this than Lem's best friend Skiff, who is certain that the government is hiding the truth that aliens really do exist!
One day, out of the blue, and millions of miles from his own planet, astronaut Captain Charles 'Chuck' Baker crash lands in Neera's backyard. Unaware of his surroundings, he disembarks the ship revelling in his Big Moment. He plants his flag triumphantly and turns - only to find a Planet 51 inhabitant staring back at him bemused!
From here we join Chuck, Lem and the gang in a spectacular comic adventure which is sure to delight the whole family - whatever planet you are from!
The Arbor is the powerful true story of Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar and her troubled relationship with her daughter Lorraine.
Andrea wrote honestly and unflinchingly about her upbringing on the notorious Buttershaw Estate. When she died, tragically at the age of 29 in 1990, Lorraine was just ten years old.
The Arbor catches up with Lorraine in the present day, also at 29; ostracised from Buttershaw and now in prison, serving a sentence for manslaughter for the death of her son.
Whilst in prison and undergoing rehab, Lorraine is re-introduced to her mother's plays and private letters and as she reflects on the parallels in their lives, she begins to come to terms with her role in the death of her son.
Clio Barnard, began recording audio interviews with Lorraine Dunbar, other members of the Dunbar family and residents from the Buttershaw Estate over a period of two years. The material was edited to form an audio 'screenplay' which forms the basis for the film as actors lip-synch to the voices of the interviewees. This footage is intercut with archive footage and extracts from a re-staging of Andrea's first play.
The Lovers and Fighters Convention tells the story of one night at London's legendary Transfabulous Arts Festival. In the wake of the Queen signing into law The Gender Recognition Act in the mid-noughties, a community developed of people who wanted to recognise a new culture in the UK, a culture of 'transness' - artistic work that developed around gender.
The Transfabulous Arts Festival became a lightning rod for these ideas. This observational documentary shows just one night at this festival in 2008.
Bill and Karl, a father and son outfit, have just got out of jail free - but all is not well in Down Terrace - For Karl, life in Billworld has become intolerable and he's close to the edge, in fact, he's falling over it.
A darkly comic and deeply disturbing slice of social surrealism featuring the cream of British comedy character actors, 'Down Terrace' is the debut feature film from director Ben Wheatley. Think Ken Loach on Acid - the new wave of kitchen sink starts here.
