Festivals

BFF26 Wicker

Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman) deliver wildly funny and wonderfully unexpected performances in WICKER, a fantastical and deliciously raunchy romantic comedy adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones’ acclaimed short story. In a remote seaside village bound by tradition and small-minded convention, Fisherwoman (Colman) is relentlessly ridiculed for her single, unloved status. Fed up with her stuffy neighbours, she commissions the local Basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her the perfect husband from wicker. When her creation arrives beyond even her wildest dreams, their unconventional romance sends shockwaves through the village. Jealousies flare, passions ignite and the increasingly unhinged townspeople turn against the unlikely couple. This visually sumptuous celebration of desire, individuality and finding love in the most unexpected form, is brought spectacularly to life through breathtaking cinematography from Academy Award winner Lol Crawley (The Brutalist), extraordinary visual effects from Joe Dunckley (Avatar) and Wētā Workshop. Featuring an ensemble cast that embraces every glorious absurdity, WICKER is bold, strange, romantic and deeply human.

BFF26 The Uprising

From Academy Award-nominated director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) comes THE UPRISING, a visceral historical action drama inspired by the true events of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt. In an England ravaged by plague, poverty and growing distrust of the Crown, Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield (We Live in Time BFF24) stars as the Ploughman, a common labourer driven to breaking point by devastating personal loss. As unrest sweeps across the country, he emerges as the unlikely leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II, rallying thousands of ordinary people in a fight for justice, dignity and survival. Joining Garfield is an acclaimed British ensemble cast including BAFTA winners Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Stephen Dillane (The Tunnel) and Tom Hollander (Pride & Prejudice), alongside Cosmo Jarvis (Warfare), Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) and Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting). As rage and rebellion tear through England, THE UPRISING transforms a defining act of resistance into a clash between the ruling elite and those with nothing left to lose.

BFF26 500 Miles

A beautiful, sweeping and life-affirming adventure that celebrates the human spirit, 500 MILES follows a broken family that must come together when two young boys run away from home in England to reach their beloved but estranged grandfather in Ireland. When Finn (Roman Griffin Davis) overhears his parents’ relationship fracturing and their fight over custody of him and his brother Charlie (Dexter Sol Ansell), he decides to take Charlie on the treacherous journey to Dingle, Ireland to reunite with their grandfather (Bill Nighy, Living BFF22). Hoping to relive the magic and happy memories the town holds for them and unable to understand why his grandfather has become a pariah in the eyes of his parents, their epic adventure fosters one goal: reunite the family. Set across the breathtaking scenery of Ireland, from the iconic Busáras bus station in Dublin to the sweeping Dingle Peninsula, 500 MILES artfully explores the complexities of families’, and how ultimately, the love that binds them together is stronger than the forces that would otherwise pull them apart.

BFF26 Parky

Told through Michael Parkinson’s own words and those closest to him, this intimate portrait reveals the brilliant and complicated man behind ‘Parky’, Britain’s greatest interviewer who was beloved by millions and knighted by the Queen.

BFF26 Savage House

Spearheaded by powerhouses Richard E. Grant (The Lesson BFF23) and Claire Foy (The Crown), SAVAGE HOUSE is an entertaining look into the pretence, extravagance and outright maddening pressures faced by two rancid social climbers in 18th century England. Amidst a massive Pox outbreak and the Jacobite uprising, Sir Chauncey Savage (Grant) and Lady Savage (Foy) desperately try to climb the social hierarchy in the blind pursuit of a better life, by sacrificing everything to host the aspirational dinner party of their dreams. As preparations spiral into duels and decadence, their party quickly careens out of control, and the curtain of high society is lifted to reveal the gruesome truth underneath. A cautionary tale of greed, ambition and power, brandishing the exceedingly extravagant lifestyles of high society that are filled with elaborate and overbearing dress, excessive consumption, and hauntingly wasteful mansions, SAVAGE HOUSE shines a spotlight on the stark inequalities and class divisions in society at the time.

BFF26 Mother's Pride

A poignant and heartfelt comedy from writer-director Nick Moorcraft (Fisherman’s Friends: One and All BFF22), MOTHER'S PRIDE is a quintessential British underdog story about family, second chances and community. After years away chasing a music career that never lived up to its promise, Cal Harley (Jonno Davies, Better Man) returns to his small, countryside hometown with little to show for himself beyond fading memories and bruised pride. Arriving home to a family still grieving his mother’s death and their beloved family pub on the brink of closure, Cal is determined to right his wrongs and sets out to not only win the prestigious Great British Beer Award and save the business, but also win back his first-love Abi (Gabriella Wilde). Mixing delightfully hilarious antics with feel-good charm, MOTHER'S PRIDE depicts a moving portrait of a man rediscovering purpose and connection, proving that sometimes healing can be found in the most unexpected places - over a perfect pint shared with the people who know you best.