2/4/2022

Wow, what an incredible opening night we had last night at 2022’s Beeston Film Festival! A roller-coaster of emotions from the heart-warming Roy, to the dark and mysterious Bainne. A truly dazzling night.

I’m honoured to welcome you to the superb Saturday lineup we have today, full of laughs, terror, tears and joy. So without further ado, let’s dive straight into the fabulous festival day we have ahead of us.

To jump-start Saturday at the festival we have the ‘Nutty’ Variety Pack being shown in screen 7 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm. Here we have a brilliant selection of short films including: Tella, Murmur of Icebergs, Down, Intact, Trace of a Butterfly, Living All of Life and to finish off, The World’s Gone Nutz.

This amazing animative start to the day is sure to tickle the funny bone, with multiple B’Oscar-nominated The World’s Gone Nutz fighting for awards in both Best Animation and Music Video. Anyone with a soft-spot for animation, such as myself, would be nutz to miss it. See what I did there? Okay… moving swiftly on…

However, if this selection doesn’t quite pump your goosebumps, we have the ‘Animated Life’ Variety Pack being shown in Screen 8 in the same time slot. This slot contains a kaleidoscope of movie magic to be witnessed, such as: Blood Swim, Wings for Butterflies, 75/1, Prayer, The Dalang’s Tale, Paper Straws, Lamppost, Mr Wong’s Lullaby, Goodbye Home, Davey’s Lullaby and Pile to finish off the slot.

An excellent collection of films to start the day in Screen 8, finishing with the award-winning and fascinating Pile.

Staying seated following a short break at screen 8 this time, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm we have the ‘Sequences’ slot, for Sci-fi fanatics such as myself. This set includes: Prelude & Fugue in Dm, Cingulate, The Name of the Prime Minister, The Forgetting Device, Blank Shores, 3000, But Happy and Human Trash to end the ninety minutes.

Amongst these are five B’Oscar nominees, with The Forgetting Device, Blank Shores, 3000, But Happy and Human Trash all up for Best Science Fiction. Human Trash is also up for Best Cinematography, definitely not to be missed for you Sci-fi lovers!

If Science Fiction isn’t in your interests then not to worry, in Screen 7 at the same time we have the ‘Public Gaze’ themed Drama films. This compromises of quintuple B’Oscar-nominated Inquity, including Best in Festival, alongside: Chapel of Rest, One-Life Stand, All That Glitters, Feeling Through and The Saverini Widow.

Staying in Screen 7 and moving on to the 4:00pm to 5:30pm, we have the genius ‘Gaps’ Variety Pack, made up of eight short wonders involving: Party in My Head, The Magentalman and The Gentlemint, Late, The Case, Dissolution, The Secret Life of Tom Lightfoot, Brunch and PRAGMA to round up that slot.

This magnificent mixture has something for everyone and is a great experience for those wanting a mix of genres! It also includes B’Oscar nominee for Animation: Brunch.

At the same time over in Screen 8 we have the ‘Focus on Iran’ Drama compendium, showcasing our splendid submissions from Iranian film-makers. This contains: Today Is Friday, Ceremony, Birthday, Love Can’t Be Quarantined, Emergency, Mandatory and The Wound.

This display of international excellence holds two B’Oscar nominees; Mandatory for Drama, and The Wound for Women’s Voices.

Carrying us into the early evening at 6:00pm - 7:30pm in Screen 8, we have the ‘Journeys’ selection, films focusing on Women’s Voices : 8Teen, Eyelashes of the Exodus, Elle, The Hollows of the Moon and Gratitude Journal.

In this slot are three B’Oscar nominees competing for a total of 7 (yes, 7!) of our prestigious B’Oscar awards. Firstly is Elle fighting for three awards in: Best Direction, Women’s Voices and Best in Festival. Next is Gratitude Journal, also up for three in: Best Script, Women’s Voices and Best in Festival, and finally The Hollows of the Moon also duelling for best in Women’s Voices.

If this set doesn’t tickle your fancy, in Screen 7 at the same time we have the ‘Grad Pack’, portraying our scrappy student-made films. This hour and a half starts with the thought-provoking Awakening, followed by: Glory, Jackrabbit of Adventure, MORS DAG, Kintsugi, Maeve in the Dark, Brutes and The Removal finishing at 7:30pm.

This slot accommodates two B’Oscar nominees for best in the Student category: The Removal and Brutes.

To finish off a tantalising Saturday at Beeston Film Festival we have the two final slots in Screen 7 and 8, starting at 8:00pm and finishing at 9:30pm. In Screen 7 we have the ‘Memories’ Drama selection for you to feast your eyes on. Here you will be able to see the double B’Oscar-nominated Embers, accompanied by: Nimmerland, Montage Life, Inheritance and Appa Appa Appa.

Alternatively, in Screen 8 we have the ‘Keep Smiling’ Horror collection, not for the faint-hearted! If you’re a Horror lover such as myself, you have seven scary delights to tuck into, including Best Script and Horror B’Oscar-nominated Aquamarine, Horror B-Oscar Nominees Smiles and THE OTHER ONE, not to mention four: The Hunter’s Cabin, Conditioning, Room 217 and Meat Market.

That concludes Saturday at this year’s Beeston Film Festival, a truly eventful day full of a multiplicity of emotions and fabulous film experiences.
We’ll call it a day here and gather some much needed rest for another thrilling day of film tomorrow - the finale!

–Kieran Storey