Shorts and features from new and emerging Bristol talent are continually generating a buzz with critics and audiences, in the UK and further afield. Here are just a few recent successes.
I SWEAR (2025) - written & directed by Kirk Jones
Biopic of pioneering Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson MBE from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. Award-winning British director and screenwriter Kirk Jones was born in Bristol and grew up in Long Ashton, attending Backwell School and Filton Technical College before going on to study at the Newport Film School. He’s best known for directing films such as Waking Ned Devine (1998), Nanny McPhee (2005), Everybody’s Fine (2009), What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016). Read more.
THE BIG PICTURE (2025) - written & directed by Arthur Cauty
A feature-length documentary telling the untold story of Bristol’s IMAX cinema – a once state-of-the-art venue deserted in the heart of the city for over a decade – and its remarkable transformation into a grassroots community cinema space. The Big Picture is Arthur Cauty’s second feature film. His debut, A Royal Hangover, premiered in Los Angeles in 2014 before a successful festival run and subsequent release on Amazon Prime. Read more.
THE FENCE (2022) - written & directed by Will Stone
Feature adaptation of the hugely popular short of the same name released on YouTube in 2018. Set and filmed in Bristol, The Fence is based on real life accounts from people who grew up on south Bristol council estates in the 70’s and 80’s. An 18 year old working class lad has his motorcycle stolen the day he buys it, and seeks the help of his scoundrel friends and notorious older brother to track it down before it’s gone forever. Read more.
THE THING THAT ATE THE BIRDS (2021) - written & directed by Sophie Mair & Dan Gitsham
Funded by BFI NETWORK South West, this rural-set horror short made by Bristol filmmakers Sophie Mair and Dan Githsam (Sketchbook Pictures) was selected for SXSW 2021, screening in the Midnight Shorts programme. It is produced by Jude Goldrei of Lunar Lander Films (hailing from Sheffield) and Rebecca Wolff of Grasp the Nettle Films (based between Devon and London) who were named in Creative England’s 2019 top ‘CE50’ companies.
HUNGRY JOE (2020) - written & directed by Paul Holbrook & Sam Dawe
After winning the top prize at The Pitch film competition for his short Hollow, Bristol filmmaker Paul Holbrook continued to attract attention with the horror short Hungry Joe, co-directed with Sam Dawe, won awards at festivals including the BFI London Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, British Urban Film Fest, Manchester International Film Festival and the London Critics’ Circle Awards.
GIRL (2018) - directed by Lowri Roberts
UWE Film alumni Lowri Roberts’ graduate short film Girl, which tackles issues around immigration, homelessness and periods, won the 2019 BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Short Film after screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2019. Lowri aims to make work that tackles social and environmental issues and has gone on to work with Calling the Shots’ New Creatives scheme on her new project Bad Bitch, a short doc focusing on all-female rock band Dream Wife.
BAIT (2019) - produced by Early Day Films
From Cornish director Mark Jenkin, Bait was produced by Bristol company Early Day Films, and was the only UK film selected for the 2019 Berlinale Forum, described by The Guardian as “intriguing for its distinct visual style”, by Screen Daily as “ravishing cinema” and by The Hollywood Reporter as “one of the most original and stylistically bold films to world premiere in Berlin.” It went on to screen at numerous festivals and premiered in the UK in June 2019 at Edinburgh International Film Festival where it was nominated for Michael Powell Award for Best British Film. It was released in UK cinemas on 30 August 2019.
Mark won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer and the London Critics Circle Award for Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year. Kate Byers and Linn Waite won the British Independent Film Awards’ Breakthrough Producer award. Bait also went on to win the Screen Awards’ Best British Film of the Year award. Early Day Films was named as one of 20 recipients of a 2020 BFI Vision Award.
CARGO (2020) - Creative Director: Chaz Golding
CARGO is an independent creative collective producing films and creative resources which illuminate untold stories of the African Diaspora. Its core project is CARGO Classroom, an accessible set of education tools distributed in partnership with the National Education Union. Other projects include The Peoples Platform augmented reality installation supported by Apache and 8th Wall, and universalcity.co.uk, an interactive site developed in partnership with the University of Bristol. In 2021 CARGO opened CARGO Loft, a professional studio in central Bristol, freely accessible to local creatives of African and African Diaspora heritage.
CARGO is led by poet, co-founder and Executive Producer Lawrence Hoo, and co-founder and Creative Director Charles Golding. CARGO is delivered with the support of Arts Council England and Thresholds.
MARKED (2021) - directed by Euella Isis
Euella Isis‘ short film Marked was selected for Busan City of Film‘s Busan Intercity Film Festival 2019, where it screened at Busan Cinema Centre.
BOYS LIKE US (2019) - directed by Mikael Tichane
Spoken and directed by Bristol-born filmmaker Mikael Techane, Boys Like Us is the response to Mikael’s experiences, thoughts and feelings, shedding light on issues surrounding his identity combined with the experiences of others he holds dear. The short film has garnered widespread praise in Bristol and was selected to screen at Late at Tate Britain, an event exploring film making, photography and social documentary.