Sunderland Film Festival

Films 2017

Door to Door

Synopsis: Four deplorable door to door charity fundraisers are asked the question, "Why do you do the job?". Their ridiculous answers, as well as their even more ridiculous behaviour, show us how deluded they really are. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Peter...

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Four Day Weekend

Synopsis: A couple, married twenty-three years, takes a four-day break from each other. Country: United States Directed by: Nicole Jones

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21st Century Hermit

Synopsis: Sister Rachel Denton has vowed to spend the rest of her life living as a consecrated hermit in the Catholic faith. A hermit is a person who chooses to live alone, with the intention of finding God. Rarely leaving her house, she lives a life of prayer and...

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Baklava

Synopsis: When Pip and Lydia make it to the final round of a popular game show, their luck and maybe their relationship hang by the thread of a single question. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Sam Peter Jackson

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Thief

Synopsis: Logline: A naive young burglar breaks into a house only to find it is a base for a far more sinister criminal. Brief synopsis: A naive burglar breaks into a house in North London where he discovers a feisty young woman is being held prisoner and he is...

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Right as Rain

Synopsis: A retired ballet dancer, Meredith, and Brenda, a retired tap dancer, admire an abandoned umbrella, unbeknownst to each other. Formerly unacquainted, the paths of the two women collide once they realize the umbrella’s unique beauty. A rainy day in a café sets...

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Mismatched Eyes

Synopsis: Mrs. S goes about her days casually stealing fabrics and buttons for her craft bears. So when Claire comes barging in to her life full of ideas that would shake things up, Mrs. S keeps her distance. Until Toby the bear turns the problem into an opportunity....

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Mordechai

Synopsis: Daniel, an ultra orthodox Jew, hasn’t seen his identical twin brother Mordechai in years; Mordechai’s ‘life choices’ were a bit too much for the family to handle. But today is the day of their father’s funeral… Mordechai is a funny and touching fable about...

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Bearpark

Synopsis: Bearpark is an ex-colliery town in Durham England that was badly effected by the minors strikes, and the ultimate demise of coal mining in England in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Gary grew up with little education in a time of severe austerity, and spent his...

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Letchburn

Synopsis: Set in 1918, following the end of the First World War, a young soldier returns to his rural home in County Durham to learn of his father's death in the time he was away. He struggles to deal with regaining control of their farm while dealing with the trauma...

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It’s all about the dots

Synopsis: Ferank Manseed is obsessed with dots. Using the ancient method of hand poking tattoos with a needle and a stick, he creates works of art - depicting spiritual motifs, swastikas, and sacred geometry - made up of thousands of dots… Country: United Kingdom...

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Bryan Zanisnik & Eric Winkler’s Animated Conversation

Synopsis: What if your life was a cartoon? Performer Bryan Zanisnik and cartoonist Eric Winkler meet at a Brooklyn, New York cafe where Zanisnik shares outlandish stories of his life as an artist that Winkler turns into comics. “After years of friendship, I know that...

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SHED

Synopsis: When the kids grow up it's time to relax and wane into those Golden years. To Many those years are something to be feared, set in an allotment the story of a man plagued by the future unfolds into a choice of Biblical Repercussion affecting the fabric of his...

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Theatreland

Synopsis: Theatreland' takes a thoughtful and darkly humorous look at the lives of a group of actors forced for financial reasons to take jobs as ushers in a West End theatre while they wait for their dreams of becoming professional actors to take wing. Country:...

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Innocence

Synopsis: Following the unexpected and tragic death of her mother, a young girl, Lily attempts to fight against her oppressive home life by delving deep into a self-created fantasy. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Alexander Challies, Samuel Dickinson

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MARGARET

Synopsis: After dealing with a series of extreme characters during a speed-dating event for senior citizens, an elderly woman meets a charming, exotic gentleman. Country: United States Directed by: Manan Singh Katohora

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Pebbles

Synopsis: On her 50th Wedding Anniversary a woman returns to the Hotel where she spent her Honeymoon. Will her estranged Husband return to honor a promise? Country: Ireland Directed by: Jonathan Shaw

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Ten Grand Even

Synopsis: Two thieves and a girl planes to robe a secure building with tones of money. they try to manipulate each other but only one of them will survive Country: Israel Directed by: Gilad Deutsch, Paz Davidovich

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Unattended Item

Synopsis: Andy is in debt and mourning. Pressure goes up when a loan shark wants in to his vintage shop. The moment he decides to take vigilante action, things get ridiculously out of hand. Country: Greece Directed by: Filippos Vokotopoulos

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Golden Boys

Synopsis: Scott, Dylan and Carter, three longtime friends on an unexpected bender, end up back at their old private school looking to cause trouble. After breaking in, they immediately revert to being teenage boys - racing wheelie chairs, spiking the faculty coffee...

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Till the End of the World

Synopsis: The Earth has been invaded by extraterrestrial biological entities that possess much more intelligence than humans. They send "Domes" to replace our lands with theirs. At this point, we have almost nothing to do with the "Domes" but run away from them and...

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Some Will Forget

Synopsis: In a village in the North of England there is a march to commemorate the bitter defeat of the Miners’ Strike of 30 years ago. For 100 years Hatfield Colliery has stood at the heart of the village. Now, with the urgent imperative for clean energy, it is one...

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Panic

Synopsis: Dylan’s nightmares are becoming more real. He’s got to get away or he might not wake up. Jenny is all he lives for and he’ll do anything for them to escape. In an isolated part of Wales, Dylan leads a humble life working the family farm. His only company is...

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Glass House

Synopsis: The past few months family man Jens have realized that he isn't happy. Luckily he has chosen the suitable time and place for spilling his guts, in this black comedy with a taste of salty duck breast. Country: Norway Directed by: Erik Ivar Sæther, Nicolai...

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Heather’s Painting

Synopsis: The story follows the breakdown of a family after losing their 14 year-old daughter, Heather, to stage 4 Leukemia. It’s a bitter and tempestuous journey as the marriage crumbles in the process of grief. Heather leaves them a secret message to help them...

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and so do I

Synopsis: A man lost his wife while she was giving birth to his little girl. The trauma, even after 10 years, still causes him hallucinations. In his own bubble, he imagines his wife is still with him. Country: Lebanon Directed by: Jana G. Younes

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The Driving Seat

Synopsis: One Saturday morning, a middle aged couple decide to make love in their car in the driveway to put a spark back in their marriage – only to find it has rather the opposite effect.. Now a veteran of 34 film festivals (including 1 OSCAR and 2 BAFTA official...

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Might

Synopsis: Maryam, a rebel leader in an archaic world governed by ruthless religion, is set to prove that the god hovering in the sky is a lie. But she is stopped by a holy warrior that turns out to be her lost father. Soon their lives change as they are about to find...

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Surrender

Synopsis: An alcoholic struggles to get through the day in a surreal and frightening world where his inner demons appear real. Haunted by his worst fears, his sanity starts to slip, as does what little control he has left over his addiction. Country: United Kingdom...

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A Fistful of Candy

Synopsis: Three cowboys must choose between greed and loyalty. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Ali Hughes

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Exposure

Synopsis: On a rare visit home, a war reporting photojournalist risks her relationship with her older sister when she tries to capture their ailing mother on camera for what could be the last time. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Evy Barry

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Roger

Synopsis: Stephen (Seann Walsh) arrives home after six months in Mongolia to discover his best friend Roy (John Bradley) has replaced him with a ventriloquist's dummy called Roger. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Brendan Cleaves

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On The Edge

Synopsis: A young man walks towards the edge of a cliff... is he thinking of suicide? A young woman approaches him and it turns out she has a very personal connection with the place. Can she persuade him not to jump? 'On The Edge' explores key issues in the way the...

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Injection

Synopsis: When a mysterious serum is delivered to her door, Claudia Fischer enlists the help of her scientist brother to determine its contents. The results bear a striking resemblance to the research he has been conducting for the past decade. What they ultimately...

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One Under

Synopsis: David is stuck - doing a job he hates, living in a tiny Derbyshire backwater, bullied by his boss & his eccentric grandmother & being cheated on by his girlfriend. And when he finally tries to stand up for himself and become a hero - things don't quite go to...

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La Belle Folie

Synopsis: A comedy about a desperate actress who attempts to make a black-and-white french language film, in order to convince her agent that she's good enough at french to be put up for a foreign language audition. She ropes in her best friend, her dad, and her dad's...

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Obscurum

Synopsis: A young woman awaits the outcome of a surgical procedure, performed in an attempt to make her look 'normal'. Country: Belgium Directed by: Frederic Garçon

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CATCH

Synopsis: In a near future where all antibiotics have failed, Tom and his young daughter, Amy, are quarantined in their home during a lethal pandemic. CATCH is about the love between a father and his daughter, and the lengths he will go to, to try to protect her....

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Sisters

Synopsis: Two sisters with nothing in common have only one night to come to terms with something that happened in their past. Country: Canada Directed by: Guillaume Comtois

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The Lift

Synopsis: A chance encounter between two strangers in a lift is more than it appears to be. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Leyla Pope and Marlek al-Habib

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Dots

Synopsis: There is time to connect the dots Country: United States Directed by: Jody Oberfelder, Eric Siegel

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This Land Alone

Synopsis: Set in the North West of England against a backdrop of rising immigration fears, Meg, a woman struggling with the loss of her son, encounters a young Romanian man hiding in her allotment shed. Despite the initial shock, a connection slowly forms as she...

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Choose me

Synopsis: A young couple flees from the chaos and the monotony of the big city to spend a few days together in a country house. What appears to be an idyllic getaway ends when he honestly tells her how he feels. She, completely shocked, will try to find the truth that...

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RHONNA & DONNA

Synopsis: How are you supposed to act when you are conjoined at the hip? Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Daina O.Pusic

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Some Other Dawns

Synopsis: One night, between dreams and anxieties, two young ones fight against boredom. One night, stuck in a city they know far too well, Isis and Thomas are getting bored. They are young and the future seems already too bland. Especially for Isis who, caught...

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Penny and Paul

Synopsis: Somewhere in the Mojave desert, a wayward young woman en route to a new life with a guy she just met in Vegas discovers that her new fellow isn't quite the man she thought he was. Country: United States Directed by: Brian Rawlins

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KEBABYLON

Synopsis: A small takeaway becomes a battleground of egos as manager Amar (Annil Mittoo) is forced to employ the owner’s nephew Jay (Sukhy Gill). Personalities clash as they become increasingly frustrated with each other, culminating in an explosive shouting match....

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Love

Synopsis: There is a couple who apparently has arrived the end of their common life. He, the husband, is in the deathbed and leaves his common life Revue again. Both revel in the memories of the past. At the end, the question arises whether the life is too short....

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Pushing

Synopsis: Pushing is a magical short about a man living on the fringes of society. When he gets too close to a suburban neighborhood, he is confronted by a local police officer. As their realities collide, they begin to question their original assumptions about each...

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Thyself

Synopsis: An explorer looks back on her life to realize what she has always been searching for. Country: Canada Directed by: Jerry Auld

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The Breakdown (La Panne)

Synopsis: A young author who can talk to his characters has to reveal to his hero his coming death... Country: France Directed by: Anthony James Faure

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Gymnast

Synopsis: A fashion film about the essence of an Olympic gymnast. An Olympic gymnast combines artistry and sport beyond any one else. She has strength, grace, balance, speed and courage. Country: Greece Directed by: Glen MacKay

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The Slow Lane

Synopsis: The open road. The wide landscape. A fallen tree. A tiny road-movie about a tiny community. Country: United Kingdom Directed by: Fin McMorran

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