Introducing the NFF2023 Official Selection…
Featuring 124 short films from 26 countries, screening in Norwich this November.
6-19 November 2023
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British
A crossword maker. A librarian. 40 years of marriage, memories and tangled lives. But isolation changes people: will they remember who they once were?
A90
British
Annette lives a discontented life working in a road-side cafe. When Morgan enters, the pair are inevitably drawn into an intense romantic attraction.
And So It Was
Documentary
After the loss of her sister, Norah MacRae – the longest serving post office worker in Scottish history – reflects on her remaining years.
Apostles of Cinema
Documentary
Three devoted film workers in Tanzania reintroduce a classic piece of the country’s film history to their audience of working class cinephiles.
Argh!
East Anglian
A novel new wellness craze promises to help people vent their worldly frustrations. It’s certainly worked for Alderbrook… For now, anyway.
Birdnesting
Student
Iris lives in a ‘birdnest’: her divorced parents alternate living in the family home. Cracks in this altruistic arrangement are starting to emerge.
Blue Hour
Student
Two journeys intersect when a photographer is hired for a last minute portrait gig. The unfolding session leaves an indelible mark on both women.
Bridge
British
Receptionist Bridget grapples with heartbreak, motherhood and a crumbling healthcare system. Her life changes when she picks up the phone to Kirsty.
Broken Gargoyles
British
The First World War is over. Britain is victorious, but for the casualties of war the fight for a normal life is far from over.
Bury the Dogs
British
A coming of age drama about the vulnerability of masculinity, the cracks that form in childhood friendships, and the frailty of father figures.
Cataract
International
A woman robs a gas station with her nearly-blind younger brother in order to pay for his cataract surgery.
Ceres
East Anglian
A daughter seeks refuge from her emotionally abusive partner at the home of her estranged mother.
Charge
Animation
In an energy-scarce dystopia, an old destitute man breaks into a battery factory but soon finds himself confronted by a deadly security droid.
Choked Up
British
A tickly cough derails the career-defining live TV interview of MP Fiona Lacey (Maxine Peake) – Minister for the Environment.
Clause
East Anglian
Against the backdrop of Section 28, in a school attacked for its equality policies, what happens when the headteacher of the school is a gay man?
Date with Death
Student
Depressed and recently widowed, Liv agrees to a blind date, but when she turns up she’s greeted by Death himself. Surely, she won’t go home with him?
Death of The Gods
Student
The story of a hug. A boy’s journey across a surreal world to find his fallen giant.
Desire Lines
Documentary
A filmmaker observes people walking on desire lines and notices peoples’ tendency to cut corners. What does this mean for the future of our planet?
DogFriend
International
A date takes an unexpected turn in this meditation on race, politics and history in Germany.
Dún Laoghaire
International
A dance of death between a mother and daughter ignites when the daughter tries to install a new stove in her mother’s house in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.
Eat It
British
Break ups are hard to swallow. A gut busting comedy with heartbreak and cherry pie at its core.
EL FUNERAL
International
Venezuelan-American siblings in NYC cannot attend their grandfather’s funeral due to their home country’s collapse, so they decide to attend online.
Everybody Dies… Sometimes
British
A dark comedy about death anxiety that follows Mara as she grapples with the belief that she has killed everybody she’s gotten close to.
Everything At Once
International
You’ve heard it before; that a moment can change your life. As if it’s possible to point to a single instance when things changed.
Filho
Student
Tomas Ponsteen was adopted from Brazil and doesn’t desire to seek out his biological mother. Is it a moral duty of every adoptee to search for theirs?
Finding Alaa
Documentary
The father of an ISIS terrorist responsible for the 2015 Paris Attacks looks for his granddaughter, Alaa, believed to be in a Syrian refugee camp.
Fish Eye
International
A group of young filmmakers use a fish named Oddvar in their production, but they begin to question the morality of filming a helpless animal.
Fishlike
1 Minute Movie
Don’t you feel like your whole life has already been written? Follow the life of a mackerel from the ocean to its packaging in a supermarket.
For my son
Student
In our world where buying and owning is synonymous with happiness, a mother struggles to buy a video game console for her son’s Christmas present.
Good Boy
British
Out of money and out of luck, Danny attempts to rob a bank with the help of his anarchic mum, Jackie.
Grill
International
Inspired by true events: Tara is denied electricity bill support by Social Services, who tells her to simply get a free grill instead.
HEART FRUIT
International
Late summer heats up the city where people search for their own form of love.
Her Scents of Pu Er
Documentary
The first woman tea master in China’s history takes us on a sensorial journey steeped in history as she unveils the secrets of Pu Er tea.
Homegrown
British
On the hottest day of the year, Barbadian fruit pickers Nicole and Vincent endure exploitative conditions on a UK fruit farm. Inspired by true events.
Homemaker
Student
Renee loses herself in a controlling relationship and the abuse she suffers gets worse until she is utterly trapped.
Horologist
Animation
Obsessed with time, Sand found a way to sell time itself. While his rich customers stay young, they never question the source of their youth.
Hugging
Animation
When you hug people goodbye after a social event, there is always that moment when they squeeze you more forcefully than before.
Icelandic Poppies
International
Agnes’ therapist recommends she grows Icelandic Poppies to calm her anxiety. In the process she unexpectedly befriends the young gardener, Asmund.
I’m On Fire
International
Danny’s twelve, drifting into adolescence and just getting interested in girls. He spends his days making mixtapes that he trades with his cousin.
In love and sorrow
Student
Is it possible to see the future in what surrounds us now? Two dutch couples, sixty years apart in age, discuss the past, present and future.
In the Shadow of Palms
Documentary
An intimate portrait of three lives on the outskirts of LA. A father, mother and son tell their stories of struggle and hope in the concrete jungle.
Inappropriate
East Anglian
When a volunteer turns up for his shift to help guide a young offender through the process of his arrest, he gets more than he bargained for.
Indefinitely
British
What happens when the Disability Allowance you were awarded indefinitely is stopped? A scathing look at the benefit system for the disabled in the UK.
Iron, Butterfly
Student
To catch up with work, a burdened rural blacksmith decides not to visit his wife, who works in the city. A visit from an artist alters his outlook.
Itching
British
Shot on 16mm film, Itching tells the story of a lonely young mudlark with an itch she just can’t scratch.
It’s Dog To Make A Houseplant If You’re Sandwich
British
In an anonymous suburbia of the near future, a man becomes increasingly perplexed as people around him vanish – surely things can’t get any worse?
Jellyfish and Lobster
British
Two elderly, terminally ill patients discover a magical pool that brings youth, forcing them to reconcile with the inescapable truth of mortality.
Just A Weekend
Student
A question of power and relationships when a mother comes to stay for the weekend, pitching a couple against each other with consequences.
Lobo
International
Life goes on and change is inevitable – a fact that Aline must accept upon returning to Brazil, following deportation from the UK.
LUNA
British
Scared of losing her job, a prickly young care worker must get help from a cowardly school boy to move a corpse.
Matterhorn
Student
Two estranged sisters reconnect during their stay in Switzerland where terminally ill Maggie plans to end her life by means of assisted suicide.
Measure
British
The horror of Jen’s teenage past catches up with her when she takes her autistic son to a birthday party in her home town.
Mother
International
Amidst the MH17 disaster, a miner on the Ukraine/Russian border discovers a ringing phone – and tragically so much more – in his backyard.
Muna
British
A British-Somali teen is desperate to escape the monotony of her household, but when tragedy strikes she must navigate a confusing mourning period.
Night
Animation
Night brings peace and sleep to all the people in the broken town. Only the eyes of the mother of the missing child stay resilient.
Odd One Out
Animation
A cycle of prejudice is broken when one ostracised outsider breaks the pattern with rebellious celebration.
Original Skin
British
In an alternate world where having sex means swapping bodies with the other person, a young woman struggles to be herself.
Out of the Fog
International
On Christmas Eve, Annie receives a phone call from her long lost daughter. She has only a few minutes to find out where she is and save her…
Out Of The Grey
British
A pregnant environmental refugee is forced to leave her haven in the hope to find medical support and safety for her unborn baby.
Pablo, Honey!
British
Emma starts dating the poltergeist who haunts her flat. She struggles to resolve her impending eviction with the ghost’s increasing possessiveness.
Pacemaker
Animation
An animated musical about a widower awaiting a Pacemaker to save his life who gets a second chance at true love by accepting his grandson’s identity.
Patricia in the Dark
Documentary
Born before the word “transgender” existed, Patricia spent most of her life longing for love and acceptance but too afraid to reveal her true self.
Picturesque
British
A young blind woman and her girlfriend navigate the ups and downs of their inter-able relationship, learning how to embrace love and disability.
Pillow Chocolate
British
For trans man Jamie, a one-night stand is more than just sex, it’s a question of self-worth.
Please Hold the Line
International
A young scam call operator is thrust into a moral dilemma as she navigates a life-changing situation.
Puffling
Documentary
On a remote Icelandic island, teenagers trade late night parties for puffin rescues in this coming-of-age story for young adults and puffins alike.
Record. Play. Stop.
Student
We follow a lone probe as it collects music amongst the infinite fields of sounds, in a quest to find its place among the stars.
RED SOIL
Documentary
We follow the family of Mama, a Nigerian elder, as they prepare for her funeral, offering an insight into the Edo State’s perspective on death.
Repair
British
Ramin, who is on the spectrum, repairs electronics in his shop, but an embarrassing encounter with Marc at a store forces him to confront himself.
SAFE
British
When an office cleaner finishes work in the evening, all she wants is to get the bus home. Instead, she’s harassed by a man at the bus stop.
Salmon
International
A budding young chef driven by audacious dreams is bestowed with a rare chance at a prestigious restaurant.
Samovar
British
After Raoul Wallenberg disappeared into the Soviet prison system, Samovar is a poetic imagining of his survival and defiance of a brutal world.
See It Say It
British
A struggling actor receives a last-minute call for a life-changing audition. But what starts as a routine journey quickly morphs into a nightmare…
Seeing Read
East Anglian
Zoey is plunged into stress when she texts Miles, the guy she likes, to ask him out on a date, and is left “on read”. A comedic take on modern dating.
Sheephead
International
Frankie discovers that a long-time acquaintance has possibly died and fixates on an unfinished transaction with the man.
Skewered
British
Opposing sexual appetites & dietary ethics bring a relationship to a surprising crescendo as a heartfelt revelation confronts the elephant in the room.
Spicy Pink Tea
British
In reverence to the British paintings that watch over her from inside a stately home, a young girl aspires to become the perfect upper-class lady.
Spoor
British
Stuck caring for her vitriolic, dementia-ridden mother, Ash has a lump that grows until it erupts, spewing a mysterious substance.
Static Focus
Student
Our story follows Stevie, a man with a TV for a head but without a remote to help, as they struggle to get through their day at work.
Stop Dead
British
City detectives try to stop a dishevelled girl staggering down the middle of a country road. But if you stop moving, you die.
Take Care
East Anglian
Two care-workers, who barely interact outside of their weekly handover, must come together to face insurmountable challenges.
Taking the Bus to Mount Olympus
Animation
A celebrated actress is chosen to be filmed and visit a society where people don’t talk nor eat and are reduced to almost no individualities.
TASTE
British
Jane marries and moves into her new home but later discovers her husband is keeping more than a few skeletons in his closet.
That Workman’s Arm
International
A debt collector is sent to stand over a woman with inherited debt but is thrown off balance by her and the two of them discover a connection.
The Archive: Queer Nigerians
British
Queer Nigerians in the UK gather to tell their stories, documenting their experiences so that they can never be erased again.
The Ballerina
International
A policewoman, dedicated to her work, gives unpleasant information to a woman who immediately forgets about it.
The Bond
Student
Pregnant and incarcerated, Aria fights for her most precious connection against a system designed to isolate her.
The Brave Locomotive
Animation
An Old West musical tale with 1940s flair about a mighty little train facing harrowing disaster.
The Creators
Student
In another dimension, the Creators are working on a project, getting closer to a result. But creating something can be hard work, even for them.
The Final Nail In The Coffin
Animation
A mother and son are stuck. A father is obsessing over a plank of wood in his living room. A businessman is looking for a lost hammer.
The Foul
British
Someone has to do something about all that dog sh*t. A corporate public information film about the importance of cleaning up after your dog.
The Girl with the Haunted Vagina
British
Sexually repressed Meghan desperately tries to reach climax but is thwarted at every turn by the ghost that haunts her vagina (no, really).
The Girls’ Room
British
Set in the bedroom shared by three sisters in their teens, we follow them over the course of a transformative summer.
The Golden West
British
Two Irish sisters seek their fortunes in the gold rush. With nothing to show for their efforts, their age-old feud soon threatens to become deadly.
The Guest
Student
Two waiters in a Shanghai restaurant try to please a rich guest only to find out that he is not who he seems.
The Innkeeper
British
A child battles her perfectionist teacher who insists that she “stick to the script” and refuses Mary and Joseph a room in their nativity play.
The Last Skiers
Student
A precious statement on the fragility of nature, told by a generation of Italian skiers who have seen the effects of climate change on their hills.
The Legend of Goldhorn
Animation
Possessed by greed, a heartbroken hunter goes against the mythical power of nature.
The Lost Courier
Student
A playful animation about packages and the amazing journey they go on to reach us.
The Old Young Crow
International
An Iranian boy befriends an old Japanese woman at a graveyard in Tokyo.
The One Note Man
British
A bassoonist, whose only job was to play a single note, hears a breathtaking solo played by a beautiful violinist, changing his life forever.
The Red Suitcase
International
A veiled 16-year-old Iranian teenager arrives at the airport by herself – a life changing decision awaits.
The Scottish Play
Documentary
A theatre group staged a production so disastrous it made international headlines. 40 years later, a filmmaker tries to figure out what really happened.
The Secret Diary of a High-Rise
Animation
The brief memoirs of a high-rise tower block, finding it’s way in the big city.
The Snip
British
Tony and Lindsay are looking for a permanent solution to their family’s fertility, but for Tony, the simple procedure threatens his masculinity.
The Whole World Blind (or: The Ballad of The Cuck and The Eunuch)
British
After his wife’s affair, a humiliated businessman flees to the countryside, encounters a reclusive war veteran, and strikes a pact to take revenge.
The Wyrm of Bwlch Pen Barras
British
Early one winter morning in the rural town of Rhuthun in North Wales, three men are called upon once again to carry out a terrible assignment.
Things Unheard Of
International
A little Kurdish girl tries to put a smile back on her grandmother’s face after the disappearance of her television, her only window into the world.
Thoughts of a young person at the sight of a dissolving world
Documentary
A young actor travels to the Arctic to film an environmental thriller but sees the climate crisis and asks himself what world we will leave behind.
Three Sisters
Documentary
A filmmaker returns to places where he had made a film about suicide. Now, he searches for the reasons three sisters ended their lives together.
To the Brink
Student
A stop motion cabaret for the cynical and depraved. Guilt, alcoholic apathy and the inevitable apocalypse threaten to push a young man to the brink.
Tomato Kitchen
Animation
The dark truth of the Tomato Kitchen along with Lee’s hidden past gets revealed by an accident that interrupts hi dinner with his colleagues.
Waving
British
An unflinchingly honest portrayal of the devastating reality behind OCD, following a father in self-imposed exile.
We Are Nature
Documentary
Interviews taken from BPoC women outdoor activists who are changing the story, acknowledging trauma and inspiring a new lens on the British outdoors.
Where the Sun Always Shines
Documentary
Climate threat causes a local filmmaker to turn the lens towards their hometown at risk of being underwater for a bittersweet depiction of life.
Winner Fights The Moon
British
Having never met his daughter Riley outside of a prison visitation room, Arris is desperate to make up for lost time and reconnect.
Yellow
British
In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a woman walks into a chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil and face an uncertain future.
Young Hot Bloods
British
An unassuming seamstress is confronted by an undercover policeman seeking to track down members of the Suffragette movement.
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