Liviff2022 official selection

Liverpool Film Festival 2022 Official Trailer

Thursday 3rd November 2022 @odeon Liverpool ONE

Opening night film

18.00 - 20.00

SAVAGE WATERS

Directed by Mikey Corker

Documentary Feature

90 minutes

18

TICKETS

How far would you go searching for something that may not exist?

A 19th century treasure-hunter’s journal inspires a captivating journey to seek out and surf a mythical, never-ridden wave in some of the most remote and dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

For renowned skipper, Matt Knight, sailing to unpredictable and uncharted regions is impossible to resist. As a lifelong thrill-seeker, he is constantly testing the limits of what’s possible, something world-class big wave surfer Andrew Cotton has also built his career on.

With family and friends, they board the beautiful catamaran Hecate and follow clues to this ‘perfect wave’, but not everything goes to plan, with serious injury and life-threatening challenges testing the crew’s resilience and attitudes towards risk.

SAVAGE WATERS, narrated by the legendary Charles Dance, boasts jaw-dropping cinematography, and follows remarkable protagonists, for whom living life to the full often means putting themselves in harm’s way.

TICKETS

Thursday 3rd November 2022 @odeon Liverpool ONE

Opening night narrative short films

20.00 - 22.00

COLLECTION OF NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS

Directed by various (See below for full listings of individual short films in collection)

100 minutes

18

TICKETS

SUGAR BABIES

Directed by

Harry Shaw

Runtime

9:59

A con devised by two queer kids goes wildly awry as they reconcile their love for each other.

TICKETS

THE MANAGER POSITION

Directed by

Craig Trow

Runtime

15:40

Months after losing his job, a man is still unable to tell his wife.

TICKETS

LILLIAN

Directed by

Cathy Tyson

Runtime

16:25

Lilian Bader, a mixed-race war veteran of Barbadian-English descent, had enlisted into the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1941 as an instrument repairer, and rose to the rank of Corporal…She has a past and a knock at the door from Eddy opens up a story of hidden intentions.

TICKETS

CYN

Directed by

Ben Desmond

Runtime

7:58

Liverpool 1960. Art students, Cyn and John, find their blossoming romance in a state of flux as music and fame starts to overtake their passion.

TICKETS

THE OUTING

Directed by

Joanne Mitchell

Runtime

15:00

All she wanted was a day to herself ...

1970's: A lonely divorcee, Nellie, meets widower Frank on a trip to the seaside. Nellie lets herself be swept away by the hope of connection. But as the seagulls circle overhead and Frank begins to ask too many questions, Nellie realises she will never be able to escape a monstrous family secret ...

TICKETS

JUNE

Directed by

Joshua Thornton-Allan

Runtime

15:52

During a camping trip an unusual set of circumstances forces a father and daughter to confront the rift that’s grown between them.

TICKETS

LEAVE TO REMAIN

Directed by

Remy Bazerque

Runtime

10:45

Things get wild at the 'VISA and immigration services' when Karim, a young Iranian father living in the UK is mistakenly threatened with deportation.

TICKETS

MR THEATRE COMES HOME DIFFERENT

Directed by

Adam Jackson-Smith, David Symmons

Runtime

11:33

A funny and moving glimpse behind the safety curtain.
Witness the love scene, the storm scene, the inevitable death scene and remember, it’s all only pretend.

TICKETS

2020

Directed by

Heléna Antonio

Runtime

3:47

Category

Experimental Films

2020 is the year in which everything seems to have stopped.
However, Life always has different plans.

TICKETS

friday 4th November 2022 @odeon Liverpool ONE

18.00 - 20.00

CRACK IN THE MOUNTAIN

Directed by Alastair Evans

Documentary Feature

100 minutes

18

TICKETS

Deep in the jungle of Central Vietnam, lies a magnificent underground kingdom.

Hang Son Doong which translates as “mountain river cave”, is the largest cave passage in the world and a place of spectacular beauty.

With more people having climbed Everest than visited Son Doong, its pristine charm has remained undisturbed for millions of years.

In 2014, Son Doong’s future was thrown into doubt when plans were announced to build a cable car into the cave.

With many arguing that this would destroy its delicate eco-system and the local community divided over the benefits this development would bring, the film follows those caught up in the unfolding events.

Beautifully shot and scored, “A Crack In The Mountain” is a powerful exposé about how both good and bad intentions can ultimately lead to one of the world’s greatest natural wonders being trampled for money. As well as inspire those who care about our natural heritage to fight to protect it.

TICKETS

FRIDAY 4TH NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

20.00 - 22.00

THE RUMBA KINGS

Directed by Alan Brain

Documentary Feature

94 minutes

18

TICKETS

The award-winning music documentary film The Rumba Kings celebrates the epic quest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an African nation that fought colonial oppression, found freedom, and forged a new identity through music. In the 1950s, when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a Belgian colony, a generation of Congolese musicians fused traditional African rhythms with Afro-Cuban music to create the electrifying beat of Congolese Rumba. A beat that would carry Congo through its independence and conquer the entire African continent with its infectious groove, captivating guitar licks, and smooth vocals.

TICKETS

saturday 5th November 2022 @odeon Liverpool ONE

 

Bread & Butter Films Presents A Free Preview Screening: A Weekend Away

12.00 - 14.00

Directed by Rob Reed

78 Minutes

Narrative Feature

Friends and family come together to celebrate John’s 40th birthday, and it’s already not been a good year.

‘A Weekend Away’ is a five day feature looking at a 40th birthday celebration in the Welsh countryside. As the weekend progresses simmering tensions and issues arise between family and friends.

 

Music video, animation, student, experimental short films

14.00 - 16.00

COLLECTION OF MUSIC VIDEO, ANIMATION, STUDENT, EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILMS

Directed by various (See below for full listings of individual short films in collection)

85 minutes

18

TICKETS



EPOCH AND SCOPE



Directed by

Yang Shu

Runtime

5:18

Category

Experimental Films

Hear what it hears, and see what it sees. But seeing is not necessarily true, hearing is even more false. However, all things are empty. Heaven and earth grow out of the universe, and life is between heaven and earth. No matter the spirit or the soul, a person is just a breath that travels around the world. Take the body as the world, and live life after life.

TICKETS

LONDON’S FORGOTTEN

Directed by

Liam Pinheiro-Rogers

Runtime

10:23

Category

Experimental Films

A cycle that targets the few. A cycle that refuses to end. In the urban streets of London, the stories of knife crime victims are connected by a wandering drifter who has loose ends to tie.

TICKETS

OH, LITTLE SPARK!

Directed by

Charlie Lyon Budden

Runtime

18:10

Category

Student Films

During a weekend together, a grandson's obsession with his Polish grandmother's wartime memories causes a rift in their relationship as a tragic secret is revealed and they must confront the finality of death and the legacy of those traumas.

TICKETS

THE PARABLE OF
THE LEAF BLOWER

Directed by

Rachel Ara

Runtime

11:00

Category

Experimental Films

A slow, thoughtful and meditative animation with no spoken word by the internationally renowned sculptor Rachel Ara.

TICKETS

EVERYBODY NEEDS SOME(dead)BODY

Directed by

George Mills, Hannah Seligman

Runtime

19:33

Category

Student Films

After a lonely housewife’s dead husband returns from the grave unexpectedly, she finds herself in a love triangle with her deceased spouse and her new boyfriend.

TICKETS

2020

Directed by

Heléna Antonio

Runtime

3:47

Category

Experimental Films

2020 is the year in which everything seems to have stopped.
However, Life always has different plans.

TICKETS

THE LEGEND OF SUGI DAKKS

Directed by

Seth Stern

Runtime

4:03

Category

Music Videos

Creating a cultural nod to both Sugi Dakks’ Japanese and African heritage, The Legend of Sugi Dakks displays a healthy balance of brashness and pride for oneself and one’s background.

TICKETS

MAYA YENN - HOW MUCH SADNESS CAN YOU SWALLOW? (Official Video)

Directed by

Maya Yenn


Runtime

3:09

Category

Music Videos

The “How Much Sadness Can You Swallow” official music video follows the story of a woman hell-bent on ending an alien invasion as she sprints through the English countryside towards a crash-site where something strange has fallen to earth.

TICKETS

NIKGHTLINK

Directed by

Aidan O'Sullivan


Runtime

10:16

Category

Animations

Set in Dublin after the pubs close. While telling God what he really thinks of him Ronan aggravates a bunch of Púca who were having a few drinks in a nearby dimension. From that point on, they do what they can to lure him onto the Nightlink to the afterlife.

TICKETS

saturday 5th NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

16.00 - 18.00

NOBODY KNOWS CASPER

Directed by René Odgaard

Documentary Feature

72 minutes

18

plus

0151: LIVERPOOL, RAP & POLITICS

Directed by Amber Oghene-Efe Akaunu

Short Documentary

19 minutes

18

TICKETS

NOBODY KNOWS CASPER

Directed by

René Odgaard

Runtime

72 minutes

Category

Documentary Features

The self-proclaimed biggest man-child on YouTube, the character ‘Ask Casper’ (org. Spørg Casper) is successful with his transgressive and self-exhibiting videos. But as the number of subscribers grow, so does Casper’s inner unease and memories of an upbringing with a dad with schizophrenia begin to surface.

Over an eight-year period, we follow Casper and his growing internet fame as he tries navigating in the blurred lines between online and offline presence. Casper becomes a father but maybe never really an adult.

NOBODY KNOWS CASPER is an honest story about finding your place in the fast-paced internet life that quickly becomes all-consuming.

TICKETS

0151: LIVEROOL, RAP & POLITICS

Directed by

Amber Oghene-Efe Akaunu

Runtime

19:48

Category

Documentary Shorts

Directed by Amber Akaunu, this short documentary pieces together the political history of Liverpool, a city with the oldest Black community in Europe, through the city's best storytellers; its rappers.

Liverpool has a long turbulent political history that has led the city to endure high unemployment, negative media targeting, and uprisings! This short documentary explores how the city's rappers, from the 1980s up until today, have used their music as a form of radical expression. The film brings together two generations of rappers; Kevin Philemon and MC Nelson. Their Nigerian heritage, South Liverpool upbringing and love of conscious rap unite them.

TICKETS

saturday 5th NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

18.00 - 20.00

GROUNDS OF HOPE

Directed by Lionel BERNARDIN

Narrative Feature

Foreign Language with English Subtitles

92 minutes

18

plus

ONE OF THOSE GOOD LIVES

Directed by Joseph Carney

Narrative Short Film

8 minutes

18

TICKETS

GROUNDS OF HOPE

Directed by

Lionel BERNARDIN

Runtime

92 mins

Category

International Narrative Features

In a small rural town, Alex, a former professional boxer, lives as a worker for a concrete materials company. One night, chased by armed men, his twin sister breaks into his home with a migrant and his daughter. Alex, forced by the situation, helps to hide them, unaware that they are keenly sought. The spiral starts. With no choice and under financial pressure, he starts competing in illegal boxing fights.

TICKETS

ONE OF THOSE GOOD LIVES

Directed by

Joseph Carney

Runtime

8:00

Category

International Narrative Shorts

When the young, white and unencumbered Steve (Sean Depner - Riverdale, Deadly Class) is hit by a truck, he awakens in a cavernous and decaying opera house. There he meets The Ticket Taker, a shape shifting bureaucrat of death who explains that Steve must be sent back to perform one influential act before enjoying a life of guaranteed privilege and luxury. Steve must decide whether or not to uphold a status quo that benefits only him.

TICKETS

saturday 5th NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

20.00 - 22.00

ALICE, THROUGH THE LOOKING: À la recherche d'un lapin perdu

Directed by Adam Donen

Narrative Feature

95 minutes

18

plus

CRUISE

Directed by Sam Rudykoff

Narrative Short Film

6 minutes

18

TICKETS

ALICE, THROUGH THE LOOKING: À la recherche d'un lapin perdu

Directed by

Adam Donen

Runtime

95 mins

Category

UK Narrative Features

French philosophy student Alice falls in love with a boy, “Rabbit,” at a masked ball in London, and takes him home. The next morning, Rabbit has disappeared, along with any indication that their night together ever occurred. Determined to find him, Alice sets out through a Brexit London that has turned very strange indeed, aided by the psychologist / detective Dr. Cat Pillar, BA, as reality, nightmare and cinema blur into each other.

TICKETS

Directed by

Sam Rudykoff

Runtime

6:44

Category

International Narrative Shorts

We’ve all received scam phone calls, but what about the person making the calls? Cruise is a dark workplace satire about a hapless telemarketer trying mightily to give away a free cruise. And if he fails, there will be dire consequences.

TICKETS

sunday 6th NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

12.00 - 14.00

THE UGLY TRUTH

Directed by Krishna Ashu Bhati

Narrative Feature

Foreign Language with English Subtitles

96 minutes

18

TICKETS

Mona, her husband Theo and daughter Hanna live in an idyllic villa on the outskirts of Berlin. When the attractive 18 years old daughter of a friend comes to visit, the profound problems and fragility of the small family reveal, as a tragic downward spiral takes its inevitable course.

TICKETS

sunday 6th NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

14.00 - 16.00

SONG FOR HOPE- THE RYAN ANTHONY STORY

Directed by Chris Haigh

Documentary Feature

80 minutes

18

plus

GREENS FOR GOOD

Directed by Whitney Beer-Kerr

Short Documentary

11 minutes

18

TICKETS

SONG FOR HOPE- THE RYAN ANTHONY STORY

Directed by

Chris Haigh

Runtime

80 mins

Category

Documentary Features

“Song For Hope” is the incredible story of Ryan Anthony, the renowned principal trumpet of the Canadian Brass and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Despite being diagnosed with a rare, terminal blood cancer and given just months to live, Ryan and his wife, Niki, started a charity called “CancerBlows” which organizes huge music concerts with the world’s greatest trumpet players, raising millions for cancer research and helping Ryan to live (and play!) for a further eight years! During that time, while undergoing treatment, he climbed Mt. Fuji with his oncologist to raise further funds and awareness for his disease, playing Amazing Grace at the summit as the sun rose.

TICKETS

GREENS FOR GOOD

Directed by

Whitney Beer-Kerr

Runtime

11:11

Category

Documentary Shorts

Liverpool, England is a hardscrabble city built on industry, but in its gritty center a new garden is thriving. It’s called Farm Urban. Here, a visionary young team uses hydroponics to grow fresh greens and vegetables in a Victorian tunnel beneath the city.

TICKETS

sunDAY 6TH NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

16.00 - 18.00

FRANK BEY: All My Dues Are Paid

Directed by Tom Dwyer, Lisa Palattella

Documentary Feature

88 minutes

18

TICKETS

In 1977 soul-blues singer Frank Bey quit singing after a deal went terribly wrong with James Brown. Forty years later Frank was invited to record a CD in Nashville with Buddy Guy's record producer, fulfilling the dream of his lifetime. Posthumously, in 2021, Frank's final CD, All My Dues Are Paid, was nominated for a Grammy. Our feature documentary follows Frank's journey from performing in Philadelphia church basements, to making a record in one of Nashville's most prestigious recording studios, to seeing Frank record one of the final tracks for his CD that received a Grammy nomination after his passing. The film includes in-depth interviews with Frank and an assortment of friends, fans, and fellow musicians.

TICKETS

sunday 6th NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

18.00 - 1900

DEER WOMAN CHILD

Directed by Gabrielle Russell

Narrative Feature

60 minutes

18

TICKETS

When Pryn’s marriage breaks down after several miscarriages, she retreats to her late grandmother’s remote and run down farm, alone. She takes solace in caring for the farm animals, feeling a sense of belonging in her grandmother’s place, but the isolation is hard as she struggles through the harsh winter.

TICKETS

sunday 6th NOVEMBER 2022 @ODEON LIVERPOOL ONE

19.00 - 20.30

CLOING FEATURE NARRATIVE

SWEET DISASTER

Directed by Laura Lehmus

Narrative Feature

Foreign language with English Subtitles

90 minutes

18

TICKETS

Frida unexpectedly falls pregnant and Felix, the father of her child, breaks up with her to re-unite with his ex. Although some serious health problems caused by the late pregnancy force Frida to rest, she still tries to get Felix back, using methods which are absurd, exaggerated and sometimes hilarious.

TICKETS

sunday 6th November 2022 @odeon Liverpool ONE

Closing night narrative short films

20.30 - 22.00

COLLECTION OF NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS

Directed by various (See below for full listings of individual short films in collection)

74 minutes

18

TICKETS

DIFFERENT DAY

Directed by

Charlotte Couture

Runtime

14:59

Alicia has been the primary carer for her mother and little sister since her early teens. Now eighteen, Alicia secretly starts to make plans to escape her life and go in search of the one she missed out on. But a tragic incident threatens to shatter Alicia's plans, and forces her to make a choice between family duty and her own freedom.

TICKETS

SILENT WORLD

Directed by

Charlie Dennis

Runtime

10:23

SILENT WORLD is a creative exploration and amplification of the covid-19 pandemic as experienced from the eyes of Signkid, a deaf-rapper in London.
It is a musical short film which creatively explores the ‘silent world’ that has intensified and deepened for D/deaf people in the course of the COVID pandemic.
It visualises the sense of isolation, fear and societal disconnection that the hearing world has been experiencing - the sort of isolation that deaf people experience every day.

TICKETS

PLAY

Directed by

Olga Kondyli Roussou

Runtime

13:53

Pascal is 16 years old and feels like an outsider. The music from his Bluetooth box is his only accompaniment. This changes when Pascal meets 18-year-old Tim.

TICKETS

RUTHLESS

Directed by

Matthew McGuigan

Runtime

13:08

In 1970’s Northern Ireland, a young boy, bereft of his mother, defies his father to get the Glam Rock album he so desperately wants.

It’s Belfast - early 70’s… BOOM! Something’s in the air and it’s not a bomb, it’s a revolution. Glam Rock is drowning out the noise of armoured cars. As British soldiers patrol the streets, kids are glued to Top Of The Pops, entranced by Marc Bolan, the androgynous, satin-clad, glitter-god.

TICKETS

OUT OF ORBIT

Directed by

Jess Kay, Dann Emmons

Runtime

11:00

When Esme’s mum dies, her world falls apart. She struggles to navigate her day to day life until she gets an idea, fuelled by their mutual love of space, which may lead to the relief she so longs for.

TICKETS

THE TURNAROUND

Directed by

Alex Stockley, Lewis Rees

Runtime

13:11

The Turnaround is a story of a private equity deal unravelling.  A modern day morality tale, Stephen fights to improve an insurance business, save jobs and do the right thing by his customers.  

TICKETS