November 06 at The Magic Lantern

Desperate to be rid of her toddler in order to have an affair, a dissatisfied Beverly Hills housewife hires a stranger to baby-sit and ends up getting much more than she bargained for. Mother is a dark and funny look at neglect and what it really means to get what we want.

Sian Heder was one of the eight women chosen in 2006 to take part in the directing workshop for women at the American Film Institute. Mother has been shown at film festivals across the US and screened at this years London Film Festival.

Coleen works as a chambermaid in an inner city hotel. Damien has reluctantly taken a job alongside her during his summer holiday. Whilst killing time together Coleen and Damien have discovered an unexpected attraction to each other. During their last shift they fumble their way through hangovers, hoovering and personal insecurities until they finally confront the significance of their last working day together.

Me & Her was jointly commissioned by the UK Film Council, Scottish Screen and Glasgow Media Access Centre.

Le Diner recently screened at Hull International Film Festival, and the London Film Festival.

Utilising a combination of archive audio recordings and still photographs, drama reconstruction and animation, a surreal and comic tale unfolds of 12,000 miles, 14 countries and 26 very peculiar days. A Map with Gaps is an account of a journey made by the director’s father through Soviet Russia in the early nineteen-seventies. Essentially a catalogue of minor disasters, this is a story that demonstrates that fact can indeed be stranger than fiction and sometimes the grey area in between is the most interesting place to explore, particularly if you forgot to bring a map.

Winner of Best Documentary at Hull International Film Festival.

Alice Nelson has recently been commissioned by Channel 4 to direct a series of documentaries.

Life is difficult enough for 15 year old Isla, living with her mother, boyfriend and baby. Tensions rise when Mum Ali starts flirting with boyfriend Gav, and the troubled teenager takes matters into her own hands in a shocking climax.

Amy Neil won a BAFTA for her last short Can’t Stop Breathing, 2005.

The Banker is efficient at his job – obsessively collecting, storing and delivering deposits at the sperm bank. Donors file into their booths, fill their cups and collect their payment – while women at the fertility clinic wait in anticipation and hope for the miracle of creation. Each day the banker delivers the donations to his beloved nurse at the fertility clinic – proud to see her satisfied with the daily quota. Crippled by fear, he lacks the courage to ask her out. Surely there is a way he can express his devotion? A black comedy about unrequited love on a grand scale.

The Banker – starring Michael Sheen – won the British Academy Award in 2005 for short film, and is now on the international festival circuit.

An absorbing drama starring Danny Dyer (Human Traffic) as the childhood boyfriend of a single mother living on a rundown housing estate. When Dave (Dyer) reappears in Zoe's life, the young mum enjoys the flirtation with her old flame but fears the attraction will end abruptly when he discovers she has children. However, Zoe's desire to rediscover her freedom has repercussions.

Academy Award winner for Best Short Film 2003.
Set in Glasgow, Andrea Arnold’s debut feature Red Road won the Prix de Jury at Cannes Film Festival 2006, and is now screening in cinemas across the UK.

*While none of the films have official ratings, some of them contain strong language and adult themes.