I know there’s always a risk that I’ll cry at the cinema, I just didn’t expect it to be about farms this time.

In November, I attended the first weekend of the Norwich Film Festival, and saw a brilliant selection of new works, from the East Anglia Shorts, The Mixtape Vol. 2, and the Life Finds A Way collection.

Going to Cinema City has become a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine this semester, and considering the festival was hosted there, it was a no-brainer to get involved!

The first collection consisted of pieces all based in the local area, and there was a huge mix of genres and tones.

My friend, Signy, and I really enjoyed AJ Jefferies’ Ducks and Brick’s Deli Meat, as, although both films were different in style, we were crying with laughter at both of them.

Deli Meat especially captured the dry elements of British humour, paired with exceptionally beautiful visuals. My two other standouts from the first evening were The Man Who I Wave At, which went on to win best East Anglian Short, and Day Release.

Day Release, directed by Joe Murray, was made in association with the Sainsburys Centre and centred on Francis Bacon’s ‘Study for Portrait of P.L., no. 2’.

The film deftly combined found footage with the rest of the shooting, and captured a beautiful memory in a nostalgic way – sending me down a bit of a Francis Bacon rabbit-hole.

After the films finished, Signy and I headed to the bar and chatted to some of the filmmakers involved with films over the whole weekend.

Norwich Film Festival was the first festival I’d ever been to, and it was so exciting to talk to filmmakers and crew about their creative processes, as well as current and future projects.

We got talking to a group about an Edinburgh Fringe show where a man eats a lot of cheese, and I ended up being convinced to see some more films the next day.

As someone so interested in the industry of filmmaking, the evening felt inspiring and has pushed me to go on and pursue more projects.

On the Sunday, I watched two back-to-back screenings. The first was part of the festival’s official selection films, with a massive range of focus – from a lesbian love story in a football team to a film about a Trinidadian war hero.

I was so moved by 22+1, which followed the story of a woman struggling with a miscarriage after being ignored by her doctor. The film was directed by the lead
actor and co-writer of the film, and had a score by Dan Smith from Bastille.

It drew attention to the risks of childbirth for women of colour in the UK. Another highlight wasL’île, largely shot in black and white, which straddled hilarity and claustrophobia.

I thoroughly enjoyed the metaphor of feeling stranded in a job, or at a certain point in your life.

The night prior, I had met Maggie Brill, the director of All at Once, a short shown at this particular collection. It was astonishingly shot and captured the sensation of the summer before you leave home so deftly.

Shot in Central Park and New York, it held such a warmth and light which balanced well with the other films shown.

The final screening I saw was ‘Life Finds a Way’, and it had a beautiful mix of documentaries, fiction films and animation.

My three highlights were documentaries, and in a form that is becoming so saturated with true crime slop and editing for shock value, it was so refreshing to see exciting films about real people. Farming on the Edge, whose director, Matthew Wood, was one I had the pleasure of meeting. The film itself was a fascinating profile of a farmer in the Dales.

Beautifully shot, beautifully scored, it spoke to the need to give back to the land and nature that we take from for sustenance.

In a climate where the world needs to get talking about the future of the planet, it felt like a necessary and well-executed message.

Another highlight was Rick on the Roof, which followed the story of a Welsh man’s struggle against his local council and depicted a wonderful story of community. The combined use of Pathe footage and news reporting, and very subtle recreations, showed how the traditional formatting of documentaries can still inspire.

The film that has stuck with me the most from the festival was No Two Ways. In 2025, I think mainstream cinema is becoming all about the rationalising of what is good and what is bad, and there seems to be no room for nuance in the stories we see getting produced for the masses.

No Two Ways is not a story like that. It follows Biggie as he reconnects with his late father through his allotment. No Two Ways keeps itself light, with Biggie’s humour and charm, without shying away from the messier parts of life; even using clips from 2000s reality shows, like Road Wars, which Biggie ended up on.

The weekend was so lovely, and it left me wanting to get out and connect with more filmmakers.

It’s so amazing to live so close to a BAFTA qualifying festival, and I highly recommend going if you can in 2026, even for just one showing, if you are interested in films or the film industry!

Image credit: Grace Shaw