Celebrate Northern Cinema with us in Chester, Kendal, Leeds and Manchester.
Northern Exposure is our touring film programme showcasing the best short films from the across the region, selected by our
Young Film Programmers. This group of emerging Northern film curators have scoured the region to discover the stories that matter to them and the local filmmakers to get excited about. Expect a bold mix of fact and fiction, animation and live action - and anything else in-between.
Each screening will be introduced by the Film Hub North team and our Young Film Programmers, who will also share information about our upcoming training, funding, and programming opportunities. Meet our latest cohort of programmers
here.
Tour schedule:
Cultplex, Manchester
Thursday 12 March, 19:30 - 21:30
Storyhouse, Chester
Tuesday 17 March, 18:00 - 19:45
Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds
Brewery Arts, Kendal
Friday 27 March, 20:00 - 22:00
Film line-up
Into the Blue Again
Dir. Almir Datoo / 2025 / Drama
Pauli thinks he’s a Goldfish, but nobody believes him. When his sister Eva gives him an ultimatum, Pauli embarks on a quest to prove he is what he claims to be, and that he is not alone.
Char Bahnien
Dir. Zainab Nadeem / 2025 / Drama
Explores the emotional depth of sisterhood within a British Pakistani household through everyday moments - playing Ludo, sharing chai, making sweets - reflecting the unique roles each sister holds, rooted in love, care, and cultural identity.
Wanderland
Dir. Nicole Pott / 2022 / Drama
A young girl attempts to navigate the sea front on the search of her missing alcoholic mother over one night. BAFTA long-listed 2023.
The Rest is Silence
Dir. Finn Chadwick / 2025 / DramaA radio astrologist believes he can hear his dead daughter out in space.
Finn won our Horror DIY Filmmaking Challenge back in 2025: read our interview with him here.Pegs & BaconDir. Sarah Nicola Mason / 2025 / DocumentaryA heartwarming short documentary about May, an 84-year-old shopkeeper who has been the heart and soul of her small farm shop for over fifty years.
Outlasting
Dir. Lewis Doherty / 2025 / Documentary
A celebration of the resilience of Jeffrey Dudgeon and Northern Ireland’s queer activists who bravely faced the courts and police while fighting to decriminalise homosexuality.
Starguy
Dir. Michael McVeigh / 2025 / Animation
When a star, bored of its endless existence, hears music coming from a distant speck, it shoots down to find itself on planet Earth. On their quest to find music, they are helped by an ex-dance champion and a jaded musician, and faced with the impermanence of living a mortal life.
The Trees Have Eyes
Dir. Charlie Johnson / 2025/ Animation
Among a mystical forest of ice and snow, a hunter reaps the consequences of what he sows.
Northern Exposure is delivered by Film Hub North as part of BFI Film Academy. BFI Film Academy offers opportunities for ambitious 16-25 year olds, anywhere in the UK, to get to know more about film and how to forge a career in the screen industries.
This event is supported by BFI Film Academy, awarding National Lottery funding.
Image credit © still from Char Bahnien (dir. Zainab Nadeem)
