Adventure Cinema - Food and Film Fest 2021 – Nottingham

After the success of Leicester's Food and Film Festival run by Adventure Cinema earlier this month, our writer Guy Russell heads on down to Nottingham as the event arrives in another Midlands city for the summer.

Setting up camp along the picturesque Victoria Embankment in Nottingham was a four day film and food festival from July 15th-18th. And so I decided to take myself down to attend the opening night, which promised to showcase a collection of short films, made by local filmmakers recent and from years gone by.

Accompanying the films were a variety of astonishingly good street food, from gourmet burgers to stone cooked pizza, with a bar serving tasty ciders and cocktails to wash them down with.

First off, it was nice to see such a large presence turn up, albeit safe and socially distanced, to support short films in a positive way. You don't often see such local talent projected onto a huge LED screen so this was an opportunity the audience clearly didn't want to miss.

Below are the films I caught throughout the evening, where possible I have included links so you can check out these wonderful shorts too!

The night began with Forbidden Fruit written and directed Jonathan Hawes. This is a wickedly funny comedy about a man's irrational phobia of apples. Top performances were given by lead actors Daniel Hayes and Richard Holmes and you can watch the short below.

Switching it up, the next short presented was a compilation of vintage news reports regarding possible UFO sightings from MACE (Media Archive for Central England). An interesting look back in time and how adamantly these people believe in their experience.

Next was Alone Together, a film by Conor McKay. A tender but warm look at two young people as they navigate their grief after regular group therapy sessions. A good script is helped further by good performances especially that of Madeline Hutchinson

From Coalescent Films came an impressive noir thriller, The Messenger. Superbly directed by Bushira Greaves, the film surrounds itself with members of a criminal underworld, with one associate in big trouble. A “messenger” arrives one night making him an offer he cant refuse.

Another well received film was What Happens At Sea from All Good Film, directed by Aaron Good. An LGBTQ+ romance story about two men who shared something special whilst away with the Navy. When John shows up at David's door to reignite their spark he is met with uncertainty, and David's new wife. A poignant drama with great set design and cinematography it's definitely a must watch. You can check it out here:

An eclectic and diverse set of films spanning genres including documentaries, thrillers and comedies, each film had been carefully chosen it seems to say something about society whether it be through the harshness of life, humour or history. In summary, I thought it was a great programme of films from start to finish.

For more information on future events please check out the official website for Adventure Cinema's Film and Food Fest and catch even more exciting, independent filmmakers' showcase their work on the big screen!

Guy Russell

Twitter @BudGuyer

https://www.filmandfoodfest.com