Wine Dark Short Film Festival

Name: Wine Dark Short Film Festival
Released: 2025-11-15
Duration: 4 h

The Wine Dark Short Film Festival (WDSFF) is London's first film festival dedicated to mental health, disability and neurodiversity. Now in its second year, WDSFF celebrates often-unsung voices in the film industry. The festival will proudly showcase short films that are either created by D/deaf, disabled, or neurodiverse filmmakers or explore themes related to mental health, disability, and exclusion. The festival offers more than just screenings. Filmmakers will have the opportunity to network, collaborate, and promote their work among like-minded creatives. Our programme includes discussions and Q&As on disability and neurodiversity, featuring experts and industry professionals. This year, we’re proud to be hosting the festival at the beautiful ActOne Cinema in Acton, West London, on the 15th of November 2025. SCHEDULE 12:00 – Welcome & Introduction 12:10 – Short Movies Block 1 – Threads of Fate 13:15 – Short Movies Block 2 – Crossing the Styx 14:30 – “TOOLS FOR THE ARTIST: “HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE THROUGH PERSONAL CHALLENGES as an ARTIST in the entertainment business” talk and Q&A with Bonnie MacBird (30 min) 15:00 – Networking in the Café 16:00 – Short Movies Block 3 – Herculean efforts 17:00 – Short Movies Block 4 – Dionysiac Dreams 18:15 – “Disability Advocacy as a Filmmaker and Agent” talk and Q&A with Sarah Leigh (30 min) 19:00 – Awards Ceremony 19:45 – Afterparty in the Café/Bar TYPES OF TICKETS To make the festival more flexible and convenient, we’re now offering the option to book a half-day pass (£10). The afternoon session runs from 12:00 to 16:00, and the evening session runs from 15:00 to 21:00, concluding with the award ceremony and the afterparty. If you’d like to attend the full day (£15), simply select both sessions – your total ticket price will be automatically discounted at checkout. DISCOUNTS We believe the arts should be accessible to all! We’re happy to offer discounted tickets for people with disabilities and for Equity card holders. Simply select the access rate when booking your festival tickets. There are so few opportunities for filmmakers who are disabled, neurodivergent or have a lived experience of mental illness, and with this festival, we hope to support them in their storytelling and offer a platform that amplifies their voices. As many of us are Mediterranean, we’ve cheekily added some references to Greek Mythology and connected it to themes of disability and neurodiversity, so keep an eye out for that. Whether you want to see one or all four blocks of films we’ve programmed at our festival, we look forward to welcoming you to ActOne Cinema & Cafe. In the meantime, get your tickets now from ActOne’s website, follow us on instagram @winedarkfilmfestival, and spread the word about Wine Dark. The festival will conclude with an award ceremony with categories including Best Disability Narrative, Best Neurodiversity Narrative, and the Audience Choice Award. Our team of judges consists of industry professionals such as directors Kosmo Crocco, Nicole Sarah Fry and Sarah Leigh, screenwriter Jasmine Fry, award-winning writer/director Bonnie MacBird, actor/producer Marilou Tamvaki, along with the Wine Dark programming team of Andreane Rellou, Tessa Battaiotto, Fabrizio Quagliuso, Robyn Wisker Stilling and Josseth Mabuti. Accessibility is at the heart of WDSFF. The venue will be fully accessible, all screenings will be relaxed to accommodate neurodivergent guests, and films will be screened with captions and subtitles. The WDSFF organisers and programmers say: “We are thrilled to present our festival for a second year, with the generous support of ActOne Cinema, as well as that of our sponsors, such as esteemed photographer Ivan Weiss, London’s City Academy, the restaurant Dans Le Noir, and the RichMix escape room centre Escape Plan.” BLOCKS DETAILS Block 1 - Threads of Fate - Duration 55m 50s In Greek mythology, the Moirai (known as The Fates) were the personifications of destiny. Starting with last year’s Best Short Film Winner, you will see the animated short Just One Pint and a girl’s struggle to cope with the aftermath of emotional trauma. The rest of your hero’s journey will continue with interweaving stories of connection: two people on a speed-dating event; a clumsy college student’s interconnected mental processes; an autistic woman as she ventures into the world of romance; two siblings breaking free from lasting family control; a young woman who learns that to love means to let go. Just One Pint (Last Year's WDFF winner) by Lauren Hammersley, UK (05:40) Deal Breakers by Asia Cakala, UK (14:00) Orbit of Attention by Thomas Labow, USA (04:38) Eros by Spike Hogan, Zoe McDonagh, Australia (13:52) Alfredo by Sveva Solimene, Italy (07:00) Kaleidoscope by Clay Antonio, Australia (10:40) Block 2 - Crossing the Styx - Duration 55m 36s The Styx is the in-between, and as our heroes cross it, they become disconnected from all they knew before. A documentary about schizophrenia, depression and stigma; a narrative about a girl and her struggle to access support beyond an automated helpline; a drama of a woman whose world mysteriously slips away; the fresh comedy of two sisters who balance agency and freedom. The Mood Swings by Conor O'Mahony, Ireland (18:36) Cereal Haze by Katy Held, UK (05:41) The Stranger by Yousef Mohammadi, Iran (15:00) Housemates by Georgie McGuigan, UK (16:19) Block 3 - Herculean efforts - Duration 51m 48s Just as Hercules was made to complete 12 impossible labours, our heroes here have had to face tremendous challenges. An escapist glass child finding acceptance; the poetic journey of a survivor; how 19 seconds changed a man’s life; an animated short about late-diagnosed autism; an experimental documentary about a recondite - and misunderstood - eating disorder; the adventures of a passionate skier. Avocado Heart Girl by Keeley Gainey, UK (19:17) Surviving a Brain Hemorrhage by Rhiannon Barker, UK (05:57) Fire in my Belly by Steven Speliotis, USA (04:16) Crybaby by Eleri Edwards, UK (11:00) Mashed by Emily Freer, UK (04:56) Mike's Journey by Alexandra Henry, USA (06:22) Block 4 - Dionysiac Dreams - Duration 44m 40s Dionysus was the god of wine as much as he was the god of chaos - in our Dionysiac dreams, the heroes we meet re-interpret the world both as it could be and as it might be. From the tale of a young non-binary person escaping to the moon; an experimental drama about disabled climate refugees facing the future; a wheelchairball team training their newest recruit; a comedy short of a daydreaming IT professional navigating complex new ground; the dark-fairytale of a model under pressure taking things into her own hands. I would like to live on the moon by Emily Burke, UK (02:13) Our circle in the storm by Ray Jacobs, UK (09:41) Misfit by Tristan Zerbib, France (13:15) Remote Strutting by Lorna Fitzsimons, Ireland (12:00) The Beneath by Lisette Vlassak, Netherlands (07:31) SPEAKERS' BIOS SARAH LEIGH is a neurodivergent/disabled, working-class filmmaker and advocate. She is the founder of INCLUSIVITY FILMS - a company committed to at least 50% of cast and crew identifying as d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent on every production; and is the co-founder of INCLUSIVE TALENT, a talent agency for underrepresented actors. Sarah won a ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY award in Directing for her debut short film, TYPICAL?, and her films have screened at OSCAR, BAFTA & BIFA qualifying festivals. Sarah's advocacy work includes developing Healthcare Passports with the NHS for children with complex health needs and disabilities, and campaigning for CHANGING PLACES toilets. She consults on access and equitable workplaces & practices within the screen industries, and is on the EDI Advisory Group of CREATIVE UK. BONNIE MACBIRD is a writer, producer, director and artist with a long history in the entertainment industry. After receiving degrees in music and film at Stanford, she worked in story development for feature films for four years at Universal, was the original writer for the movie TRON, ran a production company for ten years in LA winning three Emmys for documentary films, taught screenwriting for ten years at UCLA Extension’s Writers’ Program, studied classical theatre with BADA and then performed in numerous plays with leading roles in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore in LA and the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet in London. Most recently, she directed BLUE STOCKINGS for the Hampstead Players and this year saw the publication of the sixth in her series of Sherlock Holmes novels for HarperCollins, THE SERPENT UNDER. This fictional character, so beloved by millions, is clearly written as neurodiverse. Daughter of an amputee whose career was helping other wartime amputees, and with close relatives with autism and ADHD diagnoses, she is extremely familiar with many forms of diversity. No stranger to personal challenges, she has worked continuously through breast cancer, a heart attack, the death of her parents, and more recently her husband’s cancer diagnosis. With us, she will share some strategies to help artists of all types manage their emotions and their intellects to do their best creative work, and to survive in the challenging world of entertainment.PT4H182025-11-15Wine Dark Short Film Festival"Wine Dark Short Film Festival"

Showtimes

November 15, 12:00 pm

November 15, 3:00 pm

ActOne Cinema - Independent Crowdfunded Community Cinema