Dinard British Film Festival 2023

The annual Dinard Festival celebrates British film production. This year's edition takes place from 27 September to 1 October. There are six films in competition as well as a short film section come on an Irish film section and special events: such as a homage to Jane Birkin and a preview screening of Ken Loach's latest film The Old Oak (released on 25 October).

Here's the teaser for the festival.

We are Family
Five of the films in competition are from the festival's “It's a Family Affair” theme, many of them coming-of-age stories.

Scrapper Charlotte Regan

The only one that already has a release date for France (29 November) has been getting rave reviews in the UK. Scrapper is a first feature film for Charlotte Regan, who already has an impressive reputation for music videos and short films. It bears a passing resemblance to the BAFTA-winning Aftersun (2022). like that, it is the story of a teenage girl and her father. Twelve-year-old Georgie is living alone in a London flat following her mother’s death, having fallen through the gaps in the social-services net. Her estranged father, Jason, reappears on the scene and Georgie doesn't feel that she needs him in her life.

Girl, Adura Onashile
Another début feature, this time from an actress and theatre director: Girl is about a daughter-mother relationship. Eleven-year-old Ama and her mother, Grace (French actress Déborah Lukumuena) have created fantasy world that is hiding the isolation they experience having moved into a Glasgow tower block. is growing up and needing to connect with the world outside.

Silent Roar, Johnny Barrington
When you read that a film is about a teenage surfer, you probably aren't picturing the Scottish Hebridean islands. Johnny Barrington, who grew up on Skye, set his debut feature on Lewis. The surfer, Dondo, has recently lost his fisherman father in an accident at sea. When he finds his father's boot, he becomes convinced that he is going to return until he is brought to his senses by a rebellious girl in his class.

Silver Haze by Sacha Polak
Young nurse Franky is also haunted, by a terrible childhood fire which left her with extensive burns. She struggles to connect with the people around her until she falls in love with Florence, one of her patients, and decides she has to face her past.

You’ve Got to Laugh
Finally, there are two black comedies:

The Effects of Lying by Isher Sahota
In this first feature from TV director Isher Sahota, Naveen (played by veteran TV actor Ace Bhatti) watches his apparently conventional British-Asian family as a series of lies told over the decades come to light.

The Trouble with Jessica, Matt Winn
The Trouble with Jessica is from the festival's “Being There” theme, described as “Tales of unexpected situations in life”. This scenario certainly qualifies. Sarah and Tom absolutely have to sell their London home to resolve their financial problems. Their best friends turn up for a final dinner with an unexpected guest, who then commits suicide in the garden. Tom and Sarah panic as they think they won't be able to sell the house, and come up with a risky solution. The cast includes many familiar faces: Shirley Henderson, Rufus Sewell, Indira Varma and Olivia Williams. 

Dinard British Film Festival
27 September to 1 October