Wednesday 23rd November

Opening Night Reception
Supported by Skillset
Shortwave Cinema

Celebrating the opening of the festival, before the screening of the XX Award Programme.

XX Award
supported by Object

Thursday 24th November

Join us in the bar from 18:00 for….
Underwire and SheSays present an evening of conversation under the stars.

As the worlds of film, advertising, content and digital creativity grow closer together, share your thoughts (and your business cards) with women from the other side of the creative fence, as well as some of the top female names in the business. All over a drink or two.

Dream Drafters
Screenwriter Programme, supported by Euroscript

Blind Date (2010), 11.45 – Abigail Blackmore
Steven’s quiet evening in his local pub is interrupted when Rachel arrives looking for her blind date.

The Holiday (2010), 10.48 – Ida Akesson
Banter is always animated around the burger van – especially with Ken griping on about his wife and kids. But something’s not quite right.

Morning Echo (2009), 15.00 – Hope Dickson Leach - Winner
Today it’s Christmas everywhere except the Moffatt house.

Myra (2011), 13.45 – Caroline Burns Cooke (pictured above)
The lyrical memoirs of Britain’s most reviled woman.

Ring Masters
Producer Programme, supported by WFTV

Shoreditch Slayer (2011), 2.16 – Mavreen Brown (pictured above)
Vampires have hunted humans since the dawn of time. Yet with rising inflastion and soaring unemployment, it’s vampires who are currently struggling for survival. Follow five vampires as they attempt, at all costs, to look for new sources of income.

Into this Silent Land (2011), 14.40 – Jean Hogg & Val Hanson
One little girl’s journey to come to terms with her past. This hypnotic tale explores the world of indentical twin sisters as they holiday near a working lighthouse in the north Norfolk coast.

Of Mary (2011), 20.00 – Lolita Chakrabarti & Rosa Maggiora
Jason Lawrence returns home, estranged from his wife and son. Resentments simmer in this broken family. Choices must be made thay will effect them forever.

Click (2011), 14.25 – Catherine Jeffrey

Nocturn (2010), 15.46 – Rosie Crerar - Winner
Jody has insomnia. Almost every night she leaves her sleeping husband and young child and walks the lonely streets of suburbia. But one night, she decides to mix things up.

In the Cut
Editor Programme, supported by VET

Friday 25th November

Celluloid Sculptures
Director Programme, supported by Directors UK

N25 (2010), 10.00 – Treasa O’Brien
Passengers on a night bus face their moral dilemmas when a situation arises that prompts them to act.

The Reward (2011), 15.00 – Lucy Patrick Ward
Explore the moment of catharsis that unites two alienated New Yorker’s over the disappearance of Mr Puggles, keep-fit fanatic Felix’s run-away dog.

Screwed Up (2011), 4.55 – Kris Hofman
Screwed Up is a lovestory and a story of not knowing a good thing until its gone. After a short honeymoon period monotony and arguments settle in. One deserts the other, but regrets that very decision soon after and embarks on a search for the missing other half.

Rusalka (2010), 6.05 – Nadia Attia
A young girl is mysteriously imprisoned in a tower. This experimental fairytale uses stop frame animation, live action and illustration to weave a tragic tale.

Biatch (2011), 12.00 – Deborah Haywood
Beth and Chantel are best friends…until Aroon comes on the scene.

Our Ordered Lives (2011), 10.00 – Christine Entwisle - Winner (pictured above)
Escaping from the horror of her own actions, a young woman is catapulted from her suffocating West Cumbrian home, towards the wilderness and open air of the near by fell tops.

She Shoots, She Scores
Composer Programme

Dear Foreigner (2010), 05.10 – Stephanie Angel and Caro Snatch
A woman writes a letter to the son she gave up at birth, 27 years later. The film adaptation of a real award-winning letter combining 2D digital, hand drawn animation and found footage.

First Bite (2011), 10.20 – Victoria Wijeratne - Winner
Eve is a girl full of emotions, trapped by the world around her, longing to break free. Then she meets Jake and her world begins to open up around her, leading her down a seemingly dangerous path of self discover.

A Tale of two Cats (2011), 05.22 – Alex Harwood
Two homeless cats are friends. One gets killed, but comes back as a spirit and helps its friends find a home.

Shrapnel (2010), 12.11 – Katie Chatburn
An ex-soldier has a chance meeting with a young woman on a train and makes a poigniant discovery, forcing him to face his painful past and to make a decision that will shape both their futures.

Sans Papiers (2010), 18.26 – Caroline Landoli
The daily struggle of 3000 undocumented migrants occupying the labour exchange in suburban Paris, which has brought them together in solidarity.

Comes But Once a Year (2011), 08.00 – Justine Barker (pictured above)
A french girl is consumed by thoughts of her family on her birthday. But can she forgive and forget?

Looking Glass
Cinematographer Programme, supported by Kodak

We Were Here (2010), 04.29 – Lauren Hatchard
A journey through the abandoned corridors of a 1970’s British fire station evokes ghostly memories contained in the community’s station. Fading faces of the past live on through this art form to immortalise the emotion of their history – an imprint of life that speaks ‘We Were Here’.

Night Shift (2011), 09.08 – Maja Borg (pictured above)
A decade ago, God gave Anne Wallace a mission in a dream – to save the souls of the working women in Glasgow. Night Shift is a portrait of Anne and two of these women as they cope with difficult circumstances, finding in each other their own unlikely saviour.

House (2011), 03.17 – Annika Summerson - Winner
From the crevices of a decrepit house, the disjointed bodies of elegant dolls come to life, watched over by a sinister girl.

Recompense (2011), 11.25 – Caroline Bridges
1917, Lancashire. Benson and his wife, Nora, are grieving the loss of their son, Alec. As the couple reconcile with his death, it’s revealed that nothing comes without consequence.

Needle (2011), 03.30 – Jessica Cheeseman
An abstract film about how loss can transform the way somone views everyday life. Time shifts and slows down the confines of living under water, where the liquid surface is now so dense that it’s possible to pierce it with a cold, sharp needle.

The Cake (2011), 08.50 – Gabi Norland
Set in a Polish delicatessen, The Cake witnesses a battle for the last remaining ‘Babka’ cake between Polish imigrant Agatta and elderly Mrs Anderson.

Saturday 26th November

The Feminist and the Flirt: Performance Video Art

Does being a woman on both sides of the camera compromise or strengthen the feminist agenda in your work? Are you the subject, object, or the collaborating voyeur? How can you avoid re-enforcing those representations that you intend to subvert? Join a panel of artists, curators and writers to explore new and old challenges facing contemporary female performance video artists. Curated by Harriet Fleuriot.

Wired Words: Film Criticism Workshop

To celebrate Underwire’s introduction of a competition for female film writers, the festival presents an interactive workshop for aspiring critics, curious readers and film fans wanting to join the conversation. Speakers including Catharine Bray (Film4), Guy Lodge (Variety), Frances Morgan (Sight & Sound), Hannah Patterson (Kamera Books) and Virginie Sélavy (Electric Sheep) will give a series of lively presentations and a glimpse into the ideas and shifts in the film culture landscape that are currently exciting them. Curated by Kate Taylor.

Ladies First: Representations of Women in Music Videos
Supported by Audio Network

How do women right now look, act and perform in music videos - from the cultural mainstream to the indie underbelly - and how much does it really matter? From the inspirational to the contentious, video clips will fuel the debate for our eclectic panellists as they mull over the pros and cons of the pervasive ‘sex sells’ mentality. Panel content may include zombies, nudity and dancing. Curated by Sarah Chorley.

Light Falling Through A Lens
Supported by Four Corners

The world of cinematography is in the midst of a revolution which is determining new techniques and processes, new possibilities…and new pitfalls. Producers, filmmakers and cinematographers are faced with a bewildering array of choices, all of which have implications for image and budget. Is handling data really any easier, more desirable or budget-friendly than film negative? Isn’t it all just about light falling through a lens?

Four Corners, based in London’s East End, was (probably!) the first not-for-profit to buy a 4K motion picture camera and prides itself on being able to resource filmmakers and artists working at all levels, from a clockwork 16mm Bolex right through to a RED One MX.

Join them at Underwire as we explore some of the choices available to filmmakers today.

Upfront Thinking: Cameras and Post
Supported by VET

Co-hosted by Joan Leese (MD VET Digital) and Sue Giovanni (editor, filmmaker, artist) this session will explore issues about cameras and the implications for post production
Hints and tips from practitioners including:
- preparing for tapeless workflow
- how compression at acquisition affects what you can do in post
- managing rushes and allowing time for converting media
- choosing your camera with post production and delivery in mind.

A Room of Her Own: Writing Leading Ladies
Supported by StarNow

Where are all the leading female characters, and why are they not on our screens? Join Star Now, writer and script editor Lucy Hay (Bang2Write) and filmmaker extraordinaire Ben Blaine (Charlie Productions) as we tackle this question from both writer and actor perspectives. After a panel discussion, we’ll be workshopping some scripts that have women in a central role.

Awards Ceremony

Underwire welcomes everyone back for one last night as they announce the awards, play some music, and celebrate over a drink.