Running at QUAD between 7 and 10 November.

QUAD are delighted to announce that Derby Film Festival will be returning in November, after take a rest year in 2023.

Derby Film Festival is one of the leading regional film festivals in the UK. Bringing together film fans, filmmakers and industry figures, Derby Film Festival is four days long and will run from 7 to 10 November 2024. Events will include screenings of brand-new independent films submitted to the festival from around the world, previews of exciting new titles ahead of their UK release and Q+As with industry figures.

Derby Film Festival director Peter Munford said “Putting together this year’s festival has been a real pleasure. I’m delighted we will be welcoming David Bradley to QUAD to talk about his work on Kes, which remains an all-time classic of British cinema, and the cast of Dead Man’s Shoes are sure to have some fascinating tales to tell about making one of the finest films ever shot in Derbyshire. We also have a wide-ranging programme of screenings, featuring many films which would be incredibly hard to see any other way.”

Information on the events at this year’s festival can be found below.

Thursday 7 November 7:30pm: Conclave (12A) – Preview Screening

UK/USA 2024 120 mins. Dir: Edward Berger

Adapted from the Robert Harris bestseller, Conclave follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process but finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy. What he discovers is a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.

Friday 8 November 5:00pm: Derby Film Festival Shorts Programme One (Advised 15)

The first collection of superb short films submitted to the festival includes a tale set in Derbyshire’s infamous village of Eyam, a unique take on superheroes, surrealist animation and a disturbing discovery in the family freezer.

Friday 8 November 7:00pm: Kes (PG) + David Bradley Q+A

UK 1969 112 mins. Dir: Ken Loach.

Ken Loach’s second film Kes tells of fifteen-year-old Billy Casper (David Bradley), who seems destined for a life in the coal mines of his hometown, Barnsley. But Billy’s discovery of a kestrel, and his dedication in training it, give him optimism. We are delighted to welcome David Bradley to QUAD to discuss the film in a post-screening Q+A, hosted by film writer Darrell Buxton.

Saturday 9 November 11:00am: Satu – Year Of The Rabbit (Advised 12A)

UK 2024 93 mins. Dir: Joshua Trigg

Teenager Bo flees the capital of Laos in pursuit of a life in photojournalism. Along the way, she encounters Satu, a Buddhist orphan who might just have the story she’s looking for. The duo traverses the rich tropical landscape by motorcycle in search of answers and even themselves in this stunningly shot drama of found families and youthful discovery.

Saturday 9 November 1:00pm – 6:00pm: A Place For Everyone: A Virtual Climate Reality – Adaptive VR Experience (18)

UK 2023 45/70 mins. Dir: Richard Ramchurn / Mat Johns.

Step into the Museum of the Future where recorded memories from Nottingham, UK, unveil a world shaped by climate change. In 2050, neural implants have captured every moment of peoples’ lives, chronicling a new dark age. We follow the poignant journey of UK citizens turned refugees, fleeing inhospitable coasts and facing the harsh realities of displacement and societal breakdown.

Saturday 9 November 1:30pm: Your Monster (15) – Preview Screening

USA 2024 104 mins. Dir: Caroline Lindy.

In this wonderful mash-up of the romantic comedy and horror genres Melissa Barrera (Scream, Abigail) plays an actress who finds her life is falling apart. But when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming, monster living in her closet she begins to find her voice again.

Saturday 9 November 4:00pm & 7:00pm: Dead Man’s Shoes (18) 20^th Anniversary Celebration with Q+A

2004 UK 90 mins Dir: Shane Meadows

 In 2003 Midlands filmmaker Shane Meadows’ reunited with his regular collaborator Paddy Considine to make a low budget thriller called Dead Man’s Shoes, shooting much of the film around Matlock, Derbyshire. The finished film was released in the UK on 1 October 2004 and in the twenty years since has gone on to become one of 21st century British cinema’s most enduring cult films. QUAD is excited to celebrate Dead Man’s Shoes‘ 20th anniversary with a special-one off event, featuring special guests from the film’s cast joining us for a post-film Q+A.

4pm screening confirmed guests: Paul Hurstfield (Mark), Neil Bell (Soz) and George Newton (Gypsy John).

7pm screening confirmed guests: Stuart Wolfenden (Herbie),  Neil Bell (Soz), Paul Hurstfield (Mark), George Newton (Gypsy John), Emily Aston (Patti).

Saturday 9 November 4:05pm: The Contestant (Cert. TBC) – Preview Screening

2024 UK 90 mins Dir: Clair Titley

 This new documentary is the incredible true story of a man who lived for 15 months trapped inside a small room, naked, starving and alone… and completely unaware that his life was being broadcast on national TV in Japan, to over 15 million viewers a week. Before Big Brother, before The Truman Show, there was the shocking story of Nasubi.

Saturday 9 November 6:00pm: Mermaid Legend (18)

1984 Japan 109 mins Dir: Toshiharu Ikeda

Screening 40 years after it was completed, this is a rare movie that before 2024 had never played any film festival outside of its native Japan or ever released in any format internationally. When a fisherman is killed by greedy land developers for standing in the way of their expansion plans, his pearl-diver wife Migiwa moves into unforgiving and vindictive payback on those yakuza responsible. Framed for her husband’s murder and forced to shelter in a brothel, hell hath no fury as the bloody battles begin.

Saturday 9 November 9:45pm: One Night Rental (Advised 18)

2024 UK 85 mins. Dir: Chris Annable.

Rob and Chris own a video shop in a small Derbyshire town. But when gangster Clarence donates tapes containing something unspeakably evil, the duo gets entangled in a dangerous game. Now, they must navigate eccentric customers and escape the clutches of organised crime.

Sunday 10 November 11:00am: Masked Conspiracy (Advised 15)

UK 2024 45 mins. Dir: Alasdair John Brian Richards.

In this wild comedy a conspiracy theorist captures what he believes to be an alien on camera, but little does he know it’s a bank robber wearing an alien mask. Packing more into 45 minutes than most TV shows do in an entire series, Masked Conspiracy was shot across Derbyshire locations in whirlwind style reminiscent of the early work of Edgar Wright.

Sunday 10 November 12:15pm: Amongst The Wolves (Advised 15)

Ireland 2024 100 mins Dir: Mark O’Connor

Danny, an ex-soldier homeless in Dublin, meets Will, a teen fleeing a drug gang. Their encounter forces them to confront their pasts while navigating the harsh realities they face. A tense drama starring Luke McQuillan, who also co-wrote the script, co-starring Daniel Fee and Aidan Gillen.

Sunday 10 November 2:45pm: Rumours (15) – Preview Screening

World leaders at the G7 summit get lost in the woods in a brand new satirical comedy starring Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance and Alicia Vikander.

Sunday 10 November 5:15pm: Derby Film Festival Shorts Programme Two (Advised 15)

The second collection of short films submitted to the festival features a comedy about a woman making a startling discovery about herself after failing an internet test, a drama about aging musicians and a spine-tingling folk horror tale set in the 18^th century.

Sunday 10 November 7:15pm: Scarlet Blue (18)

Réunion 2024 106 mins. Dir: Aurélia Mengin

Alter, in her 40s, suffers from a profound ailment that is eating her inside out. Consulting her therapist Lecreulx, a hypnosis specialist, she is connected to her most buried terrifying fears through Lecreulx’s unique methods. The days pass to the rhythm of nightmares and hypnosis sessions. Alter goes back further and further into her past, until the devastating moment that changed everything. Her life is turned upside down as she discovers a secret that has been kept from her.

Film screenings are priced at £7.50 (standard) and £6.00 (concessions) with the exception of preview screenings which are priced at £10.00 (concessions) and £7.50 (concessions). Kes + David Bradley Q+A is priced at £15 (standard) & £13 (concessions). Dead Man’s Shoes + Q+A is priced at £14 (standard) & £12 (concessions).

 For more information on Derby Film Festival or to book tickets please visit

https://www.derbyquad.co.uk/season-festival/dff/

 Derby Film Festival can be followed on Facebook and Instagram for updates.