In collaboration with John Hansard Gallery, artists and curators Simon Payne and Andrew Vallance presented a programme of exciting, expanded cinema.
The films they introduced spanned the classic Berlin Horse (1970) by Malcolm Le Grice, through to more recent films in the tradition of experimental cinema. Jo Millet’s Surfeit (2010) centres on crashing waves. Cathexis (2025), by Steven McInerney, is a psychotropic mode of visual music. Simon Payne’s Intervals (2023) involves dynamic colour fields. Traction (2023), by Jenny Baines, depicts a tug-of-war that features the artist in contest with herself. Lynn Loo’s Leaving and Arriving and Andrew Vallance’s VIA (2024) take the viewer on journeys by train. The orchestrated thunder and lightning in Stephen Littman’s The Enlightenment (2016) is a charged electrical array of video imaging.
This screening took place at Mayflower Studios.
Sunday 16 November | 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
SFW: Shorts - Screening & Awards Ceremony
On Sunday, SFW rolled out the red carpet to celebrate the very best in international, regional and local filmmaking. SFW: Shorts Screening and Awards showcased all films shortlisted in this year’s competition, and winners were announced for Best Fiction, Best Documentary, Best Music Video, Best Artist Film, Best Regional Filmmaker and Best Animation. The audience also had the chance to vote for their favourite film. The overall winner, chosen from all categories will be presented with The Michael Fuller Award for Best Film.
Read about the shortlisted films here.
Read about the winning films here.
This screening took place at Mayflower Studios.
Monday 17 November | 7:00 pm - 9:15 pm
I Am The River, The River Is Me
Māori tribal leader Ned Tapa takes a group of friends and family on a canoe trip down the Whanganui River in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the first river in the world recognised as a legal person.
‘I Am The River, The River Is Me’ is a multi-award-winning film centring around a canoe trip down the Whanganui River in New Zealand, led by a Māori elder. The film awakens spiritual belief and practice and is a call to action to draw closer to nature and fight climate change through a fundamental value shift – not just for the Whanganui but for rivers and peoples world-wide.
The film is being shown in collaboration with Southampton River Rights, a group of concerned citizens, mostly living close to the Itchen in Southampton and committed to improving the ecology of the river.
The film was followed by a Q&A with guest speakers:
- Jim Murray MBE – actor, passionate advocate for Hampshire’s chalk rivers, River Action Vice Chair, and ‘The Last Salmon’ podcaster.
- Dave Rumble – Chief Executive Officer, Wessex Rivers Trust, deeply committed to river restoration and raising awareness of the value of our precious chalk streams
- Neil Williams – Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Environmental Philosophy, River Rights Network founding member and campaigner
Wednesday 19 November | 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
La Cocina
In the heart of a bustling Times Square kitchen, dreams and desperation collide as the staff each chase the elusive American dream.
La Cocina, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, is set in a sweltering back kitchen of a Times Square restaurant, where undocumented cook Pedro is caught between mounting pressures at work and a complicated romance with waitress Julia. When money goes missing, suspicion spreads, igniting tensions that threaten to upend the fragile hopes of the staff.
Critics hail the film as an “explosive” and “singular masterwork,” placing Ruizpalacios alongside renowned directors like Del Toro, Cuaron, and Inarritu, and likening it to “The Bear but on steroids!”—Front Row Filmed Entertainment
This film was programmed for Southampton Film Week in partnership with The Phoenix Film Society.
Friday 21 November | 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Experimental Cinema: Dark into Light
As part of Southampton Film Week, John Hansard Gallery delivered a special programme of single-screen 16mm films and videos that explore dark and light – the two poles between which the projected image exists.
Lucy Harris’s Moons (2025) is a reflection on an archetypal poetic-cinematic image. In Laura Hindmarsh’s Atlas (2018) the artist-filmmaker plays the moon, enacting her own eclipse. Nick Collins’s Dark Garden (2011) is an investigation of plants and their environs as defined by illumination and shadows. Vicky Smith’s Not (a) part (2020) is a film of nature in miniature, made by laying dead insects and bees directly on the filmstrip. Psalter (2019), by Samantha Rebello, also involves extreme close-ups, with imagery that is alchemical. Nicky Hamlyn’s Pro Agri (2008) is a timelapse film in which we see a tobacco processing plant as day turns to night. The fading image in Candle (2017), by Neil Henderson, is a unique meditation on filmic illumination and the illusion of movement.
This programme was introduced by the artists and curators Simon Payne and Andrew Vallance (pictured).
Friday 21 November | 7:15 pm- 9:00 pm
The Banjo Boys
When two Malawian street performers encounter a British travelling musician, an opportunity arises that takes them on a journey from the dusty streets of Malawi to the stages of Zanzibar, Europe and the US, confronting the harsh realities of life as artists and embracing the transformative power of music.
The Banjo Boys, directed by Johan Nayar, follows the rise of Madalitso Band, a Malawian duo—Yobu Maligwa and Yosefe Kalekeni—who built their own instruments into a banjo, a one-stringed babatone (bass), and a foot drum, crafting a sound that gets people on their feet. Once dismissed as madmen for their relentless street performances in Lilongwe, they catch the ear of Neil Nayar, a British musician captivated by Malawi’s vibrant soul. What begins as a chance meeting ignites an unlikely trio, catapulting them from local streets to the world’s biggest stages.
The film traces their evolution from busking for survival during Malawi’s 2002 famine to captivating audiences at festivals like Sauti za Busara in Zanzibar, WOMAD in the UK, and Joshua Tree in California. Alongside their rise, The Banjo Boys portrays their struggles—visa woes, personal losses, and the tension of cultural divides—revealing the grit behind their joyous performances.
This screening was followed by a Q&A with director Johan Nayar, conducted by City Eye Executive Director Susan Beckett.
Saturday 22nd November | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Film Week Quiz!
The lively (and fiercely competitive!) Film Week Quiz returned again in 2025. Team of up to six people were encouraged to put their film knowledge to the test.
This event took place at Mettricks Guildhall.
Sunday 23rd November | 2:30 pm - 4:25 pm
Run Again + Q&A
Hot from its Premiere on 12 November in Paris, SFW and City Eye hosted an exclusive screening of Run Again (2025) — a powerful new documentary directed by Alexis Berg, following Dave Pen, frontman of the acclaimed band Archive, as he takes on one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world: the 268-mile Spine Race across England in the dead of winter.
More than just a race film, Run Again is an intimate portrait of resilience. As Dave pushes through freezing winds, endless miles and his own limits, he also rediscovers his connection to music — returning to the stage with Archive and reflecting on what drives him to keep going, both as an artist and an athlete.
After the screening, Dave Pen remained for a Q&A, where he discussed the making of the film, the challenges of balancing endurance running and performing, and what it truly means to “run again.”
Sunday 23rd November | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sunrise: A song of Two Humans (Live Music & Film)
This lyrical masterpiece from the director of Nosferatu, a pinnacle of silent cinema, is a study of betrayal, love and reconciliation.
Sunrise (1927) is a landmark film in cinematic history that won the first Academy Award for “Best Unique and Artistic Picture” and received awards for Best Cinematography at the first-ever Academy Awards ceremony. It is often considered one of the greatest films ever made, known for its romantic drama, emotional intensity, and groundbreaking cinematography.
“Seduced by a vamp from the city, an unsophisticated farmer in a country village plans to murder his wife. However, on their journey to reach town, the couple rediscover their love for each other in a dazzling jazz age sequence. With its dreamlike realism, fluid camera work and simple, intense images of unequalled beauty, this adds up to one of the most enchanting experiences in the history of cinema.”
This screening featured live multi-instrumental accompaniment from Stephen Horne on piano and Elizabeth-Jane Baldry on harp. Stephen has long been internationally considered one of the leading silent film accompanists. Although principally a pianist, he often incorporates other instruments into his performances, sometimes simultaneously. A house pianist at London’s BFI Southbank for thirty-five years, he has played at all the major UK venues and recorded music for scores of silent films. He regularly performs internationally and his accompaniments have met with acclaim at many film festivals across Europe and North America, as well as Asia and North Africa. Discover more about Stephen on his website – stephenhorne.co.uk
Elizabeth-Jane Baldry is an English harpist who performs internationally. Her compositions have been used by ITV, the BBC, and Irish, Japanese, Danish, and Canadian film, radio and television. She is the only silent movie harpist in the world performing live to cinema screenings of early film. A passionate nature-lover, she is lucky enough to own a magical ten acre wood in the Dartmoor National Park where she grows trees, keeps bees, and brews tea in a twig kettle. You can read more about her on her website – elizabethjanebaldry.com
Wednesday 26 November | 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
The Phantom of the Opera with Donald Mackenzie at the Compton Organ
Celebrating 100 years of The Phantom of the Opera on screen!
SFW 25 thrills concluded with an unmissable and awe-inspiring silent film and live music experience!
As the audience stepped into the shadows of the O2 Guildhall for The Phantom of the Opera (1925) — the legendary silent horror masterpiece that defined cinematic terror, they were delighted to have their screening accompanied with live music by organist Donald Mackenzie.
Directed by Rupert Julian and featuring the incomparable Lon Chaney in his most haunting role, this adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s classic novel brings to life the tragic tale of a mysterious masked figure whose obsession with a young singer leads to madness, music, and murder beneath the chandeliers.
Donald is one of Europe’s finest theatre organists. He has presided at the mighty Compton organ in the Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square organ for over 30 years! He is an acclaimed concert organist too and his reputation extends to being the doyen of silent film organ accompanists.
He has performed in many of the UKs top venues from major Cathedrals to our great Concert Halls – all performed in his own inimitable style. Donald is in demand playing for recitals of light and popular organ classics as well as his silent film performances.
Along with the screening, audiences got the chance to experience Southampton’s magnificent dual- console Compton organ at O2 Guildhall Southampton. This rare and powerful instrument is not only a piece of musical history but also a marvel of engineering, capable of producing a vast range of sounds that have filled the Guildhall with music for many decades. Sadly public performances with the organ are infrequent and the Southampton Film Week screening in recent years is an increasingly rare opportunity to hear, and see it played.
We are grateful to The Theatre Organ Club for its support in enabling this event.
