Diversity and Equality on Display at Harrogate Film Festival

Blog by Leeds Beckett University Business School journalism student, Nathaniel Hardy-Doughty. Leeds Beckett Universities Northern Film School is the official education partner of the Harrogate Film Festival.

Up and coming and indie film directors had their time to shine over the weekend at the Harrogate Film Festival, showcasing their projects ranging from documentaries to horror films.

The comedy screening showed a number of films made all across the globe, with directors from Canada, Italy, France and the UK to name a few of the participating nations.

There was a noticeable feminine influence in some of the films, notably ones from the UK. A short film named “Who's the daddy” was a light-hearted story of two mums bumping into each other, sparking a friendship and discovering that their adopted children look suspiciously similar.

The film was made exclusively by parents, with a focus on single mums. And its explained at the end that the majority of staff on set were working mums (with a few working dads too.)

The creators of the project have expressed an interest in developing the short film into a series for a major UK TV network.

Another film from Italy mostly had a cast of disabled people, as it told the story of a field trip to a 'Hollywood' theme park. It follows a somewhat controlling but endearing character who manipulates his friends at his care home to choose the field trip destination of his choice. It’s a heart-warmingly funny story with some dark elements, and the cast do an excellent job at conveying real, genuinely funny personalities.

We also spoke to the director of 'Buggar Off' Aletha who sadly couldn't attend the screening but was very passionate about her project and the event. It again has a heavy female influence with the two cast members being female. Aletha said that the project had an all-female set, and took inspiration from shows like Fleabag, that focus on the comedy of the everyday. Buggar off is a short story of two sisters who are basically battling for access to the bathroom. Subversion of expectations is a big part of this short, and it explores the comedic elements of the 'growing up with a sister' dynamic.

It was incredibly refreshing to see such diversity in the content and creators at the film festival, it was striking to see the variety that this brings to the projects. Modern cinema needs more of this, more diversity, more inclusion, better movies.

Nathaniel Hardy-Doughty, Journalism Student

Leeds Beckett University