Special Event: Pupil Premiere of BIRD followed by a Q&A with BAFTA and Oscar-winning Director Andrea Arnold, hosted by BBC Film Critic Rhianna Dhillon

Event details

Bailey is 12 years old and living in a squat in North Kent, already having to deal with a host of problems despite her young age. Her father, Bug, has recently announced he is getting married and barely has time for Bailey; her older brother, Hunter, is getting involved in violent crime; and puberty is causing her to grow up a lot quicker than she expected. When Bailey unexpectedly meets an enigmatic and kind man named Bird in the countryside, she sets out to help him find his lost family, igniting a renewed sense of adventure and maturity that could quickly spiral out of her control. This modern-day fable from one of Britain's most acclaimed filmmakers has a sense of authenticity and empathy throughout.

Speaker

After making several short films, Andrea won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for WASP, in 2005.

In 2006, her first film, RED ROAD won the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award.

Her second film, FISH TANK starred Michael Fassbender and Katie Jarvis. It won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the 2010 BAFTA for Best British Film.

Her third film, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, was an adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel. Her fourth film, AMERICAN HONEY, was shot in America with Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf. It won Arnold her third Jury Prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Andrea has directed for television including Transparent and the second series of BIG LITTLE LIES for HBO.

Andrea's first feature-length documentary, COW, premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews and her new film BIRD is out in 2024 starring Nykiya Adams and Barry Keoghan

Andrea will answer questions about BIRD, her career and will take questions from the students.