The Search for John Gissing

Documentary featuring a cavalcade of Northern comedy stars including the great Frank Randle, George Formby, Arthur Askey, Norman Evans and many more. The North of England has always enjoyed its own very particular brand of comedy, best seen today in Coronation Street. 80 years ago however Mancunian Studios produced feature films for the northern masses. Funny Up North tells the story of the Mancunian Studios, its eccentric owner John E Blakeley and its cavalcade of stars including such household names as Arthur Askey, Jimmy Jewell, George Formby and the legendary Frank Randle. Hosted by Professor Chris Lee, the authority on northern cinema, Funny Up North takes you on a journey from its humble beginnings to its sad demise in the 1960s.

A philosophical burlesque, Human Nature follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and the man they discover, born and raised in the wild. As scientist Nathan trains the wild man, Puff, in the ways of the world - starting with table manners - Nathan's lover Lila fights to preserve the man's simian past, which represents a freedom enviable to most.

A slick serial seducer bets his friends that he can bed three old flames in six weeks, in this risqué comedy from the director of the smash hit Wives on Strike.

1984, Sandusky, Ohio. A naive 17-year-old navigates heartbreak and self-expression as he explores his sexuality.

Downtrodden writer Henry and distressed goddess Wanda aren't exactly husband and wife: they're wedded to their bar stools. But, they like each other's company—and Barfly captures their giddy, gin-soaked attempts to make a go of life on the skids.

(Long Synopsis) "When former tennis pro Owen “Game Set” Match gets fired from his cushy job instructing at the affluent Fountain Club, he’s forced to take a position at the gritty public courts of the Derby City Recreation Center. There he contends with his new co-workers, a ragtag group of tennis pro misfits; his boss Sherry, a strong-willed, single mother; and her son Jake, a goth teenager and secret tennis hopeful. Slowly Owen begins to win over his colleagues, mend his broken friendships and help Jake fix his serve … and develops a romantic connection with Sherry, despite her insistence that she doesn't date tennis pros. Just when things seem to be looking up, Owen’s former boss and court nemesis challenges the Derby City club to a showdown in the annual Combo Cup tennis tournament. As he leads his team of oddball amateurs, Owen learns the most valuable lesson of all … On the court or off, everyone deserves a second chance!"

Alex wakes up surrounded by corpses in a roadside motel. He remembers nothing, but as the hours go by he discovers what happened that night.

In 1973, martial arts great Bruce Lee died, his final film, Game of Death, left unfinished. With the public hungry for more Lee, movie execs decide to find a replacement. This outrageous satire looks at the entire process, from the oddball candidates to the greed and racial motivations that drive the final decision. There's big business in the movies, and Finishing the Game skewers it with an eye for '70s detail.

Margot Zeller is a short story writer with a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. On the eve of her estranged sister Pauline's wedding to unemployed musician/artist/depressive Malcolm at the family seaside home, Margot shows up unexpectedly to rekindle the sisterly bond and offer her own brand of support. What ensues is a nakedly honest and subversively funny look at family dynamics.

Approaching forty, Ferro is unsatisfied with his life as a construction worker and part-time boxing instructor in Los Angeles, CA. After a successful bout with a young pro boxer, Ferro decides to don the gloves one last time. The movie recounts his unlikely quest for Olympic gold.

Razzle Dazzle follows the eager members of "Mr. Jonathon's Dance Academy" who, with their unique dance routines, compete for Grand Final success at Australia's most prestigious competition. Amidst parental politics, petty rivalry, creative controversy and the hysterics of pushy stage mothers, the film takes you behind the glamor and the glitter to a world where, sometimes, winning is everything!