GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

Director Francis Lee / 2017 / UK

'A British Brokeback Mountain, but better.' – IndieWire

Tasked with keeping his family's Yorkshire farm operational, Johnny's days are filled with sheep, struggle and barked cruelties from his ailing father. His nights bring boozing at the local pub and anonymous sex with whoever's willing, until Gheorghe, a Romanian worker hired to help during the lambing season, arrives. After a tense start, sparks soon fly on the hillside, as does the promise of a different future.

God's Own Country may burst with the quiet yearning of all great forbidden romances, but the visually sparse, emotionally rich film remains unafraid of carving its own path – particularly when it comes to its heated sex scenes and documentary-like depiction of rural life. Making his feature debut, writer/director Francis Lee tells a fictional tale that draws upon the landscape he grew up with, subverts the familiar path taken by queer love stories, and contemplates British country life and the influence of immigration.

Winner of the Sundance Film Festival's World Cinema (Dramatic) Best Director award, and recipient of the Teddy jury award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Director Francis Lee will be at both sessions to introduce the film and take part in a post-screening Q&A.

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