Still from The Selfish Giant: two boys stand beside a black and white horse on waste ground, with a power-station cooling tower behind them.

The Selfish Giant

91

Minutes

Directed by:

Clio Barnard

Starring:

Shaun Thomas Conner Chapman Sean Gilder Lorraine Ashbourne Siobhan Finneran Ian Burfield Ralph Ineson

Synopsis

In this striking coming-of-age fable, two lads from the outskirts of Bradford get tangled in the world of copper theft under the influence of a local scrapdealer. Determined to make some quick cash, hyperactive Arbor and gentle Swifty bunk off school to get stuck into scrapyard politics and horse-cart racing, while evading the authorities and the malaise of their own fraught home lives. As pressure mounts from all sides, their unbreakable bond is put to the test in a moving and devastating finale in Barnard’s lyrical masterpiece.

We are delighted to welcome Director Clio Barnard for an in-person Q&A after the screening


Still from The Selfish Giant: a close-up of a blond boy in a school shirt and tie looking up with a worried expression, in front of a brick building.
Still from The Selfish Giant: two boys in dark jackets stand on grass beside a large cable reel, with pylons and a horse in the distance.
Still from The Selfish Giant: a bearded man in a high-visibility jacket looks to the side, with the back of a boy's head in the foreground.
Still from The Selfish Giant: a blond boy in a hoodie stands with his head bowed beside a horse in a scrapyard full of metal.
Still from The Selfish Giant: a boy in a white and teal hooded top stands beside a pile of scrap metal in a scrapyard.
Still from The Selfish Giant: electricity pylons and a substation stand in a flat landscape of dry reeds under a pale sky.
Still from The Selfish Giant: two boys stand beside a black and white horse on waste ground, with a power-station cooling tower behind them.
Still from The Selfish Giant: a boy stands between two huge power-station cooling towers under a grey sky.
Still from The Selfish Giant: a boy lies on his back on the ground beside a horse, in front of a scrapyard sign.
Still from The Selfish Giant: a person in a dark jacket drives a brown and white horse pulling a light two-wheeled cart along a road, with another cart behind.
Still from The Selfish Giant: the sun sets over a dark horizon, with small silhouetted figures on the right.
Still from The Selfish Giant: two boys in hooded jackets stand on a patch of grass in front of terraced houses and a fence.
Still from The Selfish Giant: a blond boy with his mouth open speaks beside a boy in a maroon hoodie seen from behind, with an armchair behind them.