It is a year since the death of an inspirational theatre director and teacher, and his widow is struggling to come to terms with her loss. A group of close friends, many of whom are or were actors, come to spend the weekend with her to offer their support and to celebrate his memory in an entertaining and moving performance before they scatter his ashes in the garden. The events of the day trigger different responses from all of them and bring to the fore their dreams, disappointments, and unfulfilled relationships; in coming together they attempt to find consolation and some kind of resolution to the complications of their own lives. Back to the Garden is both a meditation on love and loss and an evocation of the joys and sadnesses of later life, and these themes are explored with humour and tenderness by the improvising cast.

‘This film is the third in the Kent trilogy, shot on location in Kent and made for very little money, shooting over a short period, using long takes, digital camera and improvised dialogue. This way of filmmaking has to be seen in the context of artistic freedom. Many of the actors we work with experienced the extraordinary flowering of alternative theatre in the 70s, enabled by Arts Council funding of new work. Everything is now so much more controlled, that to get a film made can take years of compromise, disappointment and self-censorship. The liberation of working like this, with no outside interference or aesthetic constraints, means that everyone's creativity can be released, and we can continue to make films, even in locked-down times.’

- Anna Mottram and Jon Sanders

The screening is followed by a Q&A, hosted by Bradford Literature Festival Director Bill Lawrence.