BPFF26: Double Bill - Behind The Severed Wing (2024) (short) + Kes (1969) (feature)
The White Swan Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6NH
Sunday 6th September 2026
This double bill screening brings together two powerful films connected by the enduring symbolism of birds, freedom and the search for belonging.
Opening the strand is a short film by disabled artist Corinne called Behind The Severed Wing, a poetic and thought-provoking art performance performed live at four venues in 2025. This abridged version includes never seen before footage. In this visually inventive edit Corinne appears as themself, who, confined to bed by disability and mental health, finds solace in the birdsong drifting through their window from the nearby woods. Longing to escape the limitations of their confinement and connect with the natural world beyond, they imagine a metamorphosis into a bird. Through this powerful act of transformation, The Severed Wing is a poignant call for change, giving voice and visibility to the experiences of confinement and embracing your truest self.
This will be followed by Kes, a landmark of British cinema. Kes is a moving and deeply human story of resilience, friendship and hope. Directed by Warwickshire legend Ken Loach and adapted from Barry Hines' novel ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’, the film follows Billy Casper, played by Dail Bradley in one of cinema’s all-time great adolescent performances) as a working-class teenager growing up in a Yorkshire mining town, whose life is transformed when he forms an extraordinary bond with a wild kestrel.
Blending powerful social realism with remarkable warmth and authenticity, Kes captures the challenges of adolescence, class and education in post-war Britain while celebrating the dignity of ordinary lives. More than fifty years after its release, Loach's masterpiece remains as poignant, funny and emotionally affecting as ever.
Together, The Severed Wing and Kes offer compelling perspectives, as well as an exploration of birds as symbols of escape, self-discovery and possibility, creating a rich dialogue between contemporary disability-led performance filmmaking and a landmark work of British social realism.
Behind 'The Severed Wing’ - Age Recommendation: 14+
This performance contains references to confinement, emotional distress and surgical style implements, and a wooden needle although all in abstract form.
Initially piloted as part of LOWRY's Scratch Nights X Galleries in May 2024, The Severed Wing was commissioned by LOWRY and made possible with thanks to funding from Arts Council England and support by Attenborough Arts Centre. Music score by Martin Swan. Videography by Paul Lumsden and Stephen.
This year, our programme has also been curated in support of GO ALL IN, a UK-wide campaign run by the National Literacy Trust on behalf of the Department for Education. The campaign is designed to help more people rediscover the joy of reading.
The Severed Wing - Age Recommendation: 14+
This performance contains references to confinement, emotional distress and surgical style implements, a wooden needle although in abstract form.
Kes - Rated PG: Content Advisories for this film can be found here – BBFC - Kes
If you intend on seeing more events at the festival you might want to consider purchasing a Pay-What-You-Can Festival Pass.
Follow the Festival on Instagram for the latest updates!
Opening the strand is a short film by disabled artist Corinne called Behind The Severed Wing, a poetic and thought-provoking art performance performed live at four venues in 2025. This abridged version includes never seen before footage. In this visually inventive edit Corinne appears as themself, who, confined to bed by disability and mental health, finds solace in the birdsong drifting through their window from the nearby woods. Longing to escape the limitations of their confinement and connect with the natural world beyond, they imagine a metamorphosis into a bird. Through this powerful act of transformation, The Severed Wing is a poignant call for change, giving voice and visibility to the experiences of confinement and embracing your truest self.
This will be followed by Kes, a landmark of British cinema. Kes is a moving and deeply human story of resilience, friendship and hope. Directed by Warwickshire legend Ken Loach and adapted from Barry Hines' novel ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’, the film follows Billy Casper, played by Dail Bradley in one of cinema’s all-time great adolescent performances) as a working-class teenager growing up in a Yorkshire mining town, whose life is transformed when he forms an extraordinary bond with a wild kestrel.
Blending powerful social realism with remarkable warmth and authenticity, Kes captures the challenges of adolescence, class and education in post-war Britain while celebrating the dignity of ordinary lives. More than fifty years after its release, Loach's masterpiece remains as poignant, funny and emotionally affecting as ever.
Together, The Severed Wing and Kes offer compelling perspectives, as well as an exploration of birds as symbols of escape, self-discovery and possibility, creating a rich dialogue between contemporary disability-led performance filmmaking and a landmark work of British social realism.
Behind 'The Severed Wing’ - Age Recommendation: 14+
This performance contains references to confinement, emotional distress and surgical style implements, and a wooden needle although all in abstract form.
Initially piloted as part of LOWRY's Scratch Nights X Galleries in May 2024, The Severed Wing was commissioned by LOWRY and made possible with thanks to funding from Arts Council England and support by Attenborough Arts Centre. Music score by Martin Swan. Videography by Paul Lumsden and Stephen.
This year, our programme has also been curated in support of GO ALL IN, a UK-wide campaign run by the National Literacy Trust on behalf of the Department for Education. The campaign is designed to help more people rediscover the joy of reading.
The Severed Wing - Age Recommendation: 14+
This performance contains references to confinement, emotional distress and surgical style implements, a wooden needle although in abstract form.
Kes - Rated PG: Content Advisories for this film can be found here – BBFC - Kes
If you intend on seeing more events at the festival you might want to consider purchasing a Pay-What-You-Can Festival Pass.
Follow the Festival on Instagram for the latest updates!
