Girls On Film

Girls On Film returns to Latitude for a fourth year, celebrating the festival’s 20th anniversary with a fabulous panel of women from film and TV, chaired by host Anna Smith.

First up, Anna welcomes actor, comedian, producer and director Sally Phillips, who talks about recent television and film roles (VIRGINIA WOOLF’S NIGHT & DAY, THE HAIRDRESSER MYSTERIES) as well as a current project working with people with learning difficulties.

Next Anna is joined by Girls On Film award-winner, Ebada Hassan, star of BRIDES and PROPER LADIES who talks about claiming space for women of colour and Muslim creative talent.

Finally, documentary filmmaker Jeanie Finlay joins the panel to talk about her work, including latest feature ALL RIVERS SPILL THEIR STORIES TO THE SEA, a wryly humorous account of the plight of Teesside fishers who forge a pathway through grief and loss to finding power in community.

All three guests discuss the last 20 years in comedy, drama and documentary, reflecting on the progress made by women in the industry, in particular the legacy of industry trailblazer Jess Search, co-founder of Doc Society, Good Pitch and Shooting People. Sally also opens up about her challenging experience making the BBC documentary A WORLD WITHOUT DOWN'S SYNDROME?.

This episode was recorded at The Listening Post at Latitude Festival on Saturday 25th July 2026.
Special thanks to Latitude for having us, and to our principal sponsors Peter Brewer and Vanessa Smith.

VIRGINIA WOOLF’S NIGHT & DAY is currently screening at select UK cinemas.
You can watch THE HAIRDRESSER MYSTERIES on BBC iPlayer.
PROPER LADIES is available on BBC iPlayer.
BRIDES is available on BFI Player and Amazon Prime Video.
ALL RIVERS SPILL THEIR STORIES TO THE SEA will screen in cinemas nationwide from October 23rd 2026. More information about the film here: https://www.glimmerama.com/allriversspill

Other films and television series mentioned in this episode:
BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY (2025)
AUSTIN (2024)
GREEN WING (2004-7)
FRENCH & SAUNDERS (2005)
SMACK THE PONY (1999-2003)
I’M ALAN PARTRIDGE (1997-2002)
OBSESSION (2026)
BACKROOMS (2026)
CHEWING GUM (2015-17)
YOUR FAT FRIEND (2023)
SEAHORSE (2019)
THE GREAT HIP HOP HOAX (2013)
SOUND IT OUT (2011)
A WORLD WITHOUT DOWN’S SYNDROME? (2016)
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006)
WHILE WE WATCHED (2022)
VIRUNGA (2014)
GRAND THEFT HAMLET (2024)

You can also listen to Sally Phillips in ep 100, ep 148 and most recently ep 216 at the Girls On Film Awards. You can hear from Jeanie Finlay in ep 184 and her film SEAHORSE is reviewed in ep 20. You can hear more about BRIDES in ep 202.

Photo credits:
Sally Phillips by Pip
Jeanie Phillips by Jo Irvine

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www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA Agency production.
Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Lornie Archbold
Producers: Nicki Glossop and Charlotte Matheson
Audio Editor: Heather Dempsey
Social Media Producers: Dr Jade Evans and Ruby Rose Bradshaw
Intern: Lucy Johnson
Principal Partners: Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer

© HLA Agency

This episode was recorded live with an audience at Monkey Barrel as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026, where host Anna Smith welcomed two directors whose films are both set at girls’ boarding school, though the stories they tell could hardly be more different.

Anna's first guest is Molly Manners, director of EXTRA GEOGRAPHY, a hit at Sundance which received its UK premiere at EIFF in a screening presented in partnership with Girls On Film. Manners is also known for the BAFTA-winning TV series ONE DAY. She talks about her route into directing, how she recognises a good take, the leap from television to film, and the pull toward working with women collaborators, including EXTRA GEOGRAPHY writer Miriam Battye and producer Sarah Brocklehurst, both previous guests on the show.

EXTRA GEOGRAPHY stars Marni Duggan, Galaxie Clear and Alice Englert.

Anna's second guest is Sophie Heldman, director of THE EDUCATION OF JANE CUMMING, presented at EIFF in partnership with Reclaim The Frame. Set in Edinburgh, the film explores sexuality and prejudice in ways that prove strikingly relevant to the present day. Heldman discusses the story's origins, working with an all-women crew, and filming in Edinburgh.

THE EDUCATION OF JANE CUMMING stars Clare Dunne, Flora Nicholson, Mia Tharia and Fiona Shaw.

Together with Anna, Molly and Sophie compare notes on why the intensity of boarding school life lends itself so well to drama, and share their own favourite films from the genre.

Where to watch
EXTRA GEOGRAPHY opens in UK cinemas on 2 October.
THE EDUCATION OF JANE CUMMING opens in UK cinemas early in 2027.

More from EIFF

Anna's picks from this year's festival:
COMING HOME, the classic starring Jane Fonda
PRETTY BABIES, the directorial debut of Tyler-Marie Evans, exploring sex work and exploitation with a mostly female cast
SNAPSHOT, on a Victorian, all-female ghost-hunting society taking on misinformation and fake news

Stay in touch:
Subscribe to the newsletter at GirlsOnFilm.org.uk for film recommendations, updates and invites to special events. For partnership enquiries, email girlsonfilmsocial@gmail.com. Details on joining our Patreon are in the show notes.

Tune in soon for our new episode from Latitude Festival 2026.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review.

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Follow us on socials:
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Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA Agency production.

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Lornie Archbold
Producers: Nicki Glossop & Hedda Lornie Archbold
Audio Editor: Alex Jones
Social Media Producers: Dr Jade Evans and Ruby Rose Bradshaw
Intern: Lucy Johnson
Principal Partners: Peter Brewer and Vanessa Smith

This episode is in partnership with Edinburgh International Film Festival.

© HLA Agency

Girls on Film Edinburgh Film Festival v5 by Anna Smith

This week Anna talks with actors Sian Clifford and Laurie Kynaston, and with director Samuel Abrahams about their new film LADY, a mockumentary about a lonely aristocrat who invites a documentary crew into her home, with events taking a surreal turn as her desire to be seen spirals out of control.

The episode opens with a lively conversation recorded live at BFI Southbank, where Sian, Sam and Laurie discuss how a real life YouTuber inspired the writers, the 15 day shoot at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk, the improvisational freedom of shooting in documentary style, and the joy of working with a tiny, trusted crew. Questions from the audience touch on class, Britishness and the film's surreal turn into invisibility.

Anna then sits down with Sian Clifford one-on-one, for a more in-depth conversation, about her leap of faith in taking on the role, the emotional afterglow of the BFI screening, FLEABAG’s lasting legacy, and her recent run of releases including MOTHER MARY and THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND, and what it means to carry a film as a lead after playing mainly supporting roles.

LADY is in UK cinemas from Friday 14th August 2026.

This episode was made in partnership with LADY.

Sign up to our newsletter at girlsonfilm.org.uk, and keep an eye on our socials for news of our upcoming show at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Other films and TV series mentioned in this episode:
Fleabag
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Mother Mary
Ludwig Season 2
Life After Life

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Follow us on socials:
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production.
Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Lornie Archbold
Producers: Nicki Glossop and Hedda Lornie Archbold
Audio Editor: Elliana Jay Hamer
Social Media Producers: Dr Jade Evans and Ruby Rose Bradshaw
Intern: Lucy Johnson
Principal partners Peter Brewer and Vanessa Smith

This episode is in partnership with LADY

© HLA Agency

Anna is at Italian Global Series, a festival which transforms two Northern Italian cities into the meeting place for the world’s leading television creatives.

First up, Anna is joined by multi-BAFTA winning writer, Sally Wainwright and Olivier-award winning actor, Tamsin Greig to discuss comedy-drama series, RIOT WOMEN. They explain why a TV show about five middle-aged women starting a rock band might just be the perfect way to begin a conversation about the menopause. Sally shares advice to women writers and to the industry’s gatekeepers. Tamsin suggests how today’s young actors might approach the challenge of gaining a foothold in the industry.

Anna then meets Chiara Sbarigia, President of Italy’s Audiovisual Producers Association, which is one of the festival’s organisers. Chiara talks about the festival’s genesis and the venues, history and Italian hospitality which make it so unique. Chiara also shares her experience as a woman working her way up the career ladder in Italy’s audiovisual industry.

A huge thank you to Italian Global Series for partnering on this episode.

To find out more about Italian Global Series visit the festival’s official website at
https://italianglobalseriesfestival.it/en/

You can watch RIOT WOMEN on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and BritBox in North America and across Europe.

Television and Radio Series mentioned in this episode:
STAR TREK: VOYAGER
STAR TREK: PICARD
FALLING
LA FAMIGLIA PANINI
LAURA’S TREATMENT
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
RIOT WOMEN
HAPPY VALLEY
LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX
GREEN WING
THE ARCHERS

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Follow us on socials:
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Sign up to the Girls On Film newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/iEKaM-/ Or email girlsonfilmsocial@gmail.com to be signed up.

Girls On Film is an HLA production.
Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Lornie Archbold
Producer: Nicki Glossop
Audio Editor: Elliana Hamer
Social Media: Dr Jade Evans and Ruby Rose Bradshaw
Intern: Lucy Johnson

Partners for this episode were Italian Global Series
© HLA Agency

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