The Birdcage (15)

In this hysterical comedy, Armand and Albert have built the perfect life for themselves tending to their gaudy Miami nightclub. But their pastel tranquility is shaken when Armand’s son announces that he’s getting married to the daughter of ultra-conservative Senator Keeley… and they’re all getting together for dinner! Can Armand and Albert transform themselves into Mr. and Mrs. Family Values in time? It’ll take the performance of their lives!

The Birdcage will be preceded by the short film ‘Meat Raffle’ plus a Q&A by Director Stuart Armstrong..

Meat Raffle, a darkly funny 15-minute short film funded by the BFI and shot in Carlisle is now streaming nationwide on Channel 4 after being nominated for Best British Short Film at Iris Prize, one of the country’s most prestigious international film festivals – sponsored by Film4 and Pinewood Studios.
Meat Raffle is the new film from 28-year-old, Carlisle-born writer and director Stuart Armstrong. Set in Cumbria in 1998, the film follows closeted dad Rich, who – terrified he’s “turned his son gay” – plots to rig his local pub’s Christmas turkey draw to prove what it means to be a “real man”. What unfolds is a razor-sharp, heartfelt black comedy of repression, family dysfunction and small-town absurdity, culminating in chaos involving a shoddy Santa suit, projectile vomit, and an airborne turkey. Talk about fowl play.
The film has drawn praise from Sir Ian McKellen, who has family ties to Carlisle. Sir Ian commented that; “Meat Raffle is full of surprises and the excellent cast are beautifully photographed by Stuart Armstrong.”