Twickenham is getting its first-ever independent film festival this weekend, as the TW2 Film Festival opens at Whitton Library on Saturday 26 September.
The brainchild of award-winning director Mark (Zon) Simmons, the debut festival will screen five award-winning short films by independent filmmakers from South and West London, spanning horror, sci-fi, thriller, action and drama.
The line-up includes Plague UK (2018), which follows the last two survivors of an epidemic; Disquiet (2019), Jeffrey Salkilld’s thriller twisting phone addiction into a psychological nightmare; The Bounty Killers (2021), a sci-fi adventure; The Bomb (2019), Martin Richards’ drama about one man’s bid to save London on the brink of war; and The Count (2025), Simmons’ comedy about a pub-owning vampire.
Screenings take place in a 40-seat cinema space at the Whitton Library Community Space on Nelson Road, with live Q&A sessions giving audiences the chance to quiz Simmons and his fellow directors. Doors open at 1:30pm, films start at 2pm and the event is due to wrap up at 5pm. Tickets cost £5 from TicketSource.
The festival was put together by Simmons with Zon Digital and the library, with backing from the Friends of Whitton Library, after spotting a gap in the borough’s cultural scene.
Friend of Whitton Library Ed Harris said: “There’s loads of outlets in this borough for drama and music, but not for filmmakers.”
He added: “The main focus is always the library and the local community being involved in something, but I really do hope it has a reach more than that.”
Filmmaker Jeffrey Salkilld said: “People are making short films all the time, and they’re never getting screened because people often don’t have the resources to do that… You make a film, you want people to see it.”
He added: “It will be good to get some more community interest and support.”
Fittingly, Salkilld’s Disquiet starred Mikhail Sen, who has since gone on to appear in House of the Dragon and Bridgerton — proof of the talent that grassroots showcases like this can nurture.
The festival is another boost for community culture in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and follows in the footsteps of other first-time grassroots festivals across the capital, including Barking’s first-ever cycling festival.
As reported by the South West Londoner, the festival aims to give local filmmakers a platform for work that would otherwise never be seen — and to turn solitary screen time into a shared night out. Full event details are listed by Twickenham Nub News.
Source: South West Londoner; Twickenham Nub News.
