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DEPARTURES

DEPARTURES

NEIL ELY + LLOYD EYRE-MORGAN | UNITED KINGDOM | 2025 | 82 MIN | ENGLISH FST

NEIL ELY + LLOYD EYRE-MORGAN | UNITED KINGDOM | 2025 | 82 MIN | ENGLISH FST

FeatureCOMPETITION

Synopsis

With the verve of a Guy Ritchie caper and the popping-hearts swoon of Heartstopper, writer-director-actor Lloyd Eyre-Morgan brings us a tale of troubled men and a soured affair. When two frequent flyers from the north of England cut ties, one sifts through the past to master his heartbroken present. According to “fit AF” Jake (David Tag), his sexuality is 70/30—the 30% of himself set aside for men. With one weekend a month in Amsterdam saved for sweet, searching Benji (Lloyd Eyre-Morgan), who he meets after a cancelled flight. The two seeming opposites wade through emotional and societal baggage to find the sweet spot: a short-term rental in Amsterdam where they can meet away from homegrown obligations. But the closer Benji gets to Jake’s gooey center, the more Jake approaches romance with the bumper rails up, flip-flopping between encouraging and squashing Benji’s vulnerability—and his own. In addition to its sex-soaked escapades and visual flair, Departures is written with care and complexity, peeling off layer after layer of what builds bonds, only to have them break. Self-funded by a collective of working-class LGBTQ+ filmmakers, this Manchester-made feature is confident, can’t-miss filmmaking.

Trailer

Filmmaker Bio

Lloyd Eyre-Morgan is a Manchester-based filmmaker, writer, and producer known for bold and authentic contributions to LGBTQ+ cinema. His films explore queer identity, relationships, and contemporary life with humor, sincerity, and emotional depth. Eyre-Morgan co-founded a collective of working-class LGBTQ+ creatives, producing work that amplifies underrepresented voices. His films have been screened at festivals including BFI Flare and praised for originality and candid storytelling. He continues to develop both short and feature-length projects that challenge conventional narratives, expand queer representation on screen, and combine personal experience with innovative cinematic techniques.

Filmmaker Bio

Neil Ely est un cinéaste, scénariste et producteur basé à Manchester, reconnu pour son travail authentique et audacieux dans le cinéma LGBTQ+. Ses projets explorent l’identité queer, les relations et la vie contemporaine avec humour et sincérité. Ely a cofondé un collectif de créateurs LGBTQ+ issus de la classe ouvrière, produisant des films qui amplifient les voix sous-représentées. Son travail a été présenté dans des festivals tels que BFI Flare et salué pour son originalité et sa franchise. Il développe des projets innovants, courts et longs métrages confondus, combinant expérience personnelle et narration expérimentale.

Producer

Neil Ely, Lloyd Eyre-Morgan+ Paul Mortlock

Writer

Lloyd Eyre-Morgan

Cinematographer

Paul Mortlock

Cast

  • Lloyd Eyre-Morgan (Benji)
  • David Tag (Jake)
  • Liam Boyle
  • Lorraine Stanley
  • Kerry Howard
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