Special Pupil Premiere: I Swear with introduction from director Kirk Jones
The Cinema in the Power Station
In 1983, John Davidson is a teenager living in Galashiels, a small town in the Scottish Borders. After transitioning to secondary school and
Fri 14 Nov 2025
10:30 - 12:15
Derby QUAD, Market Place, Derby, Derbyshire, DE1 3AS, England
FREE
15+
It's the beginning of 2021 and two out-of-work actors are struggling to find anything to do during the UK's third pandemic lockdown. With acting jobs few and far between they find themselves spending far too much time playing the video game Grand Theft Auto Online at home. One day, upon discovering an amphitheater within the game, they decide to stage a unique version of William Shakespeare's Hamlet inside the virtual world they have been spending so much time in. Soon joined by a documentary director/producer, what at first seems like a crazy way to pass the time soon morphs into a full-scale production, filled with casting calls, rehearsals and a lot of highly charged emotion. Taking place entirely on a computer screen, this groundbreaking documentary is a surprisingly poignant look at the power that art has in bringing people together whilst also providing an alternative perspective on one of Shakespeare's most revered plays.
Pinny Grylls' 2024 SXSW Feature Doc Winner Grand Theft Hamlet cemented her reputation as a groundbreaking filmmaker. Shot entirely within a computer game, the film, a collaboration with Sam Crane was born from their audacious production of Hamlet inside Grand Theft Auto, garnering acclaim at prestigious festivals worldwide.
This project exemplifies Grylls' unique ability to blend humour, cutting-edge technology and profound human stories.
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Grand Theft Hamlet
It’s the beginning of 2021 and two out-of-work actors are struggling to find anything to do during the UK’s third pandemic lockdown. With acting jobs few and far between they find themselves spending far too much time playing the video game Grand Theft Auto Online at home. One day, upon discovering an amphitheater within the game, they decide to stage a unique version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet inside the virtual world they have been spending so much time in. Soon joined by a documentary director/producer, what at first seems like a crazy way to pass the time soon morphs into a full-scale production, filled with casting calls, rehearsals and a lot of highly charged emotion. Taking place entirely on a computer screen, this groundbreaking documentary is a surprisingly poignant look at the power that art has in bringing people together whilst also providing an alternative perspective on one of Shakespeare’s most revered plays.
strong language, violence, brief drug references
Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls
2024
United Kingdom
English
89 minutes
In 1983, John Davidson is a teenager living in Galashiels, a small town in the Scottish Borders. After transitioning to secondary school and
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DateThu 09 Oct
Time10:00 - 12:15
I Swear is a moving and inspiring account of John Davidson's life with Tourette's Syndrome
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DateThu 09 Oct
Time10:00 - 12:15
In 1983, John Davidson is a teenager living in Galashiels, a small town in the Scottish Borders. After transitioning to secondary school and
Remaining places106
DateThu 09 Oct
Time10:00 - 12:15
In 1983, John Davidson is a teenager living in Galashiels, a small town in the Scottish Borders. After transitioning to secondary school and
Remaining places54
DateThu 09 Oct
Time10:00 - 12:30