I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning + Clio Barnard Q&A

Clio Barnard is coming to Watershed on Wednesday 2 December for a preview screening of her new film, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, followed by a Q&A with the director herself. It's a double bill of sorts: you get the film first, and then you get to hear from the person who made it while it's still fresh in your head.

The film is based on Keiran Goddard's book of the same name. It follows five childhood friends — Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli and Conor — who grew up together on a Birmingham estate. By the time they hit thirty, the dreams they had for themselves haven't quite materialised as they'd hoped, and that's where the story picks up. It's a look at that particular gap between what you imagine your life will be and where you actually end up when you're thirty and still living in the same orbit as the people you grew up with.

Before it lands here, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it picked up the section's Audience Award. It's set for its full UK release on 4 December, so this is a chance to see it a couple of days early. The Q&A comes straight after the screening, so you'll be in the room with Barnard to talk through it.

The whole thing kicks off at 18:00 at the Waterside Three Event Space within Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX.