Welby Ings investigates manhood, alcoholism and bullying in his acclaimed debut feature Punch, screening alongside Jamie Dispirito’s short work Thrive.

Punch, dir. Welby Ings, New Zealand 2022

Seventeen-year-old Jim (Jordan Oosterhof) is a small-town boxing hero who carries the hopes and dreams of his father Stan (Tim Roth, The Hateful Eight) on his shoulders. But when he becomes aware of his strong attraction to Whetu (Conan Hayes), a feisty gay Maori teenager ostracised from the narrow-minded local community, Jim starts to see the limitations of his world, and understand what he and Whetu must do to break free.

New Zealand filmmaker Welby Ings’ powerful coming-of-age drama is a beautifully shot and moving story about finding queer love and identity in the face of overwhelming odds.

Thrive, dir. Jamie Dispirito, UK 2019, 17 min., English

Joe and Alex enter into a mobile phone hook-up conversation that leads to a physical meet-up. The attraction between them is evident, but it quickly becomes apparent they’re looking for different things.

This screening will be followed by an online Q&A with Welby Ings.