MONSTERS

MONSTERS was a participatory film project made in collaboration with school children from across East Anglia. The film takes the form of a fictional documentary in which the children describe the impact and aftermath of a dramatic monster attack on towns across the entire region, using the familiar tropes of Hollywood monster movies as a way for young people to reckon with ecological change and its impact on the fragile landscapes of the Eastern region.

Artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington worked with four primary schools, collaborating with groups of ten to twelve children from each setting to write and perform their own fragment of the larger story. These separate strands have been brought together in the final edit, enabling the children to see themselves represented on screen alongside their peers from across the region, tackling the same issues and coming together to create the finished film.

The project was a playful opportunity for participants to write and perform in their own film and learn about how such a project is made. It was also a chance for them to rethink their relationship to the place they call home, and engage with the very real ecological challenges that they and the region face in the future in a way that balances the ‘serious’ and the ‘silly’.

The film received its world premiere at Cinema City as part of Norfolk & Norwich Festival in May 2025, featuring a red carpet for the cast. The film was also screened by project partners at First Light Festival in June 2025, with further screenings at SPILL Festival, Nene Park Trust and Sheringham Little Theatre scheduled for later in the year.

Screenings

17.30, Friday 24 October, King Street Cinema, Ipswich as part of SPILL Festival
FREE – book tickets here.
includes Q&A with lead artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington

Dates of any additional screenings will appear here once available.

‘The children have loved every minute of being involved with the project. It has really brought them together as a group. They are so excited to see the outcome of their hard work. We really appreciate that they have had the opportunity to work with trusted adults beyond our teaching team. Andy and Beckie have been able to bring out a different side to these children and build a different relationship with them – this is so important for the children to experience.’
Teacher, Rushmere Hall Primary School

‘All of it was fun [but] the filming was the best part as I got to see how to do it and how it all works.’
Participant, Sheringham Community Primary School

‘I absolutely loved it! I felt moved, it was funny, sincere, and I wanted it to carry on!’
Audience member, Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2025

Artists

Andy Field and Beckie Darlington

Locations

Ipswich and Lowestoft, Suffolk. Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and  Sheringham, Norfolk

Participants

48 Key Stage 2 pupils from across Rushmere Hall Primary School, Somerleyton Primary School, Gladstone Primary Academy and Sheringham Community Primary School

Partners

First Light Festival, SPILL Festival, Nene Park Trust and Sheringham Little Theatre