Friend of TVO, the very wonderful James Wren, will be hosting Unrestricted View‘s first film festival at his iconic Hen & Chickens theatre later this month.

Unrestricted View has championed new, innovative  comedy and theatre since 1999, and now the group is turning is attention to film – with the intention of providing a platform for new independent filmmaking talent.  The film festival runs from 25th April to May 1st, with films screening in the space upstairs at the pub.

The full programme of films, which includes features and shorts, can be viewed in the Festival brochure. Tickets, and further information about the films being shown can be found via Unrestricted View’s website.

Look out for a couple of TVO-connected screenings there too: The Day The Came To Suck Out Our Brains is the brainchild of the talented Bob Pipe, and is co-written by James (Wren) and Phil Whelans, and it will feature as part of the Web Series Competition on 29th April. Regular peelers will be aware that we’ve been getting excited about Brains for a while; it’s jam-packed with TVO regulars, including Richard Glover, Colin Hoult, Waen Shepherd, Alex Kirk, Stephen Evans, Gareth Tunley, Richard Sandling, Neil Cole, Antony Elvin and Will Summers. But that’s not all…

Mona & Leonardo, a music short, written by and featuring Stephen Evans, and produced and directed by Bob, will also be showing at the festival. For those of you with no patience whatsoever, here’s the small screen version, to keep you going:

The Londonist has said of the Unrestricted Film Festival: “This new festival based in Islington’s famous Hen & Chickens pub is punching well above its weight, citing the fantastic selection of films.” You can keep tabs on what’s happening by following the event on twitter or Facebook. And then we recommend you nab your tickets quick!

As a cheeky bonus, while we’re on the subject of short films with Stephen Evans connections, you can spot him in the latest slice of dreamlike madness from friend of TVO, Tom Golding, below.