There are excellent reasons for making a firm date for Pin Cushion: it’s a breakthrough film for director Deborah Haywood; Lily Newmark proves her star potential plus it’s an excoriating dissection of social exclusion among adults and teenagers alike –  relevant, funny and unsettling. Iona and mum, Lyn, move to a small town to make a new start. They haven’t quite fitted in before and they really want to make things works this time, which is where the power plays start and dark humour follows. What can mum and daughter possibly do to stop the manipulation and be true to themselves and each other? An indie Brit film that’s attracting the attention of critics, audiences and film industry professionals at home and abroad.

Deborah Haywood has cited a number of sources for and influences on her film. They include her own experience of being bullied at school, singer Susan Boyle, Agota Kristol’s novel The Notebook, and fairy stories such as Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty. The film was shot in Haywood’s hometown (Swadlincote in Derbyshire) and the surrounding area, and features local people. Haywood has spoken of the importance of having greater representation not only of women but also working class people within UK film-making. Having left school at 15 with 1 GCSE and had a child two years later, she went on via a college access course in her early 20s to ultimately gain a Masters degree at Warwick University and make five short films, also mainly focusing on children or teenagers.

An impressive debut feature, which successfully balances fairy-tale whimsy with dark realism’a sensitive, assured film with characters you’ll warm to and root for.’ Anna Smith, TimeOut 

“funny, entertaining, complex portrayal of female relationships (both familial and friendships), and a frightening reminder of how bullying can seep from the playground into adulthood in insidious ways.” Ian Freer, Empire.