Introduction
Stuart Armstrong is an award-winning screenwriter and director from Cumbria.
He’s becoming known for creating darkly funny, heartfelt, queer-themed films rooted in his home county. He grew up in Lazonby in the Eden Valley and was born in Carlisle. His work blends dark comedy with heartfelt storytelling.
He moved to London to study film making at the University of the Arts before returning to Cumbria to base his film projects locally.
Influence-wise, he says he loves black comedies that walk the line between the grotesque and the heartfelt – like Withnail & I, The League of Gentlemen, and Rita, Sue & Bob Too.
Stuart’s work
His recent work includes queer Film Hub North and BFI NETWORK comedy short Meat Raffle (2025), multi award-winning micro short Lay-by (2024) and BIFA long-listed Beatles cult comedy short Paul Is Dead (2018).
Meat Raffle was nominated for Film4 Best British Short at Iris Prize 2025 and is now streaming on Channel 4.
In 2026 he’s developing his debut feature alongside Leavers’ Day, a coming-of-age short film set in Cumbria in 2003.
What makes Stuart a SITBI champion
In this interview, he talks about the challenges of making films far from industry hubs. He also talks about a pragmatic view of being an artist in Cumbria – you have to bring in the money in other ways to begin with, and you have to be a jack of many other trades too ! But be brave too…
