FlipSide Festival – Framlingham Old Theatre

This autumn, FlipSide Festival returns to Framlingham with a bold and timely theme: Un/Making the World – Art, Life and Meaning. Against the backdrop of an increasingly complex and uncertain world, the festival asks how art and imagination help us make sense of change—and how they might offer not just reflection, but transformation.
In a day packed with readings, talks and conversation, leading writers and thinkers come together to explore how story, image, politics and memory shape the world we live in—and the one we hope to build.
Festival highlights include:
* Costa Book Award-winning novelist Ali Smith and filmmaker Sarah Wood in conversation about the intersection of words, images, justice, and belonging.
* Geoff Dyer examining memory and identity in post-war England, weaving landscape and self into a powerful cultural reflection.
* Philip Hoare delivering a striking, contemporary reading of William Blake, revealing the enduring urgency of his poetry and art.
* Tony Peake discussing his definitive biography of filmmaker and activist Derek Jarman, a visionary voice for queer and countercultural creativity.
* Laura Cumming, acclaimed art critic (The Observer) and author, exploring the emotional and cultural role of art within families and personal histories.
* Melissa Benn offering a deeply personal perspective on political legacy and generational activism through the life of her father, Tony Benn.

FlipSide Festival takes place at the Framlingham Old Theatre on Saturday, 27 September 2025, from 10am to 6pm, for a day of inspiring conversation, reflection and discovery.