Care on Screen: Motherboard + Q&A

BAFTA winner Victoria Mapplebeck’s documentary Motherboard has been 20 years in the making. This remarkable film charts the joy, pain and comedy of Victoria raising her son Jim alone.

At the age of 38, Victoria Mapplebeck found herself single, pregnant and broke. Unable to combine motherhood with freelance directing, she was forced to abandon her career in TV, instead turning the camera on herself and her son, Jim.

Filmed over 20 years, Victoria has recorded hundreds of hours of footage, capturing each twist and turn in Jim’s life, from the thumbs-up he gave her during her first pregnancy scan to his first day at college.

Motherboard is a unique self-portrait charting the real-life comedy and rollercoaster of solo parenting. Victoria captures a life where both she and Jim survive her breast cancer diagnosis, two generations of absent fathers and Jim’s teen years with a gallows sense of humour and an irrepressible ability to turn lemons into lemonade.

Director Q&A

We're delighted to be joined by director Victoria Mapplebeck for a post-screening Q&A.

Care on Screen

How have different caregiving roles and systems of care been represented in contemporary cinema? Join us on a journey of discovery with a series of film talks and screenings.

Our Handle with Care! cinema programme has been made possible with support from Film Hub Midlands through funds from the National Lottery. Film Hub Midlands support people to watch, show, and make films in the Midlands.