A surreal comedy about teenage body anxiety — film premiere and panel in Leeds
The Witches of Pool Bottom uses dark humour and surrealism to explore how young women are taught to fear their own bodies while pretending it’s normal.
The comedy doesn’t soften the subject — instead, it exposes how absurd, and how violent, these expectations can be when taken seriously. The film also frames the beauty industry itself as an irrational farce. Funny, uncomfortable, and familiar.
When a teenage girl’s body-image fears become physical, she decides to destroy them — quite literally.
The screening at Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds, on Saturday March 14, 11.30am-12.30pm, will be followed by a panel conversation with director Ava Bounds and the Director of Leeds Mind, discussing body image, anxiety among young people, and how film can open difficult conversations.
Ava Bounds writes and directs absurd, heartfelt dramas about humanity’s quirks. At just 14, she created Beth and became the youngest recipient of the IMDb New Filmmaker Award (2021). Since then she has made seven shorts, including the multi-award-winning Dying to Meet You, screened at BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying festivals worldwide. She is currently developing her debut feature with support from Channel 4 Skills.
The event also connects to growing concerns around youth anxiety: according to a recent Times survey, 69 per cent of teenage girls and 48 per cent of boys report missing school due to anxiety.