Thorntree + discussion (smhaf)
Filmhouse88 Lothian Road
Thu 5 Nov · 20:30
About this event
Screening as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2026 . This screening, c o-presented with Scottish Documentary Institute, will be followed by a discussion with director Isaac Knights-Washbourn and subject Rowan Alba. The debut feature from Edinburgh-based filmmaker Isaac Knights-Washbourn is an intimate and deeply human portrait of Thorntree, Rowan Alba’s pioneering supported accommodation for alcohol-dependent men. Rejecting conventional abstinence models, it enables residents to take control of their recovery without judgement or stigma. Knights-Washbourn’s camera offers a compassionate yet unsparing look at the men of Thorntree as they navigate the complex journey towards sobriety, guided by the unwavering support of the staff. The film closely follows their setbacks and triumphs, capturing the realities of recovery with rare emotional resonance. Drawing on his personal experience as the son of a father with experience of addiction, Knights-Washbourn instills the film with empathy and insight, bearing witness to the men’s struggles and hopes with remarkable sensitivity.
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