Stuart Armstrong

Creative ● Director ● Writer

Stuart is managed by JBR 

 

Stuart Armstrong is a screenwriter and film director from Cumbria whose work blends black comedy with emotionally grounded, character-driven drama. Often rooted in queer, working-class, Northern life, his films balance biting humour with tenderness, and explore masculinity, repression, and family through a distinctly regional lens.

Stuart’s shorts as a writer include The Leerie (BFI Network, 2022), a Scots-language gothic horror, and Beatles comedy Paul Is Dead (2018), which was longlisted for Best British Short at BIFA. His move into directing began with multi-award-winning hookup comedy Lay-by (2024), before stepping up with his most ambitious project to date, Meat Raffle (BFI Network, 2025).

Shot in Carlisle with a mix of first-time and professional actors, Meat Raffle has been nominated for Best British Short at the Iris Prize, making it BAFTA-qualifying, and will air on Film4 and stream Channel 4 on demand from November 2025. The film has drawn praise from critics and industry alike, with Sir Ian McKellen calling it “full of surprises” with “beautifully photographed” cast.Currently developing his debut feature, Can Accom, a queer psychosexual thriller set against the Lake District’s second-homes crisis, Stuart is committed to building his career from his home region, telling stories that preserve its dialect and characters with grit, humour and heart.