How to get your hands on free tickets for Bafta-nominated British film Wasteman in Sunderland
As part of a national drive to make cinema more accessible, a free screening of a Bafta-nominated film is being held in Sunderland.
Escapes hosts free cinema screenings across the UK each month, and is currently showing Bafta-nominated British prison thriller Wasteman
On the 16th and 17th February 2026 audiences in over 100 locations across the UK can claim free cinema tickets via Escapes.
In Sunderland, the screening takes place at Omniplex tonight, February 16, at 6pm with free tickets available here.
Wasteman follows prisoner Taylor (David Jonsson) who is approaching parole. Taylor wants nothing more than to be a dad to his son who he’s never met.
In a world of drugs, parties, gangs, and violence, so far, he’s managed to keep out of trouble. However, when violent new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth) arrives, the chance for Taylor to get his life back is put in jeopardy.
It’s the debut film from director Cal McMau. The director was inspired after coming across footage recorded by prisoners on phones they’d smuggled inside: “It was raw, unfiltered, and terrifying—a visceral view of a world that felt more alien than any prison depiction I’d encountered before.”
McMau added: “In these brief, shocking glimpses, I saw not only the desperation but also the brutal truth of a system failing those it was supposed to rehabilitate. We can ignore these spaces, but in doing so, we dehumanise people and foster an environment where reoffending is almost inevitable.”
McMau won Best Debut Director at the British Independent Film Awards 2025 for Wasteman.
Escapes is a nationwide initiative supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery funding.
It celebrates independent cinemas and drives new audiences to local venues in a mission to bring cinema to every community in the UK.