Nothing But a Man, @BFI Southbank, Tue 16 & Sat 27 April.
https://bit.ly/2I3i233
“Roemerโs landmark movie about African-American lives in early 1960s Alabama finds an itinerant labourer (Dixon) falling for a preacherโs daughter (Lincoln), and striving to make a success of things despite familial obstacles and near-ubiquitous racism. Itโs a tough but tender, wholly unsentimental account of a man determined to be true to himself, but having to work out exactly what that entails.”
Kindle edition currently 99p on Amazon UK
Internship/Work Experience/Trainee: The Guardian’s Positive Action Scheme 2019 – #BAME Podcasting and Audio storytelling
Deadline for receipt of applications: Monday 25th March 2019.
https://workforus.theguardian.com/jobs/kin0001lk/
Successful applicants will spend two weeks in The Guardian’s London office, alongside their podcast producers, editors and hosts, with an experienced podcast producer as a mentor to offer careers advice.
^SJ
“225 features. 77 countries.
14 cinemas. 12 days.
One Festival.”The 62nd London Film Festival runs from the 10th to the 21st October 2018, with a bumper selection of films to choose from, here is our selection of 40 feature films and 32 short films for you – films from the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Libya, Lebanon, Qatar, Kenya, Brazil, Jamaica, Namibia, Congo, Dominican Republic, Martinique, Sudan, and South Africa.
See what the festival has to say about these films by clicking the links below or heading to the website.
FEATURE FILMS
Assassination Nation
The Salem witch trials are given a digital overhaul in this ferocious femme exploitationer.
Friday 19 October 2018 | 21:30 | Cineworld Leicester Square
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 14:30 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 20:30 |Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
Angelo
The powerful story of Angelo Soliman, a forced Europeanised African who makes his way through Viennese society in the early 18th century without ever belonging.
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 18:00 | Cine Lumiere
Thursday 18 October 2018 | 15:00 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Amin
Philippe Fauconโs understated drama is a subtle and tender evocation of a friendship that develops between a lonely Senegalese immigrant and a French divorcรฉe.
Sunday 14 October 2018 | 18:20 | Cine Lumiere
Monday 15 October 2018 | 14:45 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 6
aKasha
With his striking, gently comedic debut, set amidst an endless war in his beloved country, hajooj kuka announces himself as one of Sudanโs most unique cinematic voices.
Thursday 11 October 2018 | 21:00 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Friday 12 October 2018 | 13:15 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Been So Long
Chewing Gum star Michaela Coel leads a talented cast in Tinge Krishnanโs contemporary London musical, which reimagines Camden as a romantic neon-soaked wonderland.
Friday 12 October 2018 | 21:00 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Saturday 13 October 2018 | 14:00 | Cineworld Leicester Square
Monday 15 October 2018 | 21:00 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Capernaum (Capharnaรผm)
Acclaimed Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki delivers her most assured and affecting work yet with this astonishing and heart-wrenching depiction of life in the shadows.
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 17:30 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Thursday 18 October 2018 | 11:30 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Friday 19 October 2018 | 18:10 | Picturehouse Central, Screen 1
Dilili in Paris (Dilili ร Paris)
The great master of French animation, Michel Ocelot, returns to the Festival with his exquisite tale set in Paris during the Belle Epoque.
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 12:45 | Cine Lumiere
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 12:30 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Eldorado
Markus Imhoof blends the intensely personal with the socio-political to powerful effect in this documentary, a penetrating examination of how migrants are treated upon arrival in Europe.
Tuesday 16 October 2018 | 17:15 | Curzon Mayfair, Screen 1
Thursday 18 October 2018 | 15:20 | BFI Southbank, NFT1
The Elephant Queen
Shot over eight years, this stunning documentary tells the story of Athena, the Elephant Queen, who leads her family across Africa when drought hits their region.
Sunday 14 October 2018 | 15:15 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Etangs Noirs
Nothing is quite what it seems in this enigmatic mystery which promises to be one of the most original films of the year.
Tuesday 16 October 2018 | 21:00 | BFI Southbank, NFT3
Thursday 18 October 2018 | 15:15 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 6
Freedom Fields
Charting six years of Libyaโs nascent womenโs football scene โ a journey never short of obstacles โ Freedom Fields celebrates the determination of an incredible team.
Thursday 11 October 2018 | 18:15 | ICA Cinema, Screen 1
Friday 12 October 2018 | 15:30 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
The Hate U Give
This powerful adaptation of Angie Thomasโ YA novel stars Amandla Stenberg as a teenager who witnesses the fatal police shooting of her childhood friend.
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 20:45 | Cineworld Leicester Square
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 14:30 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 17:30 | Odeon Tottenham Court Road, Screen 3
If Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins follows his Oscar-winning Moonlight with an audacious, distinctive and assured adaptation of James Baldwinโs account of love, injustice and racism in America.
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 17:30 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 11:00 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 18:00 | Picturehouse Central, Screen 1
In Fabric
Impeccable red talons slide a flick knife across a box to reveal its contents, a beautiful silky dress… that can kill!
Thursday 18 October 2018 | 20:30 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Thursday 18 October 2018 | 21:00 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 5
Friday 19 October 2018 | 12:00 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Friday 19 October 2018 | 15:30 | Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivfรผhrer)
This quirky, upbeat fantasy adventure is based on the bestseller by the author of The Neverending Story.
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 12:45 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Jinn
A black LA teenager is torn between traditional Islam and notoriety for becoming the popular #HalalHottie in this powerful take on identity and sexuality.
Thursday 11 October 2018 | 20:30 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 6
Friday 12 October 2018 | 12:45 | Odeon Tottenham Court Road, Screen 3
Saturday 13 October 2018 | 21:00 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Joy
Sudabeh Mortezai (Macondo, LFF 2014) presents a vital and hugely affecting drama that tackles the vicious cycle of sex trafficking in modern Europe.
Tuesday 16 October 2018 | 20:50 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Tuesday 16 October 2018 | 21:15 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 5
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 12:30 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 12:45 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 5
Ladyworld
Welcome to Ladyworld, a shadowy dwelling where tensions run high and nothing is ever quite what it seems.
Friday 19 October 2018 | 21:00 | ICA Cinema, Screen 1
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 18:00 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Madelineโs Madeline
The third feature from acclaimed director Josephine Decker is a jazz-infused fever dream that tackles head-first the thorny themes of cultural production and appropriation.
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 20:50 | ICA Cinema, Screen 1
Friday 19 October 2018 | 13:00 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 12:40 | BFI Southbank, NFT3
Make Me Up
Rachel Maclean follows her Venice Biennale piece Spite Your Face with a daring new film that incisively deconstructs art historyโs myth of feminine beauty with a savage, satirical blade.
Friday 12 October 2018 | 18:30 | BFI Southbank, NFT1
Sunday 14 October 2018 | 12:45 | BFI Southbank, Studio
Makiโla
Machรฉrie Ekwa Bahangoโs directorial debut is a compassionate and acutely observed portrait of homelessness experienced by young people in Kinshasa.
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 21:00 | BFI Southbank, NFT3
Thursday 18 October 2018 | 21:00 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Mayfair
Sara Blecher (Ayanda, LFF 2015) returns with a markedly different film โ a groundbreaking, multi-cultural African gangster thriller.
Friday 19 October 2018 | 18:15 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 15:30 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Miriam Lies
(Miriam Miente)
A quinceaรฑera celebration is nothing but nerve-racking for teenage Miriam, in this nuanced film that tackles race and class tensions in the Dominican Republic.
Friday 12 October 2018 | 18:40 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Sunday 14 October 2018 | 20:45 | ICA Cinema, Screen 1
Mr. Soul!
This is a heartfelt and politically engaged profile of Ellis Haizlip, the openly gay host of the ground breaking PBS all-black variety show SOUL!
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 18:00 | Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 21:00 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 5
Pixote (Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco)
Like a bullet to the heart, Hector Babencoโs visceral portrait of the brutalisation of children and teenagers has lost none of its power.
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 20:30 | BFI Southbank, NFT1
Rafiki
Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiuโs neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.
Saturday 13 October 2018 | 18:15 | BFI Southbank, NFT1
Sunday 14 October 2018 | 15:00 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
The Raft (Flotten)
Imagine Big Brother at sea, but with no evictions. Director Marcus Lindeen innovatively uncovers the human stories behind a 1970s social experiment, salaciously dubbed โThe Sex Raftโ.
Friday 12 October 2018 | 18:15 | Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Saturday 13 October 2018 | 12:30 | Cine Lumiere
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 12:15 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 6
Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records
This stylish documentary about the iconic ska, reggae and rock-steady label is a timely and wide-ranging celebration of British Jamaican working-class youth culture.
Friday 12 October 2018 | 18:00 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Saturday 13 October 2018 | 15:00 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Monday 15 October 2018 | 13:10 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Sew the Winter to My Skin
Confirming the promise he showed with his powerful Of Good Report (LFF 2013), Jahmil XT Qubeka delivers a superb thriller based on a true story.
Friday 19 October 2018 | 17:45 | Cine Lumiere
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 15:45 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 7
Sorry to Bother You
A mild-mannered call centre operator whizzes up the corporate ladder after he discovers a unique ability to adopt a “white voice” in writer-director Boots Riley’s breathlessly inventive satire.
Thursday 11 October 2018 | 18:10 | BFI Southbank, NFT1
Friday 12 October 2018 | 14:15 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Sunday 14 October 2018 | 17:30 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 6
Sugar Cane Alley (Rue cases-nรจgres)
Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Joseph Zobel and directed by Euzhan Palcy, Sugar Cane Alley is a critically acclaimed and award-winning coming-of-age story.
Friday 19 October 2018 | 20:30 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Support the Girls
Andrew Bujalski serves up a big-hearted comedy with his day-in-the-life look at Double Whammies โ a Hooters-style bar and its tight-knit, all-female staff.
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 18:15 | Picturehouse Central, Screen 1
Saturday 20 October 2018 | 20:50 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 13:00 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Twin Flower (Fiore Gemello)
This beguiling drama, unfolding amidst the beauty of Sardiniaโs sun-dappled landscape, charts the unlikely friendship between a traumatised woman and an illegal immigrant.
Thursday 11 October 2018 | 18:15 | Cine Lumiere
Friday 12 October 2018 | 15:45 | Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
Twenty-Two Hours
Bouchra Khaliliโs meditation on revolutionary histories considers the poet Jean Genetโs secret 1970 visit to the United States at the invitation of the Black Panther Party. Plus the following short films: + Another Decadeย + Namibia Todayย + Promised Lands
Tuesday 16 October 2018 | 21:00 | ICA Cinema, Screen 1
United Skates
A charming and dynamic tribute to the electrifying underground African-American roller-skating scene, whose future looks in doubt.
Monday 15 October 2018 | 18:15 | Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
Wednesday 17 October 2018 | 21:00 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Vs.
Southendโs battle-rap scene comes to the big screen, in this sharp-tongued drama starring Connor Swindells as a troubled teenager trying to make rhyme pay.
Saturday 13 October 2018 | 18:00 | Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Monday 15 October 2018 | 15:30 | Odeon Tottenham Court Road, Screen 3
What You Gonna Do When the Worldโs on Fire?
Thought-provoking and all-too-relevant, Roberto Minerviniโs documentary paints a portrait of a Louisiana community in the aftermath of a police shooting.
Monday 15 October 2018 | 18:00 | Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Tuesday 16 October 2018 | 20:30 | Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1
Widows
Academy Awardยฎ winner and BFI Fellow Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Hunger, Shame) opens the Festival in pulsating style with this female-fuelled heist thriller that features a cast to die for.
Wednesday 10 October 2018 | 19:45 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Thursday 11 October 2018 | 14:00 | Embankment Garden Cinema
Friday 12 October 2018 | 20:40 | Odeon Tottenham Court Road, Screen 3
Young and Alive (Lโ รpoque)
A young and politicised generation share their beliefs and worries in this galvanizing fresco set on the streets of Paris at night.
Sunday 14 October 2018 | 18:20 | ICA Cinema, Screen 1
Tuesday 16 October 2018 | 15:30 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Yours in Sisterhood
Women across the US give voice to letters sent by readers to a feminist magazine in the 1970s, in this galvanizing and elegantly assembled documentary.
Friday 19 October 2018 | 20:50 | BFI Southbank, NFT3
Sunday 21 October 2018 | 18:30 | Vue Leicester Sq, Screen 5
SHORT FILMS
As well as the short films being shown with the feature film Twenty-Two Hours, there are a selection of short films within the short film programmes – here are our picks:
A Female Body
Another Decade
Besida
Black Sheep
Colourbirds
Entitled
Fly
Four Quartets
Girl
Goddess
Hair Wolf
Haircut
Hello, Rain
Holy Beef
A is for Artist
Jerk![Juck [Thrust]](https://jampotmedia.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/juck-tartan-01.jpg?w=149&h=84 "juck-tartan-01")
Juck [Thrust]
Mahogany Too
Mic Drop
Namibia Today
Nevada
Night Out
Picking Up The Pieces
Promised Lands
Rebirth Is Necessary
Richland Blue
Skip Day
The Startled Faction
Still Water Runs Deep
Third Sorrow
This Is Bata Bola
Tween
Lust to Love and In Between โ 12, 14 Oct
The pursuit of love is a road well travelled. This series of short films shows the universality of desire and breadth of love. Including:
Nevada โ The prospect of an unplanned pregnancy exposes minor tensions but, ultimately, strength and certainty in a loving relationship.
Dir Emily Ann Hoffman. USA 2017. 12min
A Female Body (Um corpo feminino) โ This dynamic documentary is an open and honest journey that explores what it means to be a woman.
Dir Thais Fernandes. Brazil 2018. 20min
We Would be Lost Without You โ 13 Oct
A sense-expanding programme of short artistsโ films that investigate the limits of perception and new sensual relationships with technologies and things, and how these might be re-negotiated into new affective orders. Including:
Mic Drop โ Investigating the performative gesture of the mic drop and expanding out to consider the interface and anxiety of the voice in relation to processing and technology.
Dir Keith Piper. UK 2017. 12min
Keep it in the Family โ 14, 18 Oct
Family life is never easy. A multitude of evils and secrets can lurk behind closed doors. These shorts draw some of those secrets out into the open in order to explore what is acceptable behaviour within the domestic space. Including:
Still Water Runs Deep โ A son goes missing. A father must preserve his pride.
Dir Abbesi Akhamie. Nigeria-USA 2017. 15min
Third Sorrow โ Yejide is a single mother preparing for her daughterโs first cutting ceremony.
Dir Myriam Raja. UK 2018. 9min
Tween โ Being the only girl of African-American descent at the slumber party can lead to both prejudices and jealousy.
Dir Raven Johnson. USA 2016. 8min
Stop Making Sense โ 11, 12 Oct
Laughter at its most bizarre, taking both surreal and all-too-real forms. A programme of laugh-out-loud shorts for these nonsensical times. Including:
Hair Wolf โ In this Brooklyn beauty shop, there are definitely some things more terrifying than a white girl who thinks itโs okay to have dreads.
Dir Mariama Diallo. USA 2018. 12min
This is the Sound, This is the Picture โ 16, 17 Oct โ
It takes the power of recorded images, sounds and dance to capture and transform the world around us. Jump in, sit back and explore. Including:
Four Quartets โ Dance along with this teen as he learns to stop forcing the narrative and just lets himself go with the music in queer UK.
Dir Marco Alessi. UK 2018. 11min
Juck [Thrust] โ Strutting and unapologetic, this female dance troupe will express themselves.
Dir Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira. Sweden 2018. 17min
Rebirth Is Necessary โ A personal and powerful exploration of blackness, piecing together dreamlike portraits, including Afrofuturism pioneer Sun Ra and the revolutionary Black Panther Party.
Dir Jenn Nkiru. UK 2017. 10min
Entitled โ Take a ride from Peckham to Nigeria and back again.
Dir Adeyemi Michael. UK 2018. 4min
This is Bate Bola โ An explosive contest between neighbourhoods, this is the Rio Carnival that you have never seen before. This is Bate Bola.
Dir Ben Holman, Neirin Jones. Brazil-UK-USA 2018. 16min
London Calling โ 18, 20 Oct
A selection of new shorts from some of the capitalโs most exciting upcoming filmmakers, supported by Film London. Including:
Jerk โ A Jamaican man of the community battles depression and disillusionment.
Dir Raine Allen-Miller. UK 2018. 10min
Holy Beef โ Due to a bad case of the mumps, Slicker and his crew risk defeat in an escalating college beef. Only divine intervention will help them now.
Dir Dwayne Gumbs, Iain Simpson. UK 2018. 11min
Fly โ When you are a female rapper from Bermondsey, you only have one chance to fly. Make it count.
Dir Nadira Amrani. UK 2018. 9min
HairCut โ A middle-aged barber has to calm the situation when a desperate teenage drug dealer holds up the barbershop at gunpoint.
Dir Koby Adom. UK 2018. 15min
Night Out โ Being a teenager is hard. Figuring out who you want to be is harder. Sometimes a night out can change everything.
Dir Amelia Hashemi. UK 2018. 10min
Today is a Thing of the Past โ 13 Oct
The unknown behind the familiar and the history behind the present combine to invite us on expeditions into new cinematic territories. Including:
Richland Blue โ A corrupt Police Dept produced several films. This is what they could have been like.
Dir Kevin Jerome Everson. USA 2018. 4min
Goddess โ Inspired by a stag film by American photographer Garry Winogrand and corrupt police.
Dir Kevin Jerome Everson. USA 2018. 2min
Is It Me or Is It the World? โ 14 Oct
Stories of creative resistance to dominant personal, cultural or political forces that seek to control the self; these films treasure artistic beauty, philosophical discourse, diverse sexuality and personal integrity. Including:
Mahogany Too โ Nigerian actress Esosa E beautifully re-enacts Diana Rossโs role in Mahogany as nostalgic Afro-Futurism.
Dir Akosua Adoma Owusu. USA-Ghana 2018. 3min
A is for Artist โ A young woman discovers her future by looking into her familyโs past.
Dir Ayo Akingbade. UK 2018. 4min
Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences โ 20 Oct
This eclectic, exciting and colourful selection of short animated films comes from all corners of the globe. Included are the first two theatrical short films from Dreamworks Animation Studios. English language and subtitles. Including:
Colourbirds (Coucouleurs) โ What does a two-coloured bird do amongst birds of just one colour?
Dir Oana Lacroix. Switzerland 2018. 6min
A World of Conflict โ 17, 19 Oct
Conflicts are all around us โ in our families, communities and in the world. Local and international stories reveal the effect of how interconnected our lives have become. Including:
Black Sheep โ An 11-year-old boy struggles to navigate his way through a new and hostile environment.
Dir Ed Perkins. UK 2018. 27min
Picking Up the Pieces โ John and Quiandre try to come to terms with the reality of their new life following the devastation left by Hurricane Irma.
Dir Sebastian Feehan, Josh Bamford. UK 2018. 7min
Whatโs My Age Again? โ 13, 17 Oct
Growing up is hard to do and thereโs no denying we all undertake an important journey during our teenage years. In fact, those growing pangs are what connects us across continents and cultures.
Skip Day โ Schoolโs almost out. For seniors in Pahokee, the Monday after prom is Skip Day.
Dir Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan. USA-UK 2018. 17min
Besida โ In a small tribal village, certain men are on the look-out to drive young girls to the big city. Besidaโs older brother steps in to make sure that it doesnโt happen to her.
Dir Chuko Esiri. 2017. 11min
Girl โ A young migrant. Her period.
Dir Lowri Roberts. UK 2018. 6min
Performance Anxiety โ 15 Oct
A series of distinctive short artistsโ films exploring the ways sexuality, gender, masculinity and labour are expressed through performance and dance. They offer a diverse range of approaches, from the highly stylised dance/movement work of Catherine Sullivan to the painfully sadomasochistic interactions of Stephen Sutcliffeโs vignettes and the fragile masculinity of Benjamin Crottyโs eponymous chauvinist. Including:
The Startled Faction โ An extraordinary stylised exploration of self-possession and ambiguous labour explored though dance idioms, movement, mise-en-scรจne and drama, in collaboration with Chicago Dancemakers Forum.
Dir Catherine Sullivan. USA 2018. 35min
Amazing and Astounding โ 18, 21 Oct
Surreal landscapes, created by animators and filmmakers, can take the imagination to a thrilling place. Be prepared to be amazed by strange worlds and fantastical scenarios. Including:
Hello, Rain โ A scientist-witch who, through an alchemical combination of juju and technology, creates wigs that grant both her and her friends supernatural powers.
Dir C J โFieryโ Obasi. Nigeria 2018. 30min
—
Find out more about all of the films on the BFI London Film Festival Website, and remember, there are often standby tickets available for the Sold Out films – if you really want to see it, take a chance and head to the cinema early.
JAMMIE & EC FORDE
2018 BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival began on
Wednesday 21 March, and ends on Sunday 1 April, and there is plenty to see at this yearโs BFI Flare Film Festival. Here are our selections. To find out more and to attend the festival, just click on the links to the BFI website.
Have a look at some of the films in BFI Flare 2018: Part 1
This week you can enjoy:
Monday 26 March
20:30
The Wound
โKwanda, an edgy city boy, has been taken back to his fatherโs rural village where he is to undergo the painful initiation ritual that will โturnโ him into a man.โ
This has to be one of my highlights of the festival. I saw this film at the London Film Festival. Tradition clashes with modern living, with a world of secrets. Absolutely fantastic.
Tuesday 27 March
20:30
SHORTS: Rewind the Film
Queer histories and queer futures are reconfigured in this collection of experimental short films, showcasing the best in contemporary artistsโ film and video.
FILM 8 โ Something Said
As history is remembered, the body is reimagined.
Thursday 29 March
20:40 (also Friday 30 March, 16:10)
SHORTS: Revelate
You must decide what side of reality you stand on in these stories that revel in the dark, the dream-like and the bizarre.
FILM 3 โ A Drop of Sun Under the Earth
A man known as Little Bear lives with his father in a run-down Rio slum, but everything changes when he gets a job with a rich older man and becomes obsessed with a Copacabana rent boy.
Friday 30 March
15:45 (also Saturday 31 March, 16:15)
SHORTS: Dangerous Atmospheres
Sometimes relationships happen in spite of the dangers. Four longer shorts with the power of mini-features explore different situations where things donโt turn out as anyone expected.
FILM 4 โ Ursinho
A man known as Little Bear lives with his father in a run-down Rio slum, but everything changes when he gets a job with a rich older man and becomes obsessed with a Copacabana rent boy.
18:20
SHORTS: You Canโt Always Get What You Want
Life and all its complexities are laid bare in these emotionally-charged short films.
FILM 3 โ Y
Laura finds more than she bargained for when she steals from the wrong woman.
18:15 (also Saturday 31 March, 16:20)
Southern Pride
Malcolm Ingramโs spiritual companion piece to his acclaimed documentary Small Town Gay Bar (BFI Flare 2007), Southern Pride offers a fascinating insight into LGBTQ+ rights in a post-Trump landscape. Headstrong bar owner Lynn Koval, alongside a team of friends (and her own Republican-voting sister), endeavour against all odds to organise a Pride march in her local town. Meanwhile, in another part of the state, organisers of a Black Pride celebration are simultaneously striving to make a difference, despite the numerous setbacks that stand in their way. Emotionally textured and politically prescient, this inspiring tale of triumph over adversity addresses themes of leadership, struggle, division, community and race relations, ultimately offering a sense of hope in a world that can too often appear so hopeless.
20:15 (also Saturday 31 March, 20:15)
Good Manners (As Boas maneiras)
Clara, a care worker living on the outskirts of Sรฃo Paulo, accepts the position of live-in nanny to the as-yet unborn child of a wealthy single woman named Ana. The two women immediately develop a strong bond, but Anaโs increasingly strange behaviour hints at a deep, dark secret.
20:30ย (also Saturday 31 March, 11:30)
Hard Paint
Moody, disturbed loner Pedro lives in the depressed harbour town of Porto Alegre. He scrapes together a living as webcam performer NeonBoy and erotic displays of his naked body smeared with neon paint attract a devoted following. When he discovers another male performer, Leon, has copied his act under the pseudonym Boy25, it prompts a radical change to Pedroโs performance and life.
Saturday 31 March
13:20
SHORTS: Wanting, Needing, Waiting
Whilst travelling down that rocky road toward true love, a disparate group of men face some difficult decisions in this heart-rending collection of short films.
FILM 2 โ The Things You Think Iโm Thinking
A burn survivor goes on a date for the first time since his life-changing accident.
Sunday 1 April
18:10
SHORTS: Brown is the Warmest Colour
Insightful shorts charting the queer Asian experience, and the importance of love, relationships and solidarity.
FILM 5 โ More Love. Less Pre-Packed Bullshit
It is easy to overlook the simple extension of love to other people.
The festival runs until 1st April 2018, and thereโs a lot more to see,
Sunday 1 April is a chance to catch up on some of the films shown earlier in the festival
2018 BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival began on
Wednesday 21 March, and ends on Sunday 1 April, and there is plenty to see at this yearโs BFI Flare Film Festival. Here are our selections. To find out more and to attend the festival, just click on the links to the BFI website.
Have a look at more films to enjoy next week in BFI Flare 2018: Part 2. This weekend, you can enjoy:
Friday 23 March
12:00-17:00
Rise: QTIPOC Representation and Visibility in Film
โElevating the narratives of QTIPOC (queer, transgender and intersex people of colour) characters, this one-day series of free events will provide a platform to examine the importance of inclusion, both on and off screen, whilst inspiring a generation of directors, screenwriters, filmmakers and producers to develop work which best reflects their stories. Featuring a programme of intimate workshops and panel discussions with established industry professionals, this symposium seeks to affirm to the power of film as a disruptive medium that can broaden the lens and draw attention to the nuanced experiences of QTIPOC people.โ
20:30 (Also Saturday 24 March, 15:55)
As part of the feature film, โPaternal Ritesโ you can catch the short film Happy Birthday, Marsha!
โRare archive footage is used to imagine the night Marsha P Johnson instigated the Stonewall riots.โ
20:45 (Also, Sunday 25 March, 16:10; Saturday 31 March, 18:30; Sunday 01 April, 20:20)
Alaska is a Drag
Leo and his sister Tristan work menial jobs in a fish cannery, but have big dreams of ditching the fish, becoming stars and finding their mother.
Also, as part of this screening, you can see Wood.
โA young man is confronted by his own feelings when the gay man he attacked appears at his boxing gym.โ
20:50 (also, Saturday 24 March, 20:30)
The Carmilla Movie
โEveryoneโs favourite lesbian vampire is back, in a feature length sequel to the hit web series. And this time around the stakes are much higher.โ
Saturday 24 March
11:15 (also Sunday 25 March, 18:20)
SHORTS: Relationship Lessons
Whether youโre hooking up online or in a long-term relationship, things donโt always develop the way we would like. Thereโs tragedy and high comedy here. Youโve been warned!
As part of this stream of short films, look out for:
FILM 1 โ Boyfriend
It all seems too easy. Youโve met the perfect guy and he seems wonderful. Thereโs just one small problemโฆ
FILM 2 โ Skai Blue
Simon, a gay refugee fleeing from homophobic abuse in Cameroon, meets Tom on a dating website in a small town in Belgium. Love canโt solve everything, but itโs a start.
20:20; (also, Sunday 25 March, 15:20)
Sidney & Friends
โScottish filmmaker Tristan Aitchison visited Kenya in 2013. A chance meeting with an activist revealed an underground network of intersex and trans people that wanted their voices heard. Kenya has various discriminatory laws affecting LGBTQ+ people, although the situation has gradually improved over the last five years. Welcomed into their community, Aitchison recorded six young people who bravely shared their candid stories over a long period, revealing the realities of life as a targeted minority.โ
Also, as part of this screening:
Half a Life
Short documentary animates a startling episode in the life of a gay rights activist in Egypt.
Clash
A critique on the lack of BAME representation in UK television and film, highlighting inequality and the absence of media engagement with Britainโs colonial past.
Sunday 25 March
13:30
SHORTS: Fighters of Demons, Makers of Cakes: D/deaf and Disabled Queer and Trans Shorts
+ Q&A with Michael Achtman, Sandra Alland, David Ellington, Matthew Hellett, Lynn Stewart-Taylor and Bea Webster.
An unconventional and often fantastical examination of LGBTQ+ disabled, neurodiverse, chronically ill and/or D/deaf lives. Packed with experimental docs, dance, animation, poetry, drama and comedy. Plus zombies.
FILM 6 โ The Deaf Vs the Dead
When the zombie apocalypse breaks out in Los Angeles, an out deaf man must find a way to survive.
FILM 7 โ Awake
Chronically ill Anna is visited by Doreen, a door-to-door proselytiser who invites herself in. Two blind actors. An existential comedy.
FILM 10 โ Atlantic is a Sea of Bones
Through everyday acts of refusal, performer Egyptt LaBeija confronts legacies of violence, intimately shaped by HIV/AIDS, against Black queer and trans bodies in this otherworldy film.
18:30 (also, Monday 26 March; 20:30)
The Wound
โKwanda, an edgy city boy, has been taken back to his fatherโs rural village where he is to undergo the painful initiation ritual that will โturnโ him into a man.โ
This has to be one of my highlights of the festival. I saw this film at the London Film Festival. Tradition clashes with modern living, with a world of secrets. Absolutely fantastic.
The festival runs until 1st April 2018, and thereโs a lot more to see,
Iโll share a few more over the next few days.
These are the nominees for the Best Original Song
Listen to them here. Which one would you make the winner in this category?
https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/jammiemedia/playlist/4ci1dwaiwSW2QntJzXTmju
If you havenโt managed to get down to the BFIs 61st London Film Festival yet, there are still plenty of films to see.
The festival runs from the 4th to the 15th October 2017.
Availableย feature films include those set in:
| Last Flag Flying โ 9,10 Oct
Road trip reunion, w/ Laurence Fishburne |
| Gemini โ 9,11 Oct
A crime thriller set in LA with Zoรซ Kravitz and Lola Kirke |
| The Wound โ 9,10,12 Oct
Right of passage boy to man ritual worth seeing |
| Fรฉlicitรฉ โ 9 Oct
Kinshasa singer, Fรฉlicitรฉ, must raise money for an urgent operation for her son |
| Spell Reel โ 9 Oct
Documentary following the preservation of works by filmmakers who documented Guinea-Bissauโs war of independence from Portugal |
| Liyana โ 9 Oct
Thandie Newton produces Liyana, a beautiful story created by children in a Swaziland orphanage. Animated by Shofela Coker |
| Mutafukaz โ 9 Oct
Dystopian hip-hop sci-fi animation |
| The Final Year โ 9 Oct
The Obama administrationโs last year in office |
| Chateau (La Vie de chรขteau) โ 10,13 Oct
Life around the African hair salons near Chรขteau dโEau metro station in Paris and Charles, one of the hustlers that get clients for the hairdressers |
| The Shape of Water โ 10,11,13 Oct
Sci-fi aquatic creature US laboratory with Octavia Spencer |
| Makala โ 10,12 Oct
Documentary following Hard working miner and his family life |
| Dead the Ends โ 10,15 Oct
Experimental film, a man has been sent back into the past to rescue the future. Includes the 2011 London riots |
| Good Manners (As Boas Maneiras) โ 11,12,13 Oct
Creative and subversive |
| Small Town Crime โ 11,12,14 Oct
Former cop decides to embark on his own investigation when a womanโs body is found. Octavia Spencer plays the copโs sister |
| The Nile Hilton Incident โ 11,12 Oct
A woman is found murdered in Cairoโs Nile Hilton Hotel |
| Untitled โ 11,13 Oct
Journeying through the nature of labour in Africa, the Balkans and Italy, Michael Glawoggerโs unfinished documentary |
| Sheikh Jackson โ 12 Oct
Islamist preacher experiences a crisis of faith following the death of Michael Jackson |
| I Am Not a Witch โ 12,14,15 Oct
Rungano Nyoniโs, I am Not ย Witch, where Shula must join a travelling witch camp or become a goat |
| Oh, Sun! (Soleil ร) โ 12,14 Oct
This 1970s film follows a West Africanโs experience of racism and immigration on moving to Paris to make a new life for himself |
| The Forgiven โ 13,14,15 Oct
Forest Whitaker plays Desmond Tutu in this film about South Africaโs Truth and Reconciliation Committee |
| A Ciambra โ 13,14 Oct
Set in Calabria in Italy, a coming of age story of Romani, Pio |
| Araby (Arรกbia) โ 13,15 Oct
Teenager Andrรฉโs journey through different towns and cities of Brazil |
| Saturday Church โ 14 Oct
Musical of a young boy who wants to wear womenโs clothes, struggling and finding a supportive group of friends |
| The L-Shaped Room โ 14,15 Oct
1962, pregnant French woman moves to Notting Hill and meets a mix of other outsiders at her lodgings |
| G Funk โ 14,15 Oct
Warren G, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Dr Dre, and Death Row Records, this is the story of hip-hops move from underground to global |
| Five Fingers for Marseilles (Menoana e Mehlano ea Marseilles) โ 15 Oct
A western styled film where Five young friends decide to defend their town, 20 years later, things have changed |
Also, you can catch short films in the following short film strands:
–~–
Running time: 100 mins
Release Date: 22nd September 2017
Certificate: 15
Director: Janus Metz
Cast: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgard, Tuva Novotny, David Bamber, Ian Blackman, Robert Emms, Leo Borg
Synopsis:
Itโs the summer of 1980 and Bjรถrn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) is the top tennis player in the world. A powerful and rigorously disciplined player, there is only one obstacle in his pursuit of a record-breaking fifth Wimbledon championship: the highly talented but ferociously abrasive young American, John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf). With three days until the tournament begins, Borg trains religiously in his lavish Monaco home, aided by his coach and mentor Lennart (Stellan Skarsgรฅrd) and girlfriend Mariana (Tuva Novotny). But McEnroe’s explosive confidence and wrecking-ball persona continue to infiltrate Borg’s ice-cool and normally unshakable temperament. With each man the antithesis of the other, both players delve into their formative memories as the climactic tournament draws near and anticipation reaches fever pitch. Visceral and breathlessly tense, the match itself – regarded as one of the greatest of all time – would mark the pinnacle of the โFire and Iceโ rivalry between them.
My first introduction to tennis was at primary school. It was all down to my childhood school friend, Caroline who developed a fascination for Bjรถrn Borg. She spent every spare moment, drawing Borg and cartoon strips of John McEnroe, with โYou cannot be serious!โ speech bubbles, eventually drawing her crush vs his rival into a cartoon complete with headbands.
By the time I finally watched tennis on television, Borg was no longer playing professionally, but McEnroe was still throwing his tennis rackets, I wanted to see whatย Caroline’s kiddie crush was all about.
The title Borg Vs McEnroe instantly reminds me of those summer days of 1979 and 1980, and the film takes us back to that time, with the great, almost uncanny lookalike casting of Gudnason, and to a lesser degree, LaBeouf. As Borg prepares for his fifth attempt at the Wimbledon championship, we see flashbacks to his childhood (played by Borgโs son, Leo Borg), and highlights of his journey to professional player. These flashbacks give an insight into the inscrutable โIceBorgโ character that I never knew about and adds depth to the rivalry between Borg and McEnroe. McEnroe also has flashbacks to his childhood, and again, there are examples of his intelligence, drive and โSpoiltBratโ nickname. I found these insights to their characters fascinating. The same flashbacks were repeated through the film, and I felt they were over-used โ we didnโt need to see the same clips over to get the message.
Another challenge the film had was to make tennis look exciting on film. I had a little help with feeling nervous, as I hadnโt checked and didnโt remember the actual outcome of the 1980 championship. I was tense, I didnโt know what would happen next. If Iโd known the outcome or how the match played out, I might not have found it so interesting! The film finds the right balance to keep it interesting enough for me.
The claimed rivalry doesnโt really come across on screen, infact, in some way, you get the impression that the players admired each other โ this makes it a nicer film, touching. You get a sense of how intense match preparation is, and it offers insight into the off-court pressures and tensions of all tennis players.
Iโm not a big tennis fan, Iโll watch a game if I catch it on, but I donโt currently follow the players, and I still enjoyed this film, loved what I learnt, and came away with a good feeling from Borg vs McEnroe.
Release Date: 16th June 2017
Running time: 88 mins
Certificate: 15
Directors: Paul Toogood, Lloyd Stanton
Cast: Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Coogan, Eddie Izzard, Amy Schumer, Billy Connolly, Paul Provenza, Sarah Silverman, Rick Overton, Jerry Lewis, Stephen K. Amos, Dave Attell, Sandra Bernhard, Tiffany Haddish, Frankie Boyle, Jo Brand, Neal Brennan, Bobby Lee, Jim Jefferies, Tom Dreesen, Kirk Fox, Cocoa Brown, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Synopsis:
“DYING LAUGHING is a candid look inside the agony and ecstasy of making people laugh for a living. A stand-up comedian must be the writer, the director, and the star performer. There is no rehearsal, no practice, and no safety net when youโre in front of a live audience. For most people, baring their soul on stage and having an audience โbooโ at you would become a life-long trauma, but for stand-up comedians, itโs a nightly challenge. The funny and heartfelt documentary contains original interviews interlaced with personal footage of life on the road โ all from a comedianโs point of view. Once you take this step behind the curtain, you will never look at these funny folks the same way again.”
I seem to remember all of the comedy gigs Iโve been to in the past; where they were, who the funniest comedian was, and that one joke I always managed to carry away that when I think back, makes me chuckle. There is a sometimes a kind of uncomfortableness about some of the jokes, because they are very close to home, or something we shouldnโt be laughing at, but other jokes – the mere observation of our ridiculousness makes us laugh at ourselves. Iโm always aware that Iโve gone to see a show, ready to laugh, prepared to be entertained, with no idea how the comedian is planning to entertain and keep me amused.
Dying Laughing sets the record straight. In it, iconic comedians speak to camera about their experience of stand-up comedy, from starting out, through writing, up on to the stage. These are well-known comedians, from the USA and the UK. They speak of laughter, hecklers, touring, loneliness, mental health, and bombing, and they took me on a rollercoaster of emotions.
At the start of the film, when they are speaking about the fun parts of comedy, there was a moment when I wondered if I could do stand-up. When they started to talk about me/you/us the audience, and the hecklers, it reminded me of that infamous Bernie Mac performance, โI ainโt scared of youโฆ.!โ, and as the documentary goes on, I realised that it takes a certain strength to be a comedian. One I donโt have! I think Chris Rock sums it up best in the documentary, when he speaks about comedians being observers, intelligent observers – ignorance is bliss, and so the other side is quite painful, that observations, that knowing, being a viewer.
I left the cinema smiling, and in awe. An absolutely brilliant film, as I said, prepare to go on an emotional rollercoaster.
DYING LAUGHING is in UK cinemas and On Demand 16th June http://www.dyinglaughingfilm.com
