SCI-FI-LONDON FILM FESTIVAL runs from 19th May to 22nd May 2022.
SCI-FI-LONDON FILM FESTIVAL will showcase a fantastic line-up with 3 World Premieres, 3 UK Premieres, 14 World Short Film Premieres and 13 UK Short Film Premieres.
Opening this year's festival on 19th May is the disturbing, and set to be a cult classic, THE INNOCENTS by Eskil Vogt. From the director of BLIND and THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, this is an outstanding piece of cinema, but not for the faint-hearted.During a bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren't looking.
Closing this years SCI-FI-LONDON will be Steve Jones' British Sci-Fi DEUS.
THE INNOCENTS - Thu 19 May, 20.40pm - 23.10pm
Eskil Vogt, 2021, Norway/Finland, Norwegian (English subtitles), 117mins. OPENING NIGHT
From the director of BLIND and THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, this is an outstanding piece of cinema, but not for the faint-hearted.
During a bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren't looking. In this original and gripping thriller, playtime takes a dangerous turn.
Unlike in Wyndham’s The Midwich Cuckoos, these kids are not ganging up on their adult carers. At times reminiscent of the more teenage CHRONICLE, the simplicity of the sparingly deployed effects adds realism that will haunt your imagination long after watching.
RANI RANI RANI - Fri 20 May, 19.00pm - 20.45pm - UK Premiere
Rani, played by Tannistha Chatterjee (BRICK LANE), lives in an almost-abandoned Indian village. For Rani, it's another ordinary day populated by her feckless husband, his brother and ruthless sister-in-law, all fighting about money.
While Rani is seeking out some peace and quiet she happens upon some guys demonstrating an experimental device to a potential buyer. They ask Rani if she will be their guinea pig, and she's lured into their machine. She emerges seemingly unscathed, but something has changed, the device has created another version of Rani... and that's just the start of her problems.
Rajendran's début is a refreshing South Asian indie that sidesteps mystical and spiritual influences and revels in a sci-fi world.
RANI RANI RANI is directed by Rajaram Rajendran and stars Tannistha Chatterjee, Asif Basra.
MANFISH - Fri 20 May, 21.10pm - 23.15pm followed by Q&A
Terry, a downtrodden middle-aged loner, spends his days down on Canvey Island beachfront collecting seashells for his failing jewellery box business. However, his world is turned upside down one morning when a mysterious humanoid sea creature washes up on the shore.
With the help of his foul-mouthed and abusive girlfriend Tracey, they take action and do what any self-respecting Essex couple would do – knock the creature unconscious, take it home and work out how to make money from it. So… to chop it up and eat it or sell it to a zoo; that is the question?
What or who exactly is this humanoid from the deep? What does it want? And why are so many local dogs going missing?
A sharp, hilarious and twisted masterpiece! You will totally be quoting and cosplaying from this new cult classic in the future! Glub glub!
MANFISH is directed by Marc Coleman and stars Dean Kilbey, Emma Stannard, Matty Noble, Jon Campling.
DOCTOR WHO AM - Sat 21 May, 16.150pm - 18.15pm - World Premiere with Q&A
Documentary filmmaker, Vanessa Yuille (in her debut feature) follows friend and co-director, Matthew Jacobs (British writer of the 1996 TV movie Doctor Who) as he is reluctantly pulled back into the fandom that rejected his work 25 years earlier.
The journey not only becomes hilarious and emotionally perilous for the duo but also reveals a touching and quirky face-off between the American Doctor Who fans and Matthew himself.
As they explore the fandom, Matthew unexpectedly finds himself a kindred part of this close-knit, yet vast, family of fans. The documentary deals with the desire to belong to a community, and how people can become nourished and enriched by the experience.
We are excited to have the directors with us for the world premiere of this fun, informative and very touching film. Who is your Doctor?
DOCTOR WHO AM is directed by Vanessa Yuille & Matthew Jacobs.
THE DEAL - Sat 21 May, 18.30pm - 20.30pm - World Premiere
After a pandemic has left the planet devastated with insufficient resources to maintain the human population, the totalitarian governing body, The Bureau, has set up ‘The Deal’. The terms are simple: accept The Deal, and you'll have work, a home and medical care for the next twenty years. At the end of the time period you must sacrifice your life for the greater good.
TALA took The Deal when she was pregnant. and has spent the ensuing nineteen years selflessly raising her daughter, ANALYN so that she would never have to take The Deal herself. Just five days before Tala is scheduled to die, Analyn becomes very ill. A life-saving procedure with Tala as donor is beyond their financial means and so begins their adventure to find a way to avoid The Bureau and keep them both alive.
Drawing on themes in Logan's Run and Soylent Green, this is a slick, fast-paced thriller. We’re delighted that former SCI-FI-LONDON 48hr film challenge winner, Emma Fischer, stars in the movie.
THE DEAL is directed by Orsi Nagypal and stars Lisa Brenner, Alastair Mackenzie, Emma Fischer, Sumalee Montano.
SOYLENT GREEN - Sat 21 May 20.40pm - 23.00pm.
The year is 2022 and the world is broken. Over-population and disastrous ecological damage sees New York with a population of over 80million.
The Soylent Corporation provide their high-protein SOYLENT GREEN biscuits, made from plankton… or are they?
Frank Thorn (Charlton Heston) is a cynical NY detective called into investigate the death of a Soylent board member. He suspects it was an assassination, and so the hunt for the truth begins…
This brilliant classic film still resonates with us today, join us for a late-night show with some Soylent Cocktails included!!!
SOYLENT GREEN is directed by Richard Fleischer and stars Charlton Heston.
A TEAR IN THE SKY - Sun 22 May, 15.30pm - 17.15pm - UK Premiere
We want to believe.. right? But why do most images of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) look like smeary blobs? The team in A TEAR IN THE SKY has sought out something more tangible.
With military personnel, scientists and even William Shatner(!), they attempt to re-capture, in real-time, the US Navy “TicTac” UFOs, using state-of-the-art, military-grade equipment and technology. What they find instead are thought-provoking clues into the true nature of the UFO phenomenon and the very fabric of our space-time reality.
Something is out there... is it the truth?
A TEAR IN THE SKY is directed by Ufologist Caroline Cory.
ANNULAR ECLIPSE - Sun 22 May. 17.40pm - 19.30pm - UK Premiere
In a dystopian future, a cure for Alzheimer's has given rise to technology that enables near-perfect brainwashing and memory editing.
Two contract killers, Ge and Song, carry out daily executions for the organisation. Ge has become a deeply troubled man, sustaining nightmares and flashes of suppressed memory. On their next assignment, Ge’s flashbacks aren’t ones he recognises; it seems that someone is manipulating his memory and their latest target is someone important from his past. The assassins must infiltrate the Brain Science Corporation to find out the truth.
Picture a Hong-Kong style mash-up of Blade Runner and Memento – Zhang's film is a futuristic, dystopian love letter to cyberpunk. A big step forward for Chinese sci-fi cinema.
ANNULAR ECLIPSE is directed by Chi Zhang and stars Kejun Liu, Ziyi Wang.
DEUS - 2nd May, 20.00pm - 22.10pm, World Premiere followed by a Q&A with Cast/Directors.
Earth is on the brink of an environmental disaster. The population has risen to more than 20 billion and huge areas of the planet are uninhabitable. Against this backdrop, a massive black sphere is discovered in the orbit of Mars. The Sphere begins to transmit a single word in each of Earth‘s languages: Deus (God).
Commercial spaceship, The Achilles is sent to investigate but, on approaching the red planet, it becomes damaged by a strange beam of light emanating from the sphere. Will the crew survive and discover the origin of the sphere and its purpose?
Claudia Black (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) and David O' Hara (Braveheart) lead a stellar cast in this intriguing and grand looking space drama. We are delighted to have the World Premiere of this British sci-fi, screening at the festival.
Directed by Steve Stone, British Sci-Fi DEUS stars Claudia Black, David O'Hara, Phil Davis, Richard Blackmore.
SCI-FI LONDON 19 - 22MAY PICTUREHOUSE STRATFORD
For more info on SCI-FI LONDON visit ►https://sci-fi-london.com
