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welcome to sci-fi-london 2015
The UK’s leading genre festival is back with our 15th edition at the BFI Southbank, Stratford Picturehouse and, for the first time, at the very lovely Ritzy in Brixton.
As with children, I know that you’re not supposed to have favourites, but I would like to say that LIZA, THE FOX FAIRY and WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? are highly recommended.
As ever, we are looking forward to presenting a particularly exciting selection of the best international SF and fantastic films, documentaries and shorts.
It’s been a really busy year for the festival team as we launched our VOD platform, watchscifi.com, which looks set to become the place to go for your sci-fi movie/documentary/interview fix!
This year I am especially thrilled to have THE VISIT: AN ALIEN ENCOUNTER at SCI-FI-LONDON. I really loved Michael Madsen’s last documentary, INTO ETERNITY, and this is equally remarkable. I am also looking forward to seeing SUPERBOB, in the company of an audience, on closing night – a superbly fresh British comedy.
We are also delighted to join in the twentieth anniversary celebrations of our longstanding media partner, SFX Magazine!
We are still(!) challenging stereotypes and pushing the definition of what constitutes ‘sci-fi’ and know that audiences are as interested in ideas as in spaceships or CGI.
Enjoy the festival and, as always, the full programme is at sci-fi-london.com.
Louis Savy Festival Director
opening night film
the death of ‘superman lives’: what happened? FRI 29 MAY 6.15PM BFI SOUTHBANK Dir: Jon Schnepp Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 90mins Country: USA Source: Direct
A documentary about Superman Lives – the tantalising film that never was. Mega muscles, super six-pack and a mullet – would Nic Cage be the right man to wear the red cape? We will never know… or at least wouldn’t have until Jon Schnepp start asking the questions for us and digging deep into why this movie was never made.
Interviews with Tim Burton, Kevin Smith, Dan Gilroy and Colleen Atwood, and unique source material including never-before-seen footage and artwork give an inside look into what might have been the most original and cosmic Superman movie ever made.
TDOSLWH delves into one of Hollywood’s most enthralling ‘what if?’ stories – the proposed 1998 SUPERMAN LIVES film with Tim Burton directing and Nicolas Cage starring as Superman.
uk premiere
DIRECTOR Q&A
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closing night film
superbob Robert Kenner is a Peckham Postie who was hit by a meteor. Six years later he has developed super powers and is working with the MOD as their ‘not so secret weapon’ – at least that’s what the jealous US government thinks. How dare the world’s only real superman be British?
This is such a refreshing take on the notion of the superhero, given the big blockbuster penchant for macho hero CGI battle-fests. SUPERBOB challenges how we think about ‘power’, who has it, and how we should use it. It also portrays London in a lovingly authentic light.
And he is very British… whilst he can fly, has heat vision and is indestructible, he is very apologetic and not at all comfortable with the attention. One Tuesday, his officially sanctioned day off, Bob plans a date, his first for many years. Will he find love? Will he find himself? And what does Peckham really think about him?
We love this movie, we love you Bob!
SUN 7 JUNE 7.30PM the RITZY Dir: Jon Drever Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 85mins Country: UK Source: Direct
cast Q&A
DIRECTOR Q&A
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deep dark wed 3 JUnE 8.55PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE FRI 5 JUnE 2.30PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Dir: Michael Medaglia Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 79mins Country: USA Source: Direct
Any creative person will be able to relate to Hermann. He desperately wants some recognition for his art but is continuously wracked with self-doubt, until his successful uncle rents him the studio space where he hopes to find inspiration.
This is a deliciously surreal moral play about the lengths to which an artist will go to be seen, and the repercussions of giving in to a demanding, and jealous, muse, as well as being a dark satire on the art world.
However, it doesn’t come easily to Hermann and in a fit of despondency he prepares to take his life, but salvation comes when a mysterious message comes through a hole in the wall. Hermann finds an unlikely muse, and the success he craves suddenly becomes a reality, but at a price.
DIRECTOR Q&A via skype
world premiere
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man vs. Chris Diamantopoulos plays Doug Woods, host of his own hit WebTV series, ‘MAN VS’. Doug must survive for five days in remote locations. No crew, food, or water are permitted, just the cameras he carries on his back to film his experiences. Whilst making an otherwise routine episode, set in remote woodland, Doug is awoken by an earth-shaking crash and it quickly becomes clear that he isn’t alone. Someone or something is watching him – are they mimicking or taunting him?
This gripping thriller about one man’s extraordinary desire to survive at all costs is fast paced, tense and delivers a very smart sci-fi film. It’s a refreshing take on ‘found-footage’ with a great ending. We are delighted to be hosting the World Premiere and have cast and crew in attendance.
TUE 2 JUNE 6.30PM THE RITZY wed 3 JUNE 4.40PM stratford picturehouse Dir: Adam Massey Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 87mins Country: Canada Source: Direct
DIRECTOR Q&A
world premiere
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listening SAT 30 MAY 8.30PM BFI southbank
An outstanding feature début with a sci-fi thriller that’s as engrossing as it is thought-provoking, with echoes of Shane Carruth’s Primer (2004) and Cronenberg’s Scanners (1981).
Dir: Khalil Sullins Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 98mins Country: USA Source: Direct
Two grad students are working on a garage-low-fi project exploring how technology could make mind-reading routine. Their invention looks likely to destroy their lives, especially when it falls into the wrong hands.
What Sullins delivers is a slick thriller with a cool sound-track and a wonderful cinematic technique to show how the mind-reading feels to the cast. As one reviewer put it, “It’s not every day one comes across a film that far exceeds any expectation – Listening is a captivating movie with serious style and plenty of substance.”
european PREMIERE
DIRECTOR Q&A
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
the visit: AN ALIEN ENCOUNTER For decades humans have been broadcasting our existence into space whilst ‘first contact’ remains stubbornly elusive. With unprecedented access to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, the military, and experts from leading space agencies. The Visit: AN ALIEN ENCOUNTER imagines a first contact scenario, revealing the fears, hopes, and rituals of a species forced to confront alien life forms that may view us as a threat.
In this ‘simulation’ real-life experts imagine their responses to a visit from another world. Filled with sleek and often surreal imagery, the film fluctuates from fascinating to purposeful banality, depending on what’s under discussion. A feat of speculation that is likely to engross anyone intrigued by the topic. We are delighted to have Michael Madsen and Prof. Chris Welch from the International Space University for an after-show Q&A.
SUN 31 MAY 5.40PM BFI SOUTHBANK Dir: Michael Madsen Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 83mins Country: Finland/ Denmark Source: Metrodome
Courtesy of Metrodome Distribution
documentary programme uk premiere
DIRECTOR Q&A
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movement + location WED 3 JUNE 6.30PM THE RITZY thurs 4 JUNE 4.50PM stratford picturehouse Dir: Alexis Boling Year: 2014 Language: English Runtime: 98mins Country: USA Source: Direct
In this gently paced, well-acted feature, director Alexis Boling lays bare modernday relationships and responsibilities. Set in Brooklyn, NY, Kim works for an organisation that helps feed and house the homeless. She is also trying to make a home, having arrived in Brooklyn from several hundred years in the future. She was supposed to have met up with her husband in the present but he never showed up from the future.
and relationships Kim struggles to keep her past life from destroying the one she has here. Like London, New York can be a lonely place, and the film explores the hesitancy people can feel when considering making a connection in a new environment. With a fantastic and often creepy 1970s synth score, a film to delight those who enjoyed PRIMER (Shane Carruth 2004).
Kimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secret risks being revealed when police ask her to help runaway teen Rachel who, Kim quickly learns, is also from the future. As both women take tentative steps towards new friendships
INTERNATIONAL
PREMIERE
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the lovers Roland Joffé directs this absorbing time-travel drama. Jumping back-and-forth across centuries, Josh Hartnett plays both Jay, in a coma after attempting the recovery of an ancient ring from an 18th century shipwreck in Boston 2020, and James, a British officer in the Anglo-Maratha war in Pune 1778. With female Maratha warrior, Tulaja (Basu) he encounters murder, revenge and love as the ring’s transcendent power is revealed.
Joffé’s film came from an interest in quantum physics where the rules of classical Newtonian physics don’t apply. In fact, things happen that according to classical physics, shouldn’t be happening at all. The Lovers is a gorgeous film, whether in its Indian setting, the ocean or futuristic America.
SAT 30 MAY 6.00PM BFI SOUTHBANK Dir: Roland Joffé Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 105mins Country: Belgium/ India/Australia Source: Corsan
uk premiere
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3 ISSUES FOR £3 Visit bit.ly/3for3TF
boy 7 Based on the best-selling Dutch novel by Mirjam Mous, BOY 7 is a slick thriller that is both smart and well-paced. The film offers a tantalising view of a near-future police state offering troubled youth a way to make good – not disimilar to the Ludovico treatment in A Clockwork Orange. A young man wakes up on the subway, his memory lost. Across from him is Lara who tells him his name is Sam. It isn’t long before the authorities arrive and all hell breaks loose. Sam and Lara show off their extraordinary urban combat skills and escape. Later she hands him a journal he apparently gave to her for safekeeping wherein he discovers
their shared history of being juvenile offenders with high-level skills. He was a hacker and both had undergone specialist training. Unsurprisingly, all is not as it seems. Boy 7, as far as speculative cinema goes, is both smart and entertaining as it nimbly meets the bar set by the latest international phenomenon in teen-targeted film and fiction. It’s stylishly tapped in to our plugged-in and digitally-driven culture.
MON 1 JUNE 6.50PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE wed 3 JUNE 2.30PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Dir: Lourens Blok Year: 2015 Language: Dutch with English subtitles Runtime: 90mins Country: Netherlands/ Hungary Source: Lemming Film
uk premiere
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fool japan: the abcs of tetsudon SUN 7 JUNE 4.30PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Dir: 26 directors! Year: 2014 Language: Japanese with English subtitles Runtime: 94mins Country: Japan Source: Direct
Horror fans were recently treated to The ABCs of Death, an anthology of short films by well-known directors of the genre. Fool Japan takes the same concept to present different aspects of Japanese culture.
Nothing is sacred as the filmmakers employ diverse filmmaking techniques, which include live action, animation and schlocky special effects, to subvert all the stereotypes that Westerners think are cool and cute about Japan.
The directors delight in mirroring back the misconceptions the West has about Japanese pop culture; geishas, ninjas, karaoke, sushi, giant robots, sailorsuited girls, and even giant girls.
SCI-FI-LONDON wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be complete without at least one bizarre film from Japan and this one is both E for educational and C for comedic, but it is mostly brought to you by the letters W, T and F.
uk premiere
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reveries of a lonely walker
(fANTASTICHERIE DI UN PASSEGGIATORE solitario) Philosophy could be considered the science of ideas, so what better place to look for inspiration for sci-fi or fantasy than story telling. This feature film takes its title from an unfinished book by Enlightenment French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The work plays a pivotal role as the three-pronged story unfurls – of a poet obsessed by reveries, a young student and a child in the woods. The poet, also named Jean-Jacques, is struggling with his own demons as he tries to finish his work; he is searching for the origins of the unfinished book, which brings him into contact with all sorts of bizarre characters including the
boy who is trying to escape from a sinister forest. Each story strand is stylistically diverse, from the claustrophobic confines of the writer’s studio, to the wide-angle shots of the student’s world, to the stop-motion animation of the boy in the forest. The film is both thought-provoking, without being too maudlin, and a visual treat that should not be missed. If you like Dave McKean’s Mirrormask, or the works of Tim Burton, then this is for you.
FRI 5 JUNE 8.30PM Stratford PictureHouse Dir: Paolo Gaudio Year: 2014 Language: Italian with English subtitles Runtime: 87mins Country: Italy Source: Direct
uk premiere
DIRECTOR Q&A
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screening in association with EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
liza, the fox fairy Liza, a rókatündér SAT 6 JUNE 6.30PM the ritzy Dir: Károly Ujj Mészáros Year: 2015 Language: Hungarian/Japanese with English subtitles Runtime: 98mins Country: Hungary Source: Hungarian National Film Fund
Festival preview in association with EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Liza is a nurse in Budapest looking after the Japanese Ambassador’s wife, and seeking love. Almost 30 she wants to settle down, but her only real companion is the spirit of a long-dead Japanese pop star who initially seems like her friend but turns her into a foxfairy out of jealousy. Henceforth, every man who desires Liza is destined to die horribly. Can she overcome this curse?
This is an amazing, surreal film, superstylish, funny and cruel – and filled with 60s J-pop croon-tunes. An intricate fairy-tale, unlike anything you have seen before – unless you have imaginary friends who behave like the Grim Reaper. Don’t miss this breath-taking feature; you will be talking about it for weeks after.
FESTIVAL preview
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
uncanny Festival preview in association with EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL A cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence android exhibits unnerving emergent behavior when a reporter begins a relationship with the scientist who created it. Joy, a tech journalist, is invited to stay for a week with a reclusive tech magnate. During her stay she meets David, a former prodigy and robotics pioneer who has spent a decade working on Adam, an android so realistic that he initially fools Joy into thinking he’s human. Over the week, Joy gets to know both Adam and David, neither of
screening in association with EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL whom are very well socialised, especially when it comes to women. Her week is full of uncomfortable situations but she ultimately starts to have feelings for David. This provokes jealousy in Adam, something he’s never experienced before. Where Alex Garland’s EX MACHINA ultimately descended into a ‘men and their sex toys’ picture, UNCANNY offers thoughtful, independent science fiction deserving of a wide audience.
FRI 5 JUNE 6.30PM the ritzy Dir: Matthew Leutwyler Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 91mins Country: USA Source: Shoreline
FESTIVAL preview
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convergence TUES 2 JUNE 8.45PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Dir: Drew Hall Year: 2014 Language: English Runtime: 100mins Country: USA Source: Direct
Arson detective Ben Walls is injured in an explosion during a routine investigation. He wakes up in a hospital that appears to be almost completely abandoned, and the few people that are there are being slowly picked off by a group of religious zealots. Ben not only wants to protect the group but also to find out who is trying to kill them, and who set off the explosion that put him hospital. The more he investigates, the stranger things become, especially with the appearance of a group of shadowy apparitions.
With a strong cast of familiar TV character actors, this part cop drama, part supernatural thriller subverts your expectations just when you think it is heading towards cliché. We don’t show many ‘supernatural’ movies, but when they are this good, we are sure you will be as thrilled as we were.
uk premiere
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
closer to god Despite the world being massively overpopulated, scientists insist on finding more ways of increasing our numbers, and experiments on cloning continue. Closer to God explores the moral and ethical implications of human cloning, when a renowned geneticist announces the creation of the first human clone. However, an earlier experiment threatens to not only undermine the scientistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation, but also the safety of his family.
Both points of view for cloning are played out in this thriller, which could best be described as a contemporary interpretation of the Frankenstein story, complete with an angry mob at the gates. Between the two sides of the debate is a chasm filled with a dark secret that could destroy everything the scientist has built.
THUrs 4 JUNE 7.00PM stratford picturehouse sat 6 JUNE 6.30PM stratford picturehouse Dir: Billy Senese Year: 2014 Language: English Runtime: 81mins Country: USA Source: Direct
uk premiere
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3 ISSUES FOR £3 Visit bit.ly/3for3sfx
dawn (morgenrøde) Two survivors of a long-past apocalypse eye each other with suspicion. Is there any hope of their coming across pollution-free resources in the broken and empty world they now inhabit?
“The beautifully crafted elements combined creates a science fiction film that both compliments and expands on the genre.’’ CINEMA SCANDINAVIA
Dawn is a mesmerising piece of cinema that will draw you in, leaving you hanging on to every syllable of dialogue and brings a fresh addition to the rising reputation of Norwegian cinema.
Courtesy of One-Eyed Films
Shot in Iceland, the eerie landscape and beautiful cinematography take you to somewhere that feels bleak, desperate and overwhelming.
SAT 30 MAY 3.50PM BFI SOUTHBANK Dir: Anders Elsrud Hultgreen Year: 2014 Language: Norwegian with English subtitles Runtime: 70mins Country: Norway/ Iceland Source: One-eyed Films
uk premiere
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terminus Set against the threat of nuclear war with Iran, this apparent redneck drama set in small town America quickly becomes an intriguing sci-fi thriller. David drinks. He has been estranged from his daughter since the death of his wife, who died despite David donating a kidney. One night he meets Zach, a veteran from the ongoing war with Iran.
The authorities are alert to unusual, strange phenomena occurring and are now on his tail. Is the discovery hostile? Is it a weapon? And why has it appeared here now? A solidly well-crafted science fiction film with an intriguing story – if you like classic SF tales, this is for you.
Driving home together, they have a car crash and discover something that has the power to change their lives. Whatever it is has already healed David as he has two kidneys again.
SAT 6 JUNE 9.00PM THE RITZY SUN 7 JUNE 2.30PM Stratford picturehouse Dir: Marc Furmie Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 94mins Country: Australia Source: Direct
INTERNATIONAL
PREMIERE
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adventurados SAT 6 JUNE 8.30PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Dir: Berton Pierce Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 86mins Country: Germany Source: Direct
At SCI-FI-LONDON 10 we screened Pierce’s documentary SENSE OF SCALE which looked at miniatures and practical FX in the movies. Now he is back with a brand new space movie full of practical effects from artists who worked on films such as MOON, BLAKE’S 7, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and STAR TREK. It is so good to see models and clever miniature work back on the big screen.
woman along to keep an eye on them, and the important cargo they are transporting. A mish-mash of strange folk are after the cargo, and will do anything to get it. Of course, things go from bad to worse for the luckless pilots. Think WITHNALL & I in space or an uncensored Red Dwarf – very sweary!
Adventurados is a road movie in space that follows the misadventures of two out of luck Irish shuttle pilots flying their last mission from the Moon to Earth before retiring. Unusually, their employers have sent a mysterious uk premiere
DIRECTOR Q&A
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
the incident (el incidente) Forget time travel, this is endless travel, like being stuck in a hamster’s wheel… The INCIDENT is a mind-boggling, mind-blowing sci-fi thriller. Both elegant and enchanting it combines two parallel stories about characters trapped in illogical, infinite spaces. Two brothers and a detective are locked on a neverending staircase; a dysfunctional family is locked on an infinite road. If Tarkovsky had directed Groundhog Day – you get the idea. It is witty, stylish and a stunning début by Mexican director, Isaac Ezban.
“Films like PI, CUBE and TIME CRIMES often come to mind when talking about innovative and low-fi takes on science fiction standards, using innovative concepts to tell a tale that is one step beyond what we call reality. I dare to add THE INCIDENT to the list of scifi films that folks will be talking about for years and years to come in terms of engrossing ideas and innovative ideas about space and time.” AICN
MON 1 JUNE 6.30PM THE RITZY Dir: Isaac Ezban Year: 2014 Language: Spanish with English subtitles Runtime: 100mins Country: Mexico Source: Shoreline
uk premiere
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life off grid SUN 7 JUNE 5.30PM the RITZY
Part of our STRANGER > FICTION documentary strand, we picked this film as it examines the ‘what if’ questions raised in so many science fiction movies.
Jonathan Taggart (Director) and Phillip Vannini (Producer) spent two years travelling across Canada talking to 200 off-gridders.
Dir: Jonathan Taggart Year: 2014 Language: English Runtime: 86mins Country: Canada Source: Direct
In film after film fictionalising life post-apocalypse, people are portrayed as aimless wanderers or psychotic warlords fighting over resources… But why? Humans are far more resourceful than represented in these worlds.
This beautifully shot film chronicles the experiences, challenges, inventions, aspirations, and ingenuity of people who have chosen to radically re-invent daily life. With some of the locations so remote that neither zombie hoard nor catastrophe could touch them, perhaps these offgridders will outlive us all.
Life Off Grid is not a state of mind. It is not about being out of touch, living in a remote place, or turning off your mobile phone. Off-grid means living without a connection to the electric and natural gas infrastructure, about not having fuel. uk premiere
DIRECTOR Q&A
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documentary programme
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
who are you people? Jonathan E. Robinson’s documentary takes us to Mobile, Alabama in 1976. The city underwent tough times after the government’s closure of the Brookley Air Force Base, laying off thousands of staff and leaving two enormous aircraft hangars empty. The abandoned site caught the attention of Columbia Pictures executives who wanted to use the hangars as a location for a forthcoming science fiction film entitled ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. Mobile was subjected to the Hollywood spotlight as director Steven Spielberg, cast members Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, and Francois
Truffaut, plus crew all descended upon the town, much to the amazement of the locals. Jump to present day and the story is told through the recollections of the regular citizens, politicians, and tradesmen of Mobile, who ultimately became a direct part of film history as extras, additional crew for the shoot and even a few decent speaking parts. This is a truly wonderful documentary which will give you more insight into the classic Hollywood machine than any official behind-the-scenes ever could. What you’d call ‘an eyeopener’...
documentary programme
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
SUN 31 MAY 12.00 NOON STRATFORD PICTURHOUSE FRI 5 JUNE 6.45PM STRATFORD PICTURHOUSE Dir: Jonathan E. Robinson Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 90mins Country: USA Source: Direct
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FESTIVAL programme 2015 TITLE VENUE DATE TIME THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN LIVES: WHAT HAPPENED? BFI FRI 29 MAY 6.15PM SFX 20TH ANNIVERSARY AND SFL OPENING NIGHT PARTY BFI FRI 29 MAY 6.30PM SFL SHORTS 1 BFI FRI 29 MAY 8.55PM NEW SCIENTIST PRESENTS (ALL DAY) BFI SAT 30 MAY DAWN (MORGENRØDE) BFI SAT 30 MAY THE LOVERS BFI SAT 30 MAY LISTENING BFI SAT 30 MAY
1.00PM 3.50PM 6.00PM 8.30PM
FILM PRODUCTION WORKSHOP (ALL DAY) BFI SUN 31 MAY THE VISIT: AN ALIEN ENCOUNTER BFI SUN 31 MAY SFL SHORTS 3 RTZ SUN 31 MAY WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? SPH SUN 31 MAY SHORTS 4 SPH SUN 31 MAY SHORTS 5 SPH SUN 31 MAY SHORTS 6 SPH SUN 31 MAY THE QUIET HOUR SPH SUN 31 MAY
1.00PM 5.40PM 9.00PM 12.00PM 2.00PM 4.30PM 6.50PM 8.55PM
SHORTS 9 SPH MON 1 JUNE SHORTS 2 SPH MON 1 JUNE THE INCIDENT (EL INCIDENTE) RTZ MON 1 JUNE BOY 7 SPH MON 1 JUNE SHORTS 7 SPH MON 1 JUNE
2.15PM 5.00PM 6.30PM 6.50PM 8.40PM
THE QUIET HOUR SPH TUES 2 JUNE SHORTS 2 SPH TUES 2 JUNE SHORTS 8 SPH TUES 2 JUNE MAN VS. RTZ TUES 2 JUNE CONVERGENCE SPH TUES 2 JUNE
2.30PM 4.30PM 6.20PM 6.30PM 8.45PM
BOY 7 SPH WED 3 JUNE MAN VS SPH WED 3 JUNE MOVEMENT + LOCATION RTZ WED 3 JUNE 48HR CHALLENGE AWARDS SPH WED 3 JUNE DEEP DARK SPH WED 3 JUNE
2.30PM 4.40PM 6.30PM 6.30PM 8.55PM
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rtz = ritzy / sph = stratford picturehouse / BFI = BFI SOUTHBANK
TITLE VENUE DATE TIME SHORTS 8 SPH THUrs 4 JUNE 2.30PM MOVEMENT + LOCATION SPH THUrs 4 JUNE 4.50PM CLOSER TO GOD SPH THUrs 4 JUNE 7.00PM SHORTS 4 SPH THUrs 4 JUNE 8.50PM HARDWARE 25TH ANNIVERSARY RTZ THUrs 4 JUNE 9.00PM DEEP DARK SPH FRI 5 JUNE SHORTS 5 SPH FRI 5 JUNE UNCANNY RTZ FRI 5 JUNE WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? SPH FRI 5 JUNE REVERIES OF A LONELY WALKER SPH FRI 5 JUNE
2.30PM 4.30PM 6.30PM 6.45PM 8.30PM
SHORTS 3 SPH SAT 6 JUNE SHORTS 6 SPH SAT 6 JUNE HAPHEAD SPH SAT 6 JUNE CLOSER TO GOD SPH SAT 6 JUNE LIZA, THE FOX FAIRY RTZ SAT 6 JUNE ADVENTURADOS SPH SAT 6 JUNE TERMINUS RTZ SAT 6 JUNE
12.00PM 2.15PM 4.40PM 6.30PM 6.30PM 8.30PM 9.00PM
SHORTS 7 SPH SUN 7 JUNE TERMINUS SPH SUN 7 JUNE SCI-FIDO: DOG SHOW RTZ SUN 7 JUNE FOOL JAPAN: THE ABCs OF TETSUDON SPH SUN 7 JUNE LIFE OFF GRID RTZ SUN 7 JUNE SHORTS 1 SPH SUN 7 JUNE SUPERBOB RTZ SUN 7 JUNE SHORTS 9 SPH SUN 7 JUNE
12.00PM 2.30PM 3.00PM 4.30PM 5.30PM 6.30PM 7.30PM 8.30PM
festival venues Ritzy Picturehouse Brixton Oval Coldharbour Lane London SW2 1JG 0871 902 5739 ritzy@picturehouses.co.uk www.picturehouses.com/
Stratford Picturehouse Salway Road London E15 1BX 0871 902 5740 stratfordeast@picturehouses.co.uk www.picturehouses.com/
BFI Southbank Belvedere Road South Bank London SE1 8XT 020 7928 3232 www.bfi.org.uk
cinema/Stratford_London
cinema/ritzy_picturehouse
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the quiet hour sun 31 may 8.55PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE tues 2 june 2.30PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Dir: Stéphanie Joalland Year: 2014 Language: English Runtime: 85mins Country: UK Source: Direct
The survival aspect of post-apocalyptic films is generally not done very well and does not withstand much scrutiny. However, this British film (produced by our friends at Raindance) offers a realistic and plausible scenario within the narrative of an alien invasion. Set in remote, rural England feisty teenager Sarah and her blind brother are taking refuge in their farmhouse, which is equipped with solar panels, a goat and a vegetable garden, allowing them to survive peacefully whilst hiding from the alien patrols.
When a wounded young man arrives at the farm, pursued by an unscrupulous group of bandits, their idyll comes under threat from something even more dangerous than the aliens – humans. A uniquely British approach to the PA sub-genre, along the lines of the excellent feature, HOW I LIVE NOW, focuses on the drama of survival without the need for explosive heroics. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic films, this shows how it should be done.
DIRECTOR Q&A
FESTIVAL PREVIEW
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
haphead HAPHEAD comes from the pen of Jim Munroe, the guy behind festival favourite GHOSTS WITH SHIT JOBS. Set in a future where Haptic VR has become a reality, the next level of gaming incorporates a device that attaches to the back of the head, where your body learns the moves you make in a game (think Neo’s “I know kung fu” moment, except with the games). Maxine works in a factory making haptic inputs, and steals one to play her favourite rabbit-ninja game.
However, there are sinister goings-on with some of the ‘hapheads’ at the factory, and she soon has to put her newly learned skills into action against something more real than kick-ass bunnies. Now that TV looks like cinema (only with better stories), web series are becoming the new TV. This feature film is based on a web series of the same name. It is filled with plausible ideas and great production values.
SAT 6 JUNE 4.40PM STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Dir: Tate Young Year: 2015 Language: English Runtime: 75mins Country: Canada Source: Direct
Don’t miss this rare chance of seeing it on a big screen.
FESTIVAL PREVIEW
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
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“Shaun of the Dead meets The X-Files” Raindance Film Festival
“A Triumph” Terry Jones
“Very silly” Michael Palin
Gothic Manor and SCI-FI-LONDON presents a Martin Gooch Film. Starring Carol Cleveland, Simon Jones, Sophie Aldred, Millie Reeves, Noeleen Comiskey, Lucy Clements, Simon Birks, Tom Price, Chase Masterson, Brad Moore and Jonathan Hansler. It’s bloody good, now go buy it!
Sophie Aldred
Simon Jones
OUT NOW ON DVD & DOWNLOAD thesearchforsimon.com
Carol Cleveland
th
5 special 2 ening e r c s y r a annivers on with
in associati
hardware THUrs 4 JUNE 9.00PM the ritzy Dir: Richard Stanley Year: 1990 Language: English Runtime: 94mins Country: UK Source: Direct
Special event with composer Simon Boswell (Q&A and live performance) 25 years ago this film warped a lot of minds, if you have never seen it – you must! With its post-apocalyptic setting, robot-gone-mad paranoia, extreme gore, a Simon Boswell score, and a cast that includes Iggy Pop and Lemmy from Motorhead this one’s not for the faint-hearted.
An intentionally more punk take on films such as The Terminator, Stanley’s film is set in a world where humans are hell-bent on destroying themselves and their planet, whilst robotic killing machines are on the verge of turning on their creators and supposed masters. From the resonant, ominous synth score to the brilliantly claustrophobic sets, this film is a unique cinema experience. It’s safe to say it is a ‘marmite’ film – just marmite with a splash of LSD. Who couldn’t love that!
live performance
Q&A
plus live & CLUBNIGHT GIG PSYCHFI Watch out for news of a special music and visuals night PSYCH-FI which features Simon’s band theAND, along with some other very psychedelic artists and VJs. Full details online at sci-fi-london.com.
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SPECIAL event by invitation only
the 48 hour film challenge awards 2015 Back in 2008 we launched our 48hr film challenge – to make a 5 min short in two days. The first winner was Gareth Edwards, who went on to direct GODZILLA and is now working on ROGUE ONE, a spin off Star Wars movie. Since then we have had over 1200 new sci-fi films made and some amazing work achieved. It just goes to show that you really don’t need huge budgets and special effects to make a good sci-fi film. Three years ago we also started a 48hr Flash Fiction challenge in association with UrbanFantasist.com tasking people to write around 1500 words in a weekend, the same weekend as the films are being made. Neil Gaiman
Adam Rutherford
Colin Goudie
Charles Christian
Zoe Margolis
Robert Grant
You can read the stories and see the films on our website and watchscifi.com. We hope you take part next year... The winners of this year’s challenges are announced on Wednesday 3rd June, 2015. A big thank you to all those who took part and especially to our juries:
WED 3 JUNE 6.30PM Stratford picturehouse By invitation only
Film Jury Neil Gaiman Dr Adam Rutherford Colin Goudie Kate Taylor Roland Joffé Simon Boswell Writing Jury Charles Christian Zoe Margolis Robert Grant Kate Taylor
Roland Joffé
Simon Boswell
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
SPECIAL event by invitation only
THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FOR LITERATURE The ACCA is presented for the best science fiction novel of the year, and selected from a list of novels whose UK first edition was published in the previous calendar year. The award was originally established by a generous grant from Sir Arthur C. Clarke with the aim of promoting science fiction in Britain, and is currently administered by the Serendip Foundation, a voluntary organisation created to oversee the on-going running and development of the award. Members of the judging panel are nominated by supporting organisations, currently the British Science Fiction Association, the Science Fiction Foundation and the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival.
The six shortlisted books for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction novel of the year published in 2014 are: THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS M.R. CAREY (ORBIT) THE BOOK OF STRANGE NEW THINGS MICHEL FABER (CANONGATE) EUROPE IN AUTUMN DAVE HUTCHINSON (SOLARIS) MEMORY OF WATER EMMI ITÄRANTA (HARPERVOYAGER) THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST CLAIRE NORTH (ORBIT) STATION ELEVEN EMILY ST JOHN MANDEL (PICADOR)
The winner will be announced on Wednesday 6th May at an exclusive award ceremony held at Foyles Bookshop, London. The winner will be presented with a cheque for £2015.00 and the award itself, a commemorative engraved bookend.
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
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Free audiobook download for all Sci-Fi London delegates Choose from a huge selection of Sci-Fi books
Download & listen today with a FREE 30-day trial
OK O B O I D U A E R FRE IFILONDON U O Y D A O L N K/SC U . O TO DOW C . E L B I VISIT AUD After your free trial, membership automatically renews at £7.99/month 36
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
blink of an eye short film programme Some science fiction ideas just don’t work in a feature length film, but in short form they make for compelling stories and great cinematic experiences. We have gathered together a mix of fantastic international short films that offer everything from the fun and frivolous to the deep and meaningful. The short film selection is presented in 9 programmes over the festival. Enjoy!
best Short film 2015 the brain hack (UK 2014. Dir. Joseph White. 19mins) Two film students create a short-cut to induce hallucinogenic visions of God, and find themselves hunted by a deadly religious sect. This is a wonderfully inventive short film, gripping and well produced. Shorts 1 Fri 29 May 8.55PM BFI Shorts 1 sun 7 JUNE 6.30PM SPH
screening times TITLE VENUE DATE TIME SHORTS 1 BFI FRI 29 MAY 8.55PM SHORTS 1 SPH SUN 7 JUNE 6.30PM SHORTS 2 SPH MON 1 JUNE 5.00PM SHORTS 2 SPH TUE 2 JUNE 4.30PM SHORTS 3 RTZ SUN 31 MAY 9.00PM SHORTS 3 SPH SAT 6 JUNE 12.00PM SHORTS 4 SPH SUN 31 MAY 2.00PM SHORTS 4 SPH THU 4 JUNE 8.50PM SHORTS 5 SPH SUN 31 MAY 4.30PM SHORTS 5 SPH FRI 5 JUNE 4.30PM SHORTS 6 SPH SUN 31 MAY 6.50PM SHORTS 6 SPH SAT 6 JUNE 2.15PM SHORTS 7 SPH MON 1 JUNE 8.40PM SHORTS 7 SPH SUN 7 JUNE 12.00PM SHORTS 8 SPH TUE 2 JUNE 6.20PM SHORTS 8 SPH THU 4 JUNE 2.30PM SHORTS 9 SPH MON 1 JUNE 2.15PM SHORTS 9 SPH SUN 7 JUNE 8.30PM THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
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322 SHORTS 3
(Dir. Jack Thornton, UK, 2015, 10mins) In a dystopian world where workers are forced to type code every day, one worker, 322, discovers an unexpected and dangerous connection with his computer. 322
A BOY’S LIFE SHORTS 2
(Dir. Howard McCain, USA, 2015, 7mins) Told only through visuals, a portrait of a troubled youth reveal a world gone awry, in an environment of chaos and violence.
AERIS SHORTS 3
A BOY’S LIFE
(Dir. Tijmen Veldhuizen, UK, 2014, 13mins) Humans have been forced to take refuge deep within the Earth. One man journeys to the surface in search of a better life.
ALEKTO SHORTS 2 AERIS
(Dir. Thomas Kaufmann, Switzerland, 2015, 23mins) Conspiracy theories and the entire evolution of Man. An earthling is kidnapped into space, discovering parallel dimensions that she could never have imagined.
BECOMING ONE SHORTS 5
(Dir. Thom Haig, UK, 2015, 3mins) A full CG-animated piece exploring the relationship between connectivity and individuality.
ALEKTO
BETTER THAN TOMORROW SHORTS 5
BECOMING ONE
(Dir. EuiJeong Hong, UK, 2014, 14mins) A satirical short about a man longing to meet his wife in an enigmatic rehabilitation facility, after being frozen for many years.
BLUE-EYED ME SHORTS 1
(Dir. Alexey Marfin, UK, 2015, 7mins) Genetically modified pets, engineered to look like their owners. You are not unique; this is the post-personal economy. BETTER THAN TOMORROW
CAPTCHA SHORTS 4
(Dir. Edward Tracy, UK, 2014, 15mins) A spy puts a love implant into an unknowing man. Now having fallen for the man she must decide whether to betray her mission? BLUE-EYED ME
CARROT SHORTS 6
(Dir. Damien Christian D’Amico, USA, 2015, 15mins) Embarking on a journey into the imagination, trying to fit-in with society and setting off a battle for creative control.
CHASM SHORTS 7
(Dir. Joel Benjamin, USA, 2014, 12mins) A blue collar astronaut mines for ore above the surface of a planet.
CAPTCHA
CLARKE’S THIRD LAW SHORTS 2 CARROT
(Dir. Javier Valenzuela Alamán, Spain, 2014, 7mins) A dive into Arthur C. Clarke’s life, writer and co-scriptwriter of “2001: a Space Odyssey” by his search for an extraterrestrial civilization.
DUAL SHORTS 1
(Dir. David Hunt, UK, 2014, 2mins) An explorer on an unknown planet comes across a very strange phenomenon.. CHASM
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
FAST AND CHEAP SHORTS 1
(Dir. Philipp Glauner, Germany, 2014, 4mins) Müller, praising his androids’ efficiency, performance and economic advantages to humans, we recognize not all of his golden promises are reality... CLARKE’S THIRD LAW
FERDINAND KNAPP SHORTS 2
(Dir. Andrea Baldini, France, 2014, 15mins) Ferdinand Knapp, an actor, revered by all. However, in his new play the lines between his character’s malevolent personality and his own begin to blur.
FLASH SHORTS 6
DUAL
(Dir. Alberto Ruiz Rojo, Spain, 2015, 7mins) When a man looks at the photo strip he just took of himself in a photo booth, he cannot believe what he sees.
GEAR SHORTS 4
(Dir. Joe Ksander, Kevin Adams, USA, 2014, 8mins) With so many forces aligned against Mazzy, she turns to her only ally, an old broken down construction robot named Three.
FAST AND CHEAP
HAPPY FUN ROOM SHORTS 4
(Dir. Greg Pak, USA, 2014, 14mins) Can Sam prevent her past fears from making her a monster in the present? FERDINAND KNAPP
HELIO SHORTS 6
(Dir. Teddy Cecil, USA, 2015, 20mins) Rebel uprising in a dystopian underground society, one miner finds the key to freedom and attempts to escape before the government kills him first. FLASH
HIGHER GROUND SHORTS 6
(Dir. Hillerbrand+Magsamen, USA, 2015, 10mins) A family embark on an adventure, to construct and fly a rocket ship to the moon by taking apart their suburban home.
HIMIKO THE GODSLAYER VS. THE DAEMON LEGION OF AZURE DRAGONS SHORTS 9
GEAR
(Dir. Hikaru Tsukuda, Japan, 2015, 5mins) Kyoto, Japan, the guardian Gods who protect the four quarters suddenly revolt against human beings! To save the world, a Godslayer, Kaguraoka Himiko, takes action.
HITORI SHORTS 3
HAPPY FUN ROOM
(Dir. Raymond Carr, USA, 2014, 12mins) In a world made entirely of puppeteers, the puppet is always alone.
HOTWIRE SHORTS 5
(Dir. Erin Brown, USA, 2015, 11mins) Stan must mirror the hero of his film fantasies in order to win Cindy’s heart.
HELIO
I REMEMBER THE FUTURE SHORTS 4
(Dir. Klayton Stainer, Australia, 2014, 27mins) Forced to face his past, Abe’s life comes to a twisting end. The final days of his reality or the start to his dreams? HIGHER GROUND
INSTANT SHORTS 3
(Dir. Alex Albrecht, USA, 2015, 21mins) Six people taken hostage, all must face their demons, past and present in order to survive. One is keeping a secret… HIMIKO THE GODSLAYER
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IT’S HERE! SHORTS 1
(Dir. Sinclair Obiora, UK, 2015, 6mins) A Mortuary Technician takes delivery of a body. He soon finds out the body isn’t what it appears to be.
JACHALAY SHORTS 2
hitori
(Dir. Manos Gerogiannis, Yannis Zoumakis, Greece, 2015, 6mins) What led to the present state? A time of dissent towards something which does not pervade us, but cannot easily understand…The giant Jachalay?
JAM SHORTS 2
(Dir. Sandy Garfunkel, USA, 2015, 14mins) A woman encounters an intruder in her car, she finds that helping another is the only way to get out of her predicament.
HOTWIRE
JAPANESE DOCTOR WHO SHORTS 4 I REMEMBER THE FUTURE
(Dir. Joshua Kahan, UK, 2014, 3mins) An old video tape of a Japanese version of Doctor Who is found.
KEEPER OF THE PAST SHORTS 7
(Dir. Marco J. Riedl, Germany, 2015, 29mins) A music box which hides a man’s past, if opened, could cave in the World as we know it...The Decision is his. INSTANT
KEPLER-47 SHORTS 1
(Dir. Erin Li, USA, 2014, 14mins) A woman is forced to adjust to a new life in a human zoo on an alien planet.
LAST CONTACT SHORTS 8
IT’S HERE!
(Dir. Michael Garrett, UK, 2014, 26mins) After one year of no contact with the outside world, the environment is beginning to show signs of change...
LEGACY SHORTS 6
(Dir. Josh Mawer, Australia, 2014, 13mins) Coerced into time sharing consciousness, two minds in one body, boundaries and relationships start to blur.
JACHALAY
LESSONS LEARNED SHORTS 7
(Dir. Toby Froud, USA, 2014, 16mins) When curiosity gets the best of him, a boy falls into an adventure of other-worldly experiences not intended for him.
JAM
LOST IN TRANSMISSION SHORTS 8
(Dir. Jasyn Howes , Ricardo Laranjiera - 1st Assistant Director, South Africa, 2015, 15mins) A professor tries to make contact with lifeforms in distant galaxies. As he draws nearer to his goal, everything changes forever. JAPANESE DOCTOR WHO
MATCH SHORTS 8
(Dir. Jennifer Sheridan, Matthew Markham, UK, 4mins) The Darkball champion must be faster, stronger and better than all the rest. This is not just a short film, this, is Darkball. KEEPER OF THE PAST
MOVIES IN SPACE SHORTS 5
(Dir. Chris W. Smith, USA, 2015, 15mins) A future-earth-ambassador unwittingly gets caught up in an alien Hollywood-like system. It’s a structured movie about movie structure...
KEPLER-47
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
NO MILK SHORTS 2
(Dir. Melanie Abramov, USA, 2014, 16mins) Breast milk has caused a deadly epidemic and breasts are considered repulsive by the public, one girl tries to maintain a positive self-image. LAST CONTACT
OCEANUS: ACT ONE SHORTS 8
(Dir. Jeffrey Morris, USA, 2015, 34mins) Explorers are suddenly separated by a tsunami. Kendall’s attempt to find Sam takes her on a journey through an array of undersea nightmares.
PERFECT STATE SHORTS 1
LEGACY
(Dir. Tim Mackenzie-Smith, UK, 2014, 21mins) The Red Zone has been created, citizens are forced to wear colour coded wristbands. If yours turns red, you become the property of Vitakorp.
POPULACE SHORTS 7
(Dir. Aaron Bevan Bailey, UK, 2015, 14mins) Must we give away our freedoms to protect the earth from mankind?
LESSONS LEARNED
PRELUDE TO AXANAR SHORTS 9
(Dir. Christian Gossett, USA, 2014, 21mins) An independent Star Trek project tells the story of Captain Kirk’s hero, Garth of Izar, during the war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.
LOST IN TRANSMISSION
RAIN SHORTS 8
(Dir. Shimon Machida, Canada, 2013, 11mins) Wireless has become so powerful it can connect with human brainwave signals, thoughts and memories stored in the “cloud” and viewed on mobile device Aleta-6.
MATCH
ROADSIDE SHORTS 5
(Dir. Tim Wildgoose, UK, 10mins) Twenty years after the alien ‘Visitation,’ Cal heads through an abandoned London to meet a dealer in illegal alien artifacts, smuggled from the visitation zone. MOVIES IN SPACE
RULE OF ONE SHORTS 9
(Dir. Michael Rodrigues, UK, 2015, 17mins) A rebellious teenager must learn to work with his father to keep a baby hidden from the ruthless Agency of Population Planning.
SAVANT: KALI 47 SHORTS 6
(Dir. Michael Dahlquist, USA, 2015, 3mins) Undead dark riders invade a wild west saloon, blasting away everyone in sight. Now only a bad-ass Native American warrior can save the town.
NO MILK
SHADOWS SHORTS 3
(Dir. Luke Armstrong, UK, 2015, 14mins) The government, to control dissent and prevent revolution, executes the drone program called ‘The Shadow Initiative’ on it’s entire population.
OCEANUS: ACT ONE
SHUT-IN SHORTS 3
(Dir. David Franklin, UK, 14mins) A man has been connected to a virtual reality version of London for 7 years, now a journalist brings up a secret from his past.
PERFECT STATE
POPULACE
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SUMER SHORTS 6
(Dir. Alvaro Garcia, Spain, 2014, 10mins) Earth’s ionosphere weakened, all animals and plants perished, all that remains is one small group of humans. PRELUDE TO AXANAR
THE ADEPT SHORTS 5
(Dir. Adam Stern, Canada, 9mins) A scientist with a passion for magic gets more than he bargained for when he tries out his latest card trick.
THE BRAIN HACK SHORTS 1
(Dir. Joseph White, UK, 2014, 19mins) Two film students create a short-cut to induce hallucinogenic visions of God, and find themselves hunted by a deadly religious sect. Winner of SCI-FI-LONDON BEST SHORT FILM 2015
RAIN
THE DETECTIVES OF NOIR TOWN SHORTS 3 ROADSIDE
(Dir. Andrew Chambers, Australia, 2014, 7mins) In a town where people and puppets walk the streets, a puppet detective is on the case of his missing uncle.
THE FISCHER CASE SHORTS 1
(Dir. Etienne Gravrand, Canada, 2014, 21mins) Whilst being interrogated by police, a man with no particular story will slowly but surely discover an inextricable world of crime and madness. RULE OF ONE
THE INNOVATORS SHORTS 6
(Dir. Carmen Chaplin, UK/France, 2014, 13mins) Humankind’s only hope lies in the hands of three scientists. Their mission: to build a time machine, return to the past and save Earth’s ecosystem. SAVANT: KALI 47
THE LEAP SHORTS 5
(Dir. Karel van Bellingen, UK, 2015, 30mins) Tales of wonder and opportunity reach the Old World, taking ‘the leap’ becomes the dream of millions, interplanetary human trafficking is of biblical scale.
THE LOOKING PLANET SHORTS 3
SHADOWS
(Dir. Eric Law Anderson, USA, 2014, 17mins) During the construction of the universe, a member of the Cosmos Corps of Engineers decides to break fundamental laws in the name of self-expression.
THE NOSTALGIST SHORTS 9 SHUT-IN
(Dir. Giacomo Cimini, UK, 2014, 18mins) Desperate to avoid facing a traumatic reality, a father must venture outside into a city where violence and danger lurk beneath a beautiful illusion.
THE PLACE WHERE YOU LIVE SHORTS 7 THE STOWAWAY
(Dir. Alexis Van Hurkman, USA, 2014, 15mins) Replaced by a doppelganger, a professor struggles to rebuild the machine and reopen the gateway between worlds to regain the life that should be hers.
THE RED THUNDER SHORTS 6 SUMER
(Dir. Alvaro Ron, USA, 2015, 7mins) When Sarah steals her mum’s car, little does she know the car is hiding a secret. This discovery will change Sarah’s life forever...
THE RESISTANCE SHORTS 9
(Dir. Rochan Redelinghuys, USA, 2013, 14mins) Post-WWIII society, where possession of food is punishable by death, a female cop struggles to protect her law-breaking lover. THE ADEPT
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
THE SCARF SOLUTION SHORTS 4
(Dir. Javier García, Spain, 3mins) While a physicist works he suddenly discovers his blackboard has amazing quantum properties.
THE SHAMAN SHORTS 4
THE BRAIN HACK
(Dir. Marco Kalantari, Austria, 2015, 17mins) The dark year 2204, a Shaman is sent on a mission to convert the soul of a giant battle colossus.
THE STOWAWAY SHORTS 5
(Dir. Rpin Suwannath, USA, 2014, 13mins) A stowaway is discovered on an emergency dispatch ship and must come to terms with the consequence of her action.
THE DETECTIVES OF NOIR TOWN
THE INNERNET SHORTS 2
(Dir. Adam Besheer, USA, 4mins) Dap tries to sign up for a subscription to the human hive consciousness in the cellphone store of the future. THE FISCHER CASE
THIS IS JOE SHORTS 3
(Dir. Francis Diaz Fontan, Spain, 2014, 4mins) In 70’s New York, Joe Shuster works as a delivery guy. But it wasn’t always like this…
TIN MAN SHORTS 7
THE INNOVATORS
(Dir. James Lee, Australia, 2014, 13mins) A Hit Man’s legs are replaced with robotic limbs and discovers they elevate him as a professional, but at a cost to his humanity.
TRAVELER SHORTS 8
(Dir. Simon Brown, USA, 2015, 5mins) When Blake’s invention successfully transports his girlfriend across the universe, there’s only one problem; When she returns, she’s being chased.
THE LEAP
TWENTY FORTY THREE SHORTS 9
(Dir. Eugénie Muggleton, Australia, 2014, 17mins) Thirty years after plague has ravaged Earth, Jack, disillusioned, struggles with desires and the ultimate truce made by a dystopian society - to never touch again.
THE LOOKING PLANET
VALIANT SHORTS 9
(Dir. Robin Phillips, USA, 2014, 29mins) Three wanted air pirates embark on a dangerous quest, after discovering a lost child princess who may hold the ticket to their freedom.
THE NOSTALGIST
VANISHING CHILDREN SHORTS 4
(Dir. ABDUL ZAINIDI, Brunei Darussalam, 14mins) Brunei’s supernatural stories of houses and missing children re-enacted into documentary style to expose a different side to the country and of real missing people. THE PLACE WHERE YOU LIVE
VERITY SHORTS 4
(Dir. Nicola Quilter, UK, 2014, 9mins) Devastated by biological warfare, “Nation Mothers” recruited by “The System” have become crucial in establishing a new world order and desperate choices must be made.
WELCOME TO FOREVER SHORTS 7
THE RED THUNDER
(Dir. Laddie Britt Ervin, USA, 2015, 12mins) Cal Jenner is here to terminate Mr. Cooper, a digitized person who’s been malfunctioning for years.
THE RESISTANCE
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WHERE NONE WILL EVER BE SHORTS 8
(Dir. Simen Gjersvold, Denmark, 12mins) Post apocalyptic world, a boy must now act to save the one companion he has left…his teddy. THE SCARF SOLUTION
WHILE YOU WERE IN A COMA SHORTS 6
(Dir. Jean Paul Labbe, USA, 2015, 10mins) Waking from a 30 year coma, a man finds the world in shambles and the girl of his dreams still out there waiting for him.
ZEROGON SHORTS 9
(Dir. Joshua Planz, John Mattiuzzi, USA, 2014, 4mins) A lonely creature on a lonely planet is addicted to computer generated imagery.
THE SHAMAN
THE INNERNET
THIS IS JOE
TIN MAN
TRAVELER
TWENTY FORTY THREE
WHERE NONE WILL EVER BE
VALIANT
VANISHING CHILDREN
VERITY
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WELCOME TO FOREVER
WHILE YOU WERE IN A COMA
ZEROGON
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
FREE STUFF n 2015 do sci-fi-lon
FESTIVAL IN YOUR POCKEt
Want to find out what’s happening at the festival? See trailers, read the synopses, even tell your friends via our FREE IOS and Android APP. The app works all year round too, with a free audio library, scifi news and videos. This year we have also built in some cool Bluetooth Beacon technology and will be putting beacons around the festival venues. Make sure you get up close for the chance to win some goodies and get exclusive content, including our all new card game! Search SCIFILONDON on Google Play or iTunes App Store.
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C0 M96 Y90 K2
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PMS 1795C
on dark backgrounds
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no gradients
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stacked logo (for sharing only)
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PMS 1815C
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
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FREE EVENTS n 2015 do sci-fi-lon NEW SCIENTIST in association with SCI-FI-LONDON hosts a series of short films and discussions about why stories, games and falsehoods may be our best guide to tomorrow.
FICTION IS TAKING KEYNOTE BY ALASTAIR REYNOLDS OVER THE FUTURE MARRYING HUMAN CONCERNS BFI Southbank, Blue Room TO MONSTROUSLY sat 30 may SCALED 1.00PM FREE EVENT BACKDROPS but you must register online at sci-fi-london.com The day features a packed programme of stimulating content, some of which is highlighted here.
One of our finest writers of science fiction, Alastair spent twelve years within the European Space Agency, designing and building the S-Cam, the world’s most advanced optical camera, before returning to his native Wales in 2008.
Alastair Reynolds
EVEN THOUGH THESE EVENTS ARE FREE, DON’T FORGET TO BOOK A PLACE – check website for details
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
TRUTH, BEAUTY, FRANKENSTEIN AND THINGS FROM SCIENCE Play is a rehearsal for real life. What better way OUTER SPACE to prepare for the future than to play at it. If you want beauty, go to a gallery. If you want truth, go to a museum. If you want your heart to thunder, go watch a sci-fi movie. Right? Wrong. This panel discussion, will tear up the rule-book to reveal how the wildest and most outlandish fictions are slipping past our guard and into the cabinets and wall-spaces of our most trusted national institutions, from the V&A to the Science Museum. We enter the bizarre world of unreal exhibits – objects and films and documents that purport to be from future times, and unreal places. We are told they are there to entertain us, to baffle and provoke us, to get us thinking. But what happens when they fool us? What happens when we can no longer tell the difference between them and the real thing?
But can we ever really prepare for the unexpected? And what if the tales we’re telling hold us back? Can fiction warn us away from knowledge we are not supposed to know? Is Frankenstein’s monster due for decommissioning? Our second panel session makes the case for going mad with science, and explores the part playfulness plays in moving us into the future.
THE DREAMS OUR STUFF IS MADE OF When play meets the real world, revolutions happen.
Wilbur Wright invented aeroplane control surfaces while goofing around with a matchbox. The Montgolfier brothers knew everything about paper, but it took a moment watching washing blowing in the wind for one of them to realise the stuff could be used to build balloons. Our third and final panel bring play and games to bear on the real world, to make women healthy, astronauts safe, and water drinkable. They literally make science fiction real.
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
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FREE EVENTS n 2015 do n o l i f i sc sun 31 may , 1.00PM bfi southbank
fri 29 may , 6.30PM bfi southbank
FILM PRODUCTION WORKSHOPS
Shamz le roc
G-Technology and SCI-FI-LONDON present a day of workshops focused around science fiction short films.
From starting to write the screenplay, shooting and production workflow, through to sending it to a festival, the experts on hand will fill you full of tips and tricks that could save you time and money. Whether you have made a few shorts or are planning your first, don’t miss this. Featuring Robert Grant, author of HOW TO WRITE THE SCIENCE FICTION FILM, Rebecca Louise Smith, the Film Festival Doctor, and Tom Worth, Producer. Full details on our website.
Robert Grant
Playing live at the festival on opening night party celebrating 20 years of SFX magazine. East London’s Shamz Le Roc’s vibrant and upbeat sounds, combine different musical genres to create a toe-tapping, move-your-waist sound. Heavily influenced by legendary artists such as Toni Braxton, Missy Elliot, Patra, Beres Hammond and Janet Jackson, Shamz has begun to create her own R&B-infused, ska-licked dancehall. Shamz has recently finished recording her forthcoming debut EP, Incipio, which is set to be a bold showcase of her talents as a vocalist, songwriter, and all-round performer. Check out our website for how to win tickets to this invitation-only event.
Rebecca Louise Smith
Shamz Le Roc
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
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SCI-FIDO: DOG SHOW AT THE RITZY Dogstar and sci-fi-london want you to dress your dog as a famous film, tv, book or comic character. Got a pooch that you like to dress up or a dog that looks like Spock? Bring them along to our ‘dressed-up dog’ photo session, in association with East London’s Dogstar Photo Dog Photography. Hosted by glamorous dog lover, Bunny Galore, parade your dogs outside The Ritzy in Brixton and have your dog professionally photographed for free! The best dressed dogs will win a bag of goodies and a framed print of their photo! Sign up here at sci-fi-london.com/scifido
sun 7 june , 3.00PM the ritzy
Kids enjoying
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAY– 7 JUNE 2015
a previous dog
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festival venues and travel
BFI
BFI SOUTHBANK Belvedere Road South Bank London SE1 8XT Train/tube The nearest stations are Waterloo (South Bank exit), Embankment and Charing Cross (cross Hungerford Bridge to reach the South Bank). Bus 1, 4, 26, 68, 76, 77, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 211, 243, 341, 381, 507, 521, RV1 Car Parking under Hayward Gallery, National Theatre and Jubilee Gardens.
Train/tube Brixton Underground Station is 2 mins walk (Victoria line ) and Brixton Railway Station is 50 metres away. Bus 2, 3, 35, 45, 109, 118, 133, 159, 196, 250, 322, 345, 355, P4, P5, N2, N3, N35, N37, N109
RZY
THE RITZY Brixton Oval Coldharbour Lane London SW2 1JG
Car Parking info online at Lambeth Council.
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THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAYâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7 JUNE 2015
SPH
STRATFORD PICTUREHOUSE Stratford Centre Salway Road London E15 1BX
Train/tube/DLR Stratford Station (Central line, DLR, Jubilee line, Overground and National Rail) is a short walk away. Bus 25, 69, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 238, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 339, 425, 473 and D3 Car Limited spaces available for Blue Badge holders at the cinema. Parking info online at Newham Council.
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASTIC FILM 29 MAYâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7 JUNE 2015
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CREDITS and thank yous Festival Assistant: Maria Guastella Social Media Guru: Georgie Knight Web Editors: Martin Jensen and Chris Patmore Web Developer: Shazad Ahmed App Developer: Ketan Majmudar ket@spiritquest.co.uk
A huge thank you to all the filmmakers, sponsors, suppliers, supporters, volunteers, family, friends and audience – the festival would not happen without you! In no order, but deserving of a special mention are the following people and organisations: Shamz Le Roc
Beacon Development: Beaconia.co
Lee at the Mighty Booth (themightybooth.com)
Literary Editor: Robert Grant
Thomas Atherton, FCML
Staff Wranglers: Ali Hall and Raff Patmore
James Marks
Festival PR: Frazer Nash Communications Programme Advisor: Tony Watts, The Festivals Channel
Clare Binns, Paul Ridd, Dominic Voyce, Chris Harris, Suzi Rich, Laura Mills at Picturehouse Cinemas
Print Traffic: Dean Monahan, Media Servicing Ltd
Laura Adams, Stuart Brown, Emilie Arnold at BFI Southbank
Programme Design: workserver.co.uk
All the staff at The Ritzy, Stratford Picturehouse, BFI Southbank for keeping it all on track!
Festival ident and lead artwork: Gordon Spurs, Thomas Haig and Dan Harries Festival Photographers: Chris Harvey, Chris Patmore
Marek and Joe at Witchfinder PR Neil Fox and Mark Adams at Edinburgh International Film Festival Concatenation.org David Palmer-Barnes Future Publishing Simon Ings Tom Hunter Lorraine Savy Jodie Watts Charles Christian David Lally Ian Morrison All our jurors for the challenges – sterling work! Starbucks Mile End The Film Festival Doctor, Rebecca Louise Smith Suzanne Gorman And many others who wish to remain nameless, or we stupidly forgot – sorry!
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