The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival: Independents and Documentaries

The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival: Independents and Documentaries

25 September, 2008
by: Joe Kendle

It's not just about Quantum of Solace and Che, and the other gala screenings. The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival is also showing the efforts of hundreds of independent filmmakers. A few, the more commercially-minded, will be hoping that good reviews and audience buzz will secure their film a world-wide distribution deal. However, the vast majority of these films will never be shown outside of the festival circuit. Because often good films never secure distribution deals. Because some wonderful films are too avant-garde, or not commercial enough to be shown in major cinemas. And because many of the best films at this year's festival will be shorts.

Despite their niche status, the film-makers still hustle their work avidly because being in a dark theater with an audience watching, engaging and most of all reacting to the work is the rewarding culmination of years of work.

Check out an independent screening, maybe you'll be one of the first to see next year's biggest hit. More likely, you'll enjoy a film few will see and create a worthwhile experience for the film-maker.


INDIE FILM

Franklyn
16 October: Odeon West End 2
19 October: Rio
The feature film debut from British writer/director Gerald McMorrow whose short film Thespian X showed at the London Film Festival back in 2002. The film traces four characters through contemporary London and the futuristic capital Meanwhile-City. Starring Ryan Phillippe and sounding like a cross between Wim Wenders and Powell & Pressburger, this film could be the most interesting British release of the year. JK

Kisses
23 October: National Film Theatre
26 October: Tricycle Theatre
Lance Daly directs two excellent child actors (Kelly O'Neill and Shane Curry) in this modern day fairytale. Escaping boredom and parental violence in the washed out, grim suburbs, the pair flee to the big city, Dublin. The metropolis is a vibrant, colourful fantasy at first, but when night falls, they need to keep their wits about them. What starts as a grim tale of domestic abuse transforms into a realist Never Ending Story. JH

Shifty
24 October: Odeon West End
26 October: Ritzy
Eran Creevy's directorial debut (which he also wrote) is a hectic but convincing 24 hour trawl through the underbelly of the suburbs, with two friends reunited after a few years during which one of them has been avoiding his past and the other has become a drug dealer. Despite the familiar 'urban' subject matter, this film avoids clichés, and is sustainedly funny and tense. JH

London Calling
27 October: National Film Theatre
Nine short films and animations, not necessarily set in London but inspired by the city and part-funded by Film London. Ranging from absurdist Australian animations to teenage daydreams via a trip to the funfair, this is an accessible, high quality shorts selection. JH

New Town Killers
28 October: Odeon West End
30 October: Odeon West End 2
Richard Jobson's action flick cum socialist tract pitches poor Edinburgh lad Sean Kelly into a nightmare scenario where, in order to clear his sister's debts, he has to play a deadly game of hide and seek with some vicious toffs. In other words, it's Hard Target with a social conscience. And without hilarious Van Dammisms. JH


DOCUMENTARY

Gonzo: the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson
27 October: Odeon West End 2
28 October: Odeon West End
From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney and narrated by Johnny Depp this film covers the pivotal moments of the writer's gloriously depraved life. This is an absolute must for fans of Thompson and a riveting watch for anyone even remotely interested in American counterculture. WB

Anvil! The story of Anvil
21 October: Odeon West End 1
23 October: Odeon West End 2
Obvious comparisons to Spinal Tap are unfortunately unavoidable, but don't let that deter you. Anvil! is that rare Rockumentary that stands on its own two feet and that deserves to be viewed as the great and original work of documentary film making that it is. Of course it helps that it's hilarious. WB

Religulous
18 October: Odeon West End 1
20 October: Greenwich Picturehouse
Comedian Bill Maher surveys the state of religion as we march towards environmental and geopolitical apocalypse, and chides the various faiths for sitting back and enjoying it. You couldn't call this documentary even-handed (Maher has no time for blind faith) but at least he sticks it to all the various ideologies with equal vehemence and wit. Even Islam. Very funny, and likely to make you indignant whether it's because everything is so awful, or because the guy is insulting your life. JH

Of Time and the City
18 October: Odeon West End 1
21 October: National Film Theatre
Terence Davies's first film in eight years recalls his childhood in Liverpool in the '50s and '60s. Gripping, humorous and lyrical; Mark Kermode said he cried at the end of this year's Cannes screening. A welcome return for one of Britain's foremost directors. JK

Waltz with Bashir
Ari Folman's anti-war film explores his own experiences in the first Lebanon War of the early '80s. The film is a documentary in the form of an animation film; mixing surrealism, realistic graphics, comic-like scenes, and real footage of the aftermath of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. This will be unlike any film you've seen before. JK


Big Hitters

Best Foreign Films

Talks and Workshops

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Joe Kendle