This year, SCI-FI-LONDON has 8 world premieres, 1 international premiere, with the rest of the festival’s official selection made up of UK premieres.  The opening film is the sold out world premiere of Death, a British supernatural comedy drama by Martin Gooch and featuring iconic Brit actor Leslie Philips.  Other world premieres are the previously mentioned Trek Nation about the impact of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s impact on the genre; Strange Frame, an animated, dystopian, lesbian rock musical from Hawaii; Memory Lane, a time travel film reportedly made for $300; True Love, which makes the Ludovico Technique look like an episode of Mr & Mrs; and Cycle, which is like Tron meets 2001.  Other highlights include the international premiere of Extracted, starring Sasha Roiz (Caprica, Grimm); and Radio Free Albemuth an indie film that is one of the best and most faithful interpretations of a Philip K Dick story.  In fact, this year is probably the festival’s strongest line up to date.

There is a tribute to Boris Karloff to celebrate his 125th birthday, and a retrospective of Dutch master Paul Verhoeven, which are both part of the all-nighter programmes that will also include anime and MST3K comedy.  Apart from features, the festival has always shown strong support for shorts, with 3 shorts programmes along with 2 other shorts events; a collection of sci-fi related music videos and a curated section of short films based on short stories by renowned writers such as George Orwell and Stanislaw Lem.

However, it’s not just fiction features that are shown at the festival.  There is a documentary strand with Trek Nation and another Star Trek doc The Captains by William Shatner who talks with all the actors who have played the captains of the Enterprise in all its different forms.  One of the festival’s world premieres is Sense of Scale which looks at the dying art of miniatures and model making in genre movies, which is being killed off by CGI.

Festival director Louis Savy is quick to point out that the SCI-FI-LONDON is not a convention with sales booths and celebrity signings and while it is a film festival there are non-film events such as the popular comedy and cabaret night featuring comedians Rob Deb and Bec Hill.  There is a 2-day celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the ZX Spectrum, which is a free event being held at the BFI.

Continuing in its support of independent sci-fi filmmakers, there is an all-day event at BAFTA for people wanting to find out more about the practical aspects of making a film and finding an audience, with plenty of opportunity to speak with industry professionals.

SCI-FI-LONDON’s mission has always been to attract audiences that not only love sci-fi but also those who think they don’t like it, by breaking down the misconceptions of what sci-fi movies are i.e. not all Hollywood mega blockbusters with aliens and spaceships, and at least 3 of the features showing are romantic movies with a twist, along with some free children’s screenings.

This festival may not have as high a profile as other London festivals, but it is always full of surprises and finishes off with a pub quiz for knowledgeable geeks and the closing night film, which must have the best title of any film this year – Ghosts With Shit Jobs.

– Chris Patmore (edited by SHATTERJAPAN)

For film lovers, film festivals are the place to catch independent films that will either never get cinema distribution, or the place to see them often years before the distributors realize how good the films are.  For people who like going to film festivals (excluding Mark Kermode (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2012/04/who_cares_about_festivals.html)) London is one of the best places in the world. Not a week goes by without a film festival catering for any one of the hundreds of language or ethic groups living in the capital.  Then there are specific groups such as sports enthusiasts, women filmmakers and LGBT, and one of the most maligned and sidelined sub-cultures – the geeks, the fans of what are loosely known as genre films, horror and sci-fi/fantasy.  For sci-fi fans, it has to be London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film, or more simply SCI-FI-LONDON, which runs from May 1 – 7.

Actually, the festival starts a little earlier than that.  Over the weekend of April 14 – 16, 368 teams of filmmakers signed up to take part in the festival’s fifth 48 Hour Film Challenge, where they had two days to make a five-minute sci-fi short based on a title, a line of dialogue and a prop that one member of each team selects at random from bags at the beginning of the challenge.  By Monday morning, 161 completed films had been returned to compete for the grand prize of a feature development deal with Vertigo Films (Gareth Edwards got to make his indie hit Monsters after Vertigo saw his winning short from the first challenge).  The jury includes legendary Hollywood filmmaker Joe Dante, and the top 20 films will be screened at the festival.

In the run up to the serious business of watching the films, the festival held a costume parade last Sunday.  For most members of the public, this is their impression of sci-fi fans – weirdoes that like to dress up, however the actual festival is a for more sober affair (although costumed fans are always welcome) and with the world premiere of Trek Nation just added to the already full programme, costumes may not be limited to the parade.  Check out SHATTERJAPAN’s photos of the parade here.

Now in its 11th year, SCI-FI-LONDON has developed an international reputation, especially among filmmakers, as not only a very friendly festival but also as the place to launch an indie genre movie to its highly discerning and intelligent audience.  The festival is proud of its independence, and although it has some sponsors it has never relied on government grants and it survives on the passion of its volunteer staff and the boundless enthusiasm of festival director and founder Louis Savy.  This passion is clearly infectious, spreading not only to the audiences but also to the filmmakers who choose to premiere their films here but also visit the festival at their expense to support their films with Q&As and meet the fans.

The full programme can be found online at www.sci-fi-london.com.  Print copies can be picked up from the main venues of Apollo Piccadilly Circus and BFI Southbank.  The festival also has its own App, for Android and iPhone that includes the whole programme and some special offers and prizes.  With many of the screenings already sold out, it is advisable to book tickets as soon as possible.

– Chris Patmore (edited by SHATTERJAPAN)

The highlight of the entire Fringe! Film Fest for me was the Friday night late screening of In Bed With Madonna at the Rio Cinema, Dalston. I was initially sceptical as I’d never before watched the full film and imagined it to be an ultra camp affair. Well I certainly wasn’t disappointed!

The evening’s host “Tranny with a Fanny” Holestar started off the proceedings with a competition between the guests who’d dressed up for the event. The audience whooped with joy as Madonnas of various ages, sizes, genders and levels of drunkenness got onto the stage. They strutted, rolled around and flashed their bare bosoms with gusto! It was clear that the night was going to be about good old-fashioned campness, some banging Madonna tracks and impromptu dancing by most of the crowd. The winner of the competition was a Miss “Jacqui Potato” who throughout the film would grace the stage many times with her Frozen presence and throw some shapes (well, roll around on the floor)!

We were then treated to a hilariously funny parody of the main attraction. In Bed With Holestar had the crowd including myself screaming with laughter. After watching Holestar’s spot-on sendup the feature started and we got down to some serious Madonna worship. In Bed With Madonna is a ‘classic’ – Madonna becomes a parody of herself and mercilessly dismisses all those around her… how she manages to keep a straight face, I don’t know. The film is intriguing for its cinematography as well as its content, and the crowd had memorised certain lines so that a chorus erupted when they were spoken on screen. The night progressed swiftly and with every Madonna tune we got more and more excited. I ended up dancing in the aisles, whooping and murdering the lyrics to Like a Virgin among many others!

When the credits rolled and the cinema began to disgorge its intoxicated, colourfully dressed and somewhat exhausted crowd onto the streets of Dalston, I was left slightly confused as to what had just occurred. I maintain that I was possessed by the spirit of Madonna – how else could I explain the vogue poses, reciting of monologue and me thrusting my hips in public like that!!

-Adam

I’ve never been to Hackney Picturehouse before and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was clean, crisply decorated and stylish, but with a hint of unpolished concrete rawness, a fitting arena for the launch of London’s Fringe! Film Fest and its opening film I Want Your Love.

After drinks and the cutting of the Fringe! cake we were seated in the spacious and supremely comfortable seats of the theatre. The screening had attracted people of all ages – I was seated next to two young South London boys who told me they were having a good time and that this was the first time they had done something like this.

The first film short Mates by Antonia De Silva caught me off guard over its graphic representation of the Grindr and Fuck culture among gay men. It was extremely explicit showing in detail oral and anal sex and contained virtually no dialogue. The British reaction to sex even among gay men is intriguing to observe, I heard groans of discomfort and visibly saw people squirm in their plush seats. I had never viewed pornography with such a large crowd and it did make me feel slightly uncomfortable.

The main feature I Want Your Love by Travis Mathews was heavy on sexual explicit content too, but in this case, these weren’t random meetings devoid of emotion, but loving intimate encounters full of laughter, love and conversation. I genuinely cared about the characters and empathised with their highs and lows. The crowd responded with raucous laughter to certain scenes, particularly when real to life sexual dramas were played out upon the screen. I Want Your Love is a startlingly graphic, honest and well filmed portrayal of the lives of its San Francisco characters and I would recommend it to all who aren’t easily embarrassed by its sexual content!

- Adam

So what makes a film festival truly great??

One that blasts your mind open with its programme, encourages interaction between the artists and the audience, knows no bounds and exposes you to a variety of art media and concepts, takes place in various venues of style and intimacy, and which offers a non-stop rollercoaster ride of parties and cultural events.  Welcome to London’s Fringe! Gay Film Fest.

Now in its second year (*rapturous applause*) and admirably founded in response to UK arts cuts, this year’s festival runs from 12 to 15 April and promises to bring us right to the edge and drop us off the cliff of queer culture.  With a wide package of activities on offer from eclectic film screenings (“Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984-1992” – Sat 14, “Swoon” – Sun 15), talks and exhibitions to boundary-pushing performances (“Post Porn” – Sat 14)… from dress-up party screenings (“In Bed With Madonna” – Fri 13) to voguing workshops, secret women’s dark room moments (“Stav B’s Dark Room” – Fri 13) and hot DJ sets (Lauren Flax of Creep, etc. – Sat 14), this festival has something to offer every culturally curious mind in the city and beyond.

The Fringe! team are also continuing to video volunteers telling their First Love stories during the festival for their edgy “First Project” (screenings, workshops – Sun 15).

Check out their programme here: http://fringefilmfest.com/whats-on

Many events have been sold out, but it’s always worth passing by and checking in. There are also many free events and parties galore.

See you there, fellow risk-takers!!

If you have seen the trailer for Battleship then your perceptions are quite likely to be on-point. Ultimately, naval ships go out into the Pacific Ocean to take part in a series of military tests and are met by Transformer-esque vessels containing aliens.  Loveable rogue (Taylor Kitsch) stands in the forefront of fire, under alien attack fighting for his life and that of planet Earth, while his stunning girlfriend, the Admiral’s daughter (Brooklyn Decker) struggles on dry land.

What we don’t see in the trailer is that Battleship is interjected with bouts of humour and comedy one-liners, mostly accidental but nonetheless entertaining.  Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard and Rihanna (who successfully masters her occasional single-word outbursts and brooding look while blowing stuff up) add to the drama with their military precision acting, however it can be said that none of them have been tested in their roles.  Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano as Captain Nagata also does a good job of stabilizing this rocky vessel of a film with its overinflated budget and utterly absurd and borderline racist dialogue.

Despite being a ridiculous concept and possibly a ridiculous film, it was a fun, over the top, American action movie, and at least you know what you’re getting.  The fight scenes are brutal, the explosions loud and the graphics phenomenal – however the continuity lacks and each scene must be taken with a pinch of salt.  It certainly had enough members of tonight’s audience rolling in the aisles with laughter.

- Jennifer Houlihan

BFI Southbank is again making efforts to promote women in film, most recently seen with their International Women’s Day 8 March event co-hosted with Birds Eye View whose film festival is currently on hiatus until 2013 due to funding shortages.

This inaugural Made In Britain season (2 – 30 April) offers a broad selection of films from British filmmakers who just so happen to be female, including Carol Morley (Dreams of A Life), Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, Wuthering Heights), Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar, We Need To Talk About Kevin), Joanna Hogg (Unrelated, Archipelago), Lucy Walker (Countdown To Zero, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom), Gillian Wearing (Self Made) and Clio Barnard (The Arbor).  We’re also treated to shorts programme “Made In Britain: Next Gen” through which the works of Sally El Hosaini, Vicky Mather, Debbie Tucker Green, Medeni Griffiths, Christine Entwistle, Andrea Harkin and Jane Linfoot are brought to the screen.  In Head of Exhibition Clare Stewart’s own words, the BFI is this month celebrating “filmmakers with a bold approach to cinematic form and a tangible, demonstrated vision.”

Clio Barnard's award-winner The Arbor; Carol Morley's Dreams Of A Life

Lucy Walker's The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom; Lynne Ramsay's We Need To Talk About Kevin

The selection of filmmakers for this season is well, rather too selective for some maybe, in that it profiles mostly white filmmakers, although one could happily counterargue this observation saying that sadly that is simply a realistic portrayal of where funds tend to go in the UK film world, and that this lineup simply highlights our suspicion that women (or men) of ethnic backgrounds often (economically or otherwise) struggle more than they ought in the UK in their pursuit of a sustainable filmmaking career.  However, this particular season is a nice start, and we look forward to seeing where Made In Britain heads next.

We’ll bring you more reports about this season. For now, check out the programme here http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank/film_programme/april_seasons/made_in_britain

- Olivia

It’s been a number of years since we’ve seen celluloid queen and two-time Golden Globe winner Kathleen Turner steam up the big screen with the likes of Body Heat, Romancing The Stone, Prizzi’s Honor and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (voice of Jessica Rabbit).  In The Perfect Family, we see Turner blast the cinemas once again, but this time with her outstanding performance as a mother too proud and bewildered by life’s twists and turns to face the reality that her family is falling apart.  Revisiting her Serial Mom days, Turner’s Eileen Cleary exudes all the purity and devotion of a “good Catholic woman” who lives life from a distant place, determined to micromanage her already fractured family.

First time feature filmmaker Anne Renton has brought to us a film which many daughters, sons, mothers and fathers can relate to… Although mostly centred around the story of a woman competing for the sought-after Catholic Woman Of The Year Award at the cost of her family’s happiness, this film is so much more than an account of a woman forced to question her beliefs and her loyalty to her children and husband.  Renton successfully raises such hardhitting issues as the consequences of a parent’s resistance to their children’s sexual identity and life choices, as well that of a wife coming to terms with her age and unstable relationship with an alcoholic husband, and does so in an intelligent and hilarious way – no small achievement for a film on a tight budget and 19 day shoot.

Turner is a dream on the screen, delivering a performance of great subtlety and sympathy, every line and expression seemingly delivered with great care and respect for the content.  A massively charismatic actress, she puts BONES’ star Emily Deschanel in her place as almost a popcorn actress who finds it hard to compete with Turner when sharing the screen.  Having said that, this fits in nicely with the visible insecurity of Deschanel’s character Shannon who has been living in her mother’s shadow.  The script also does its job, with such classics as “I don’t HAVE to think – I’m a Catholic!” (Eileen).

The lesbian love relationship in question could be criticized by some for not being explicit enough within the film, but again this almost reflects the discomfort of Turner’s character towards the relationship.  Without spoiling the story, let’s just say that Eileen enters somewhat of an existential crisis when she attempts to confront how she is on the way to losing everything she loves for the sake of her religious beliefs.

Openly gay actor Richard Chamberlain also gives a comic turn as Monsignor Murphy who puts forward Eileen for the award.  Bizarrely reminiscent of his Thorn Birds days, Chamberlain (in impressively good nick) does a good job of keeping his face straight throughout, though there is definitely the occasional crack in the veneer.

An all round intelligent and fun film, The Perfect Family was widely embraced by the LLGFF audiences this year at the BFI.  Try to catch this one when it does the cinema and festival rounds.

- Olivia

It is difficult to deny that the BFI IMAX is an impressive venue and offers the ultimate 3D experience in the UK.  Admittedly, I was not expecting much from this sequel to the shockingly awful Clash Of The Titans remake and “filler” film laying the groundwork for the upcoming 3rd part of this franchise.

Pros: The special effects are brilliant, but so fast and glutted together that the brain and eyes have next to no time to recover and focus on what little plotline there is.  Ralph Fiennes does a brilliant job as a camp Hades, looking and sounding like he was built for the role – finally his wooden exterior and glacial eyes have found a place on celluloid, reminiscent of his Red Dragon days (This is not necessarily a good thing…). Toby Kebbell (no it’s NOT Russell Brand) of Control and Dead Man’s Shoes fame blows everyone else off the screen, as Agenor, Poseidon’s bad boy demigod son.  British stalwart Bill Nighy gives yet another flawless performance as Hephaestus. The film’s general entertainment value is average and I could see how it would appeal to a younger audience or sexually frustrated men.

Cons: Liam Neeson’s portrayal of Zeus is laughable, reminding me too much of his Star Wars’ character Qui-Gon Junn and I half expected him to produce a lightsaber.  The accents are far too varied which becomes hilarious, and although I’m all for genuineness in acting, it was lazy filmmaking and a major distraction.  Sam Worthington is (unsurprisingly, some may say) absolutely hopeless, not helped along by the twangy Australian accent and dodgy hair, making his Perseus incredulous as a hero of any kind.  Rosamund Pike is a delight to watch on the screen but horribly underused as Andromeda – although we’re led to anticipate her contribution to the heroic struggle, she doesn’t get to do much and this has to be her weakest acting role to date.  Edgar Ramirez as Ares is again underused, a million miles away from his award-winning star role in TV miniseries Carlos.  Anyone who has seen director Liebesman’s debacle Battle Los Angeles should know what they’re in for – it’s depressing to remember that this is a $150 million production, exposing the utter demoralization of the global commercial film industry.

The bottom line: a fun popcorn movie if you leave your brain and creative ethics at the door and if you can handle the wooshing 3D CGI effects.  Marginally better than its predecessor, this needs to be seen at the cinema, not on the small screen.  At UK cinemas from today.

- Olivia

This powerful and extraordinarily well-made feature film debut from Dee Rees has become the talk of the 2012 London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.  Pariah has captured the hearts of all who had the good fortune (and finances) to see it this week.

We wouldn’t be the first to point out that it is rare to witness a film of such intelligence, emotional depth and high production value at a queer film festival.  I would argue that it’s rare to see that at any film festival across the globe.  Winner of the Sundance cinematography award and the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, Pariah has just gone on to win the Outstanding Film Award at the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards ceremony in the US.  Noticeably snubbed at the Academy Awards, Pariah continues however to sweep up awards.

Based on the LA Film Festival Audience Award-winning short of the same title and screened previously at the London Film Festival, the feature film which emerged retains a steady engaging pace, tracking the experiences of a Brooklyn teenager coming to terms with her sexual identity and her increasingly strained relationship with her parents.  Do not mistake this as just another coming-out story: Pariah brings you into the life and mind of a young woman faced with hard choices, pushed and pulled from every angle.  It is a story of love and understanding, or lack thereof.  A story which any woman or man of any age or background can relate to.

The uber-talented writer-director Dee Rees has given to the world a precious gift.  Not bad for a first time feature filmmaker.

- Olivia