It’s almost time to celebrate all things sci-fi as the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival heads our way on 19-26 October at the Picturehouse, Stratford, and this year’s programme is better than ever, ranging from the fantastical, the wacky to the simply out-of-this world!
Tickets are on sale now for the festival and in the meantime, here is what you can look forward to at SCI-FI-LONDON 2021…
Warning (UK Premier)
Doomsday is coming. But from where? Global warming, the isolation and breakdown of society, because the immortals hate us mortals. Or maybe it’s from the asteroids charging toward the planet?
Watch the trailer here.
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Thomas Jane, Alex Pettyfer, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Alice Eve, Rupert Everett
When? Opening night – Tue 19 Oct, 8.30pm
Exposure 36 (UK Premier)
Set in New York, three days before the world will end, we meet Cam, a struggling and grieving photographer. Coping with addiction,
Cam’s only plan is to succumb to his substance abuse as the world collapses around him. His one ambition is to capture final days on a roll of 35mm film. But his plan is disrupted when his friend goes missing, putting him on a journey to find out what happened and who’s responsible.
Cast: Charles Ouda, Jennifer Leigh Whitehead, Nick Smithson
When? Wed 20 Oct 8.40pm
Repeat (World Premier)
Where do we go when we die? Professor Ryan Moore believes that his new device communicates with those who have ‘passed’. He is obsessed with the project because his daughter, Samantha, has been missing without a trace for months, and he fears the worst.
In one experiment, it appears he has made contact with Samantha. His grief is awful, but he thinks he has found a way to ‘bring her back’. But will the truth of what happened be even more devastating.
Cast: Charlotte Ritchie, Nina Wadia, Tom England, Ellila-Jean Wood.
When? Thur 21 OCT – 8.40pm
Tiong Bahru Social Club (UK Premier)
Ah Bee’s life is a dull, monotonous one and he seems stuck in a rut. Then, one day, the opportunity arises to work at the new Tiong Bahru Social Club, a data-driven project to create the happiest neighbourhood in the world. His encounters with the neighbourhood’s residents and the authority that runs the place reveal the absurdity of life.
Cast: Thomas Pang, Goh Guat Kian, Jo Tan
When? Fri 22 OCT – 7.15pm
Strawberry Mansion (UK Premier)
Maybe tomorrow, an all-seeing surveillance state will start to invade our innermost thoughts and dreams. And, of course, we’ll be subject to “dream audits” to collect taxes on our unconscious lives.
So, one day, mild-mannered government agent James Preble travels to a remote farmhouse to audit the dreams of Bella Isadora, an eccentric artist. But Bella’s vast dream archive hides a secret that offers him a chance at love — and maybe a way out of his dull life.
Cast: Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney, Penny Fuller
When? Fri 22 OCT – 9pm
Esluna: The Crown Of Babylon (UK Premier)
Esluna is ruled by descendants of a sacred bloodline, and their technology is powered by the highly advanced relics of their ancients.
Raised by the monks who protect the relics of the old world, MAEVE is a treasure hunter who uses her skills to find other artefacts for the leaders.
When her mentor, CAZ, is kidnapped by a militia group run by a rogue monk, Maeve learns of a powerful relic called the ‘CROWN OF BABYLON‘, rumoured to have the power to bring back the dead. She teams up with BATAAR, a young man who mysteriously came to Esluna from another world years ago and worked with Caz to find the crown at the time of her abduction. Now, they must find the crown, save Caz, and stop the rogue from endangering the lives of everyone they know.
When? Sat 23 Oct – 11am
Night Raiders (European Premier)
Executive produced by Taika Waititi, Night Raiders is the year is 2043, when North America has been shattered by war. The totalitarian regime that remains now forces children into brutal military training to fight in the futile war.
To save her daughter, Waseese, from this fate, Niska has been hiding them in the woods, living a reclusive life dominated by fear of discovery. When the pair are forced into the remnants of the city, Waseese is captured along with several others. Niska finds herself among the ‘Night Raiders’, a group of indigenous rebels who plan to free their children.
Watch the trailer here.
Cast: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Brooklyn Letexier-HartAlex Tarrant
When? Sat 23 Oct – 7.00pm
Glasshouse (UK Premier)
The world we know has gone. The ‘shred’ came and took away our minds, and everything fell apart. But like an oasis set apart from the desolate, destroyed world, one family exists, out of sight. The daughters work the land, their mother rules with an iron hand.
One day the sisters are seduced by a Stranger who shatters their peace and stirs a past best left buried.
Cast: Jessica Alexander, Hilton Pelser, Brent Vermeulen, Adrienne Pearce, Kitty Harris, Anja Taljaard
When? Sat 23 Oct – 9pm
Tune Into The Future
One hundred years before the internet, a self-declared tech guru started preaching the future to his flock of outsiders. Meet the most influential nerd you may never have heard of: Hugo Gernsback. Decades in advance, he foresaw Skype, jetpacks, space mining and drones. But even though he would accumulate over 80 patents throughout his life and befriend the likes of Edison and Tesla, his most influential invention remains Science Fiction.
SCREENS WITH SHORT: My Brain Is Bigger: The Rise And Fall Of Elektro, The Smoking Robot
A whimsical look at the life of America’s first celebrity robot, Elektro. He was the ‘next big thing’, from the World’s Fair to Soft-porn star… and then he disappeared.
When? Sun 24 Oct – 1pm
The High Frontier: The Untold Story Of Gerard K. O’Neill
Gerard K. O’Neill was a physicist and space colony pioneer. In 1977, O’Neill wrote The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space. This book sparked an enormous grassroots movement to “open the high frontier” to make space available and beneficial for all mankind.
The film is told through “Gerry’s Kids”, as they affectionately call themselves; his peers, family, and the younger generation who followed that movement and are now in charge of the modern-day space industry.
SCREENS WITH SHORT: Artist Depiction By Steve R. Dodd
Steve Dodd has painted space scenes since the 1970s. Working at home with no phone, internet or computer, he has created hundreds of beautiful ‘spacescapes’: visions of a positive future amongst the stars. This is his first recorded interview.
When? Sun 24 Oct – 3pm
12 Months Of Kai
Something has changed in a world where ‘personal care robots’ are commonplace and cater to our every need.
Kyoka, who lives in Tokyo and has a successful career, decided to get a personal care humanoid (PCH) Kai. He is perfect. He learns quickly and knows Kyoka so well. However, Kai seems to have real emotions, and Kyoka is lost in this new relationship. Her friends are worried for her, but soon they will all have to confront an unexpected change in the world.
Cast: Ayaka Nakagouchi, Kosei Kudo
When? Sun 24 Oct – 5.45pm
Visitor (UK Premier)
Marga lost her sister in a tragic accident when they were children. Years later, Marga is having relationship problems. So she decides to get some space and visit the old family home. But strange things start happening, and she discovers a portal to another reality, one where her sister is alive and grown-up.
But in that parallel dimension, her sister and her other self warn Marga that something terrible is about to happen, but who can she trust?
Cast: Jan Cornet, Iria del Rio, Miquel Fernández
When? Mon 25 Oct – 8.30pm
Moon Heart (World Premier)
M is alone, almost invisible to society, not an outcast, just old, poor, homeless and ignored. Her only friend is a lone ant. M’s world is full of nostalgic memories and a dark presence that haunts her. Then one day, a “mechanical angel” arrives to help change her life.
Cast: Haydeé Cáceres
When? Closing night, Tue 26 Oct – 8.30pm
There’s also plenty more to look forward to at the event, including a full shorts progamme, the announcement of the winners of the festival’s infamous 48-hour film challenge on 20 October (check out the shortlisted films here) and a quiz night on Sunday 24 October at 7pm.
The festival is also currently looking for volounteers to join the amazing team at festival, find out more here.
Dressing up and cosplay is highly encouraged, so don your best outfit, grab the popcorn and settle in with SciFiNow and SCI-FI-LONDON to celebrate all things sci-fi!
SCI-FI-LONDON will take place on 19-26 October at the Picturehouse, Stratford. Buy your tickets here.