Rentals
Discoveries
Your place for a chance meeting with new talent and the persistently brilliant.
It is casual encounter, rather than formula, which leads you to find a good film. The London Film Festival is a place for serendipity, where a last-minute ticket can spark a lifelong devotion. This international selection, many with accompanying interviews, shows some of the best discoveries of recent years.

Custody Custody
Drama 2016 94 mins Director: Xavier Legrand
Myriam (Drucker) has recently left husband Antoine (Ménochet). She doesn’t want her youngest, Julien (Gioria), to see a father she claims is violent. But the judge rules otherwise, and the boy becomes a pawn in a bitter parental conflict…

Nancy Nancy
Drama 2018 86 mins Director: Christina Choe
Andrea Riseborough is extraordinary in this disquieting drama about a woman convinced that she was kidnapped as a child and might have found her real parents.

A Woman's Life A Woman's Life
Drama 2016 119 mins Director: Stéphane Brizé
Judith Chemla shines in this Guy de Maupassant adaptation, a tale spanning 20 years of a woman’s life.

Journeyman Journeyman
Drama 2018 92 mins Director: Paddy Considine
Paddy Considine directs and stars with Jodie Whittaker in this emotional knockout - the story of a boxer rebuilding his life after a near-fatal injury.

Reinventing Marvin Reinventing Marvin
Drama 2017 114 mins Director: Anne Fontaine
A young gay man (Finnegan Oldfield ) flourishes under the tutelage of Isabelle Huppert's drama teacher, in this stirring drama from director Anne Fontaine (The Innocents).

A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2013 98 mins Director: Ben Rivers and Ben Russell
Visual artists Ben Rivers and Ben Russell’s mesmerising film follows an unnamed character through three phases of alternative existence, from rural commune to a black metal rock concert.

Bros: After the Screaming Stops Bros: After the Screaming Stops
Documentary 2018 97 mins Director: David Soutar
Matt and Luke Goss take on the big screen – and each other – in this candid documentary charting the reunion of 80s pop sensations Bros; an affectionate portrait that generates more than a touch of Spinal Tap-esque hilarity.

VS. VS.
Drama 2018 99 mins Director: Ed Lilly
A foster teen channels his rage into rap in Ed Lilly’s urgent freestyling drama.

Girl Girl
Drama 2018 106 mins Director: Lukas Dhont
Lukas Dhont's breathtaking debut feature encompasses the heartache, courage, and punishing training of a ballerina transitioning in her teenage years.

Utøya – July 22 Utøya – July 22
Drama 2018 97 mins Director: Erik Poppe
Unfolding in real time in a single, devastating 72-minute take, Erik Poppe delivers a harrowing reconstruction of the massacre of 69 young people by Anders Behring Breivik.

Sauvage Sauvage
Drama 2018 99 mins Director: Camille Vidal-Naquet
The daily misfortunes of a lonesome rent boy are laid bare in this tough but tender portrait of life on the fringes of society.

Anchor and Hope Anchor and Hope
Comedy 2018 113 mins Director: Carlos Marques-Marcet
Sweetly swaying houseboat comedy about a couple whose river-bound existence is upended by the arrival of an old friend.

Sicilian Ghost Story Sicilian Ghost Story
Drama 2017 119 mins Director: Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza
A gripping real-life story of a Mafia kidnapping in Italy is enthrallingly re-imagined as supernatural fantasy by the directors of the acclaimed Salvo.

Racer and the Jailbird Racer and the Jailbird
Thriller 2017 130 mins Director: Michaël R. Roskam
Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Colour) and Matthias Schoenaerts (A Bigger Splash) are lovers entangled in a world of crime in this tough, twisty thriller-romance

The Nile Hilton Incident The Nile Hilton Incident
Crime 2017 111 mins Director: Tarik Saleh
A murder investigation is mired by bureaucratic corruption in this dark Egyptian thriller, where everyone is on the make.

A Fantastic Woman A Fantastic Woman
Drama 2017 104 mins Director: Sebastián Lelio
This invigorating and inspiring Chilean drama from Sebastián Lelio (Gloria) follows a trans woman’s quest for a little respect. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film 2018.

Dark River Dark River
Drama 2018 89 mins Director: Clio Barnard
Clio Barnard follows The Selfish Giant and The Arbor with this searing and eloquent Yorkshire-set drama exploring the fragility of familial relationships.

My Journey through French Cinema My Journey through French Cinema
Documentary 2016 193 mins Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Director Bertrand Tavernier guides us on a fascinating voyage through French film history, from the 1930s through to the '70s.

The Endless The Endless
Horror 2017 112 mins Director: Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson
Two brothers who escaped a cult are drawn back in by a mysterious message… Acclaimed directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring) return with another hybrid piece of raging intensity.

The Cured The Cured
Drama 2018 95 mins Director: David Freyne
Elliot Page stars in this inventive and surprising post-zombie film from Ireland, in which the rehabilitated undead are transitioned back into society.

Song of Granite Song of Granite
Biopic 2017 97 mins Director: Pat Collins
A formally audacious account of the life and times of traditional Irish folk singer Joe Heaney, combining ‘fictional’ drama, documentary footage and musical sequence

Zoology Zoology
Drama 2016 87 mins Director: Ivan I. Tverdovsky
Middle-aged Natasha grows a tail and falls in love in Ivan Tverdovsky’s absurd tale of contemporary Russia.

My Life As a Courgette My Life As a Courgette
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2016 67 mins Director: Claude Barras
Both young and adult audiences will enjoy this funny and touching animated feature about an orphan named Courgette, written by Céline Sciamma (Girlhood).

Stockholm My Love Stockholm My Love
Drama 2016 84 mins Director: Mark Cousins
Neneh Cherry, director Mark Cousins and cinematographer Christopher Doyle's exquisite love song to the Swedish city.

Una Una
Drama 2017 94 mins Director: Benedict Andrews
Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn star in a brilliantly unsettling exploration of a dark and deeply destructive relationship.

Dancer Dancer
Documentary 2017 85 mins Director: David Lachapelle and Steven Cantor
The rise, fall and rise again of the bad boy of ballet, Ukrainian prodigy Sergei Polunin is captured in this swirling doc with a rocking soundtrack.

Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)
Drama 2015 94 mins Director: Eva Husson
High-school students start a private orgy society in Eva Husson’s dazzlingly shot, no-holds-barred drama.

The Eagle Huntress The Eagle Huntress
Documentary 2016 88 mins
Daisy Ridley narrates this inspiring documentary about a girl who causes a stir in her tribe in Mongolia by embracing the traditionally male role of Eagle Hunter.

Spaceship Spaceship
Comedy 2017 90 mins Director: Alex Taylor
British teen cinema gets an injection of hallucinogenic imagination, plus a few unicorns and aliens, in Alex Taylor’s unclassifiable debut feature.

On the Road On the Road
Drama-documentary 2017 121 mins Director: Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom’s sexy and idiosyncratic tour film follows 2018 Mercury Prize winners Wolf Alice, merging thrilling live footage with a fictional backstage romance.

Clash Clash
Thriller 2016 94 mins Director: Mohamed Diab
Mohamed Diab’s Clash is an unforgettable portrait of Egypt on the brink as rival protesters find themselves locked up in a police van. Un Certain Regard official selection at Cannes 2016.

Taekwondo Taekwondo
Drama 2016 108 mins Director: Marco Berger and Martin Farina
A gorgeously photographed, teasingly libidinous exercise in latent homoeroticism set over a long hot summer in Buenos Aires.

I Am Not a Serial Killer I Am Not a Serial Killer
Thriller 2016 103 mins Director: Billy O'Brien
A teenage sociopath comes face to face with an evil force in this chilling and darkly humorous adaptation of Dan Wells’ acclaimed cult novel.

Land of Mine Land of Mine
War 2015 101 mins Director: Martin Zandvliet
The brutal and morally complex story of young German POWs faced with the deadly task of landmine clearance in postwar Denmark.

Embrace of the Serpent Embrace of the Serpent
Action and Adventure 2015 124 mins Director: Ciro Guerra
The spirit of Werner Herzog and Apocalypse Now imbue this majestic Oscar-nominated odyssey through the heart of the Amazon.

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words
Documentary 2015 114 mins Director: Stig Björkman
An illuminating portrait of the pioneering actress, crafted from her unique personal archive of home-movie footage, letters and diary extracts.

The Possibilities Are Endless The Possibilities Are Endless
Documentary 2014 83 mins Director: Edward Lovelace and James Hall
A moving and haunting account of singer Edwyn Collins’s long and difficult recovery from a stroke.

James White James White
Drama 2016 87 mins Director: Josh Mond
Reality bites for a hedonistic young New Yorker who suddenly has to grow up quickly, in a brilliantly acted drama from the team behind Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Dior and I Dior and I
Documentary 2014 90 mins Director: Frederic Tcheng
An astonishing behind-the-scenes documentary following the famed fashion house’s new artistic director as he prepares his first collection.

Half of a Yellow Sun Half of a Yellow Sun
Drama 2014 111 mins Director: Biyi Bandele-Thomas
Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in the acclaimed adaption of the Orange Prize-winning novel.

A Date For Mad Mary A Date For Mad Mary
2016 83 mins Director: Darren Thornton
Dry, sarcastic, maddening Mary must find a date for her best friend’s wedding in this Irish feel-good hit for misfits everywhere.

Tower Tower
Documentary 2016 82 mins Director: Keith Maitland
An emotionally gripping and visually stunning account of the first American mass school shooting, in Texas in 1966, blending archive, animation and contemporary interviews.

The Hard Stop The Hard Stop
Documentary 2016 86 mins Director: George Amponsah
The story of Mark Duggan, who was shot and killed in Tottenham in 2011, is brought to the screen in this humane, thought-provoking and topical documentary.

Elstree 1976 Elstree 1976
Documentary 2015 101 mins Director: Jon Spira
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, ten actors landed small roles in a mysterious project called Star Wars. This is the story of how their lives changed forever.

Tony Manero Tony Manero
Drama 2008 93 mins Director: Pablo Larraín
Pablo Larrain's drama about a dancer obsessed by Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever is a darkly witty take on life in Pinochet's Chile

Dreams of a Life Dreams of a Life
Documentary 2011 91 mins Director: Carol Morley
The power of kinship is explored in Carol Morley’s drama-documentary, drawn from real life and resonant with the way we live now.

The Keeping Room The Keeping Room
Western 2016 95 mins
On the American frontier a young woman is forced to go to any means to defend her kin from the ravages of the barbaric outside world.

The Here After The Here After
Drama 2015 102 mins Director: Magnus von Horn
A teenager attempts to integrate back into society following a spell in prison, but the community is unwilling to forgive him.

Into the Abyss A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life Into the Abyss A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life
Documentary 2011 103 mins Director: Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog’s documentary about an unrepentant young murderer on death row is a cool, compassionate study of the dark side of the human condition

Hitchcock/Truffaut Hitchcock/Truffaut
Documentary 2015 80 mins Director: Kent Jones
Kent Jones’ excellent documentary about a historic encounter between two cinema greats.

Aferim! Aferim!
Drama 2015 106 mins Director: Radu Jude
A policeman searches for a runaway gypsy in Radu Jude’s hilarious and magnificently shot Wallachian western.

The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2016 95 mins Director: Ben Rivers
Britain’s brilliant experimental filmmaker Ben Rivers (Two Years at Sea) presents this haunting desert parable which follows a filmmaker’s abduction and ritual humiliation.

Light Years Light Years
Drama 2016 89 mins Director: Esther May Campbell
Beth Orton stars in a fragile and subtly nuanced drama that explores the toll of physical and mental illness on a fractured family.

White Bird in a Blizzard White Bird in a Blizzard
Drama 2014 91 mins Director: Gregg Araki
Shailene Woodley and Eva Green star in Gregg Araki’s lyrical and impressionistic adaptation of Laura Kasischke’s novel.

Something Must Break Something Must Break
Drama 2014 85 mins Director: Ester Martin Bergsmark
A striking 21st-century love story about the passionate relationship between a transgendered teen and a straight man.

An Episode in the Life of Iron Picker An Episode in the Life of Iron Picker
Drama 2012 71 mins Director: Danis Tanovic
Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic recreates a politically explosive true story from Bosnia in innovative style, casting a real-life family to relive their desperate struggle to secure life-saving medical treatment.

The Congress The Congress
Drama 2013 123 mins Director: Ari Folman
Ari Folman’s follow up to Waltz with Bashir is a hallucinatory fable about an actress whose digital image is controlled by a Hollywood studio.

Theeb Theeb
Drama 2015 100 mins Director: Naji Abu Nowar
In 1916, a British soldier and two Bedouin boys embark on a treacherous journey across the desert, in this stunningly shot Arabian western.

A Girl at My Door A Girl at My Door
Drama 2014 119 mins Director: July Jung
Lee Chang-dong (Poetry) produces this offbeat drama about a policewoman who becomes protector of an abused teen in a town riven by corruption and alcoholism.

The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears
Horror 2013 102 mins Director: Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani
Another giallo-inspired exercise in operatic violence from Belgian duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, directors of the acclaimed Amer.

Gente de bien Gente de bien
Drama 2014 86 mins Director: Franco Lolli
A ten-year-old is packed off to live with his down-at-heel father in this touching, exquisitely observed Colombian drama.

Spring Spring
Horror 2015 110 mins Director: Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson
An American tourist in Italy falls for a stunning local woman with a dangerous secret, in this startling horror-romance.

Monsters: Dark Continent Monsters: Dark Continent
Science Fiction 2015 119 mins Director: Tom Green
The pyrotechnic sequel to Gareth Edwards’ cult sci-fi follows US soldiers attempting to police alien-infested zones while also battling human insurgents.

Pi Pi
Science Fiction 1997 84 mins Director: Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky’s magisterial monochrome mystery concerns a mathematician whose discovery of a powerful number leads to the dark side.

Assessment Assessment
Drama 2010 12 mins Director: Mark Gutteridge
Award-winning short film about the chance encounter between a ballerina and a local schoolboy.

Lourdes Lourdes
Drama 2009 95 mins Director: Jessica Hausner
Jessica Hausner’s cool, compassionate exploration of religious faith follows various believers and non-believers hoping for miracle cures in Lourdes

The World Unseen The World Unseen
Drama 2009 90 mins Director: Shamim Sarif
Sweeping romantic drama about two Indian women who fall for each other in the hostile environment of apartheid South Africa.

Mid-August Lunch Mid-August Lunch
Drama 2008 72 mins Director: Gianni Di Gregorio
Di Gregorio stars as a bibulous loafer trying to reduce his debts by looking after his friends’ elderly mothers during the holidays. Warm and witty

Armadillo Armadillo
Documentary 2010 101 mins Director: Janus Metz
Balanced, insightful and compassionate documentary about troops and civilians in and around a Danish-British base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Women Without Men Women Without Men
Drama 2009 96 mins Director: Shirin Neshat
Artist Shirin Neshat’s version of a banned novel depicts the experiences of four Iranian women in 1953, when the Shah was reinstated after a coup d’état

Altman Altman
Documentary 2014 96 mins Director: Ron Mann
An illuminating documentary about American cinema’s maverick genius Robert Altman, featuring unseen home movies and extensive interviews.

Self Made Self Made
Documentary 2011 84 mins Director: Gillian Wearing
Artist Gillian Wearing’s ‘documentary’ observes seven people creating (fantasy?) identities in collaboration with a drama teacher. Raw and revealing.