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Festival Favourites

Debuts, breakthroughs, winners and discoveries, courtesy of the London Film Festival.

Excellence isn't good enough. To qualify as a festival favourite you have to deliver something beyond escapism, something that resonates with a very discerning crowd before it staggers the world. It's a rare achievement, captured in this selection of short films and interviews with the people behind many of the most fevered, intense visions of recent history.

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Toni ErdmannToni Erdmann

Comedy2016162 minsDirector: Maren Ade

A lonely prankster upends the life of his high-powered daughter in a riotous comedy, deep and sharp.

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You Were Never Really HereYou Were Never Really Here

Thriller201790 minsDirector: Lynne Ramsay

Lynne Ramsay journeys with Joaquin Phoenix into the mind of an ex-soldier gun-for-hire whose own demons are as brutal as the actions of his adversaries.

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Still the WaterStill the Water

Romance2014119 minsDirector: Naomi Kawase

Naomi Kawase’s visually ravishing, beautifully composed film tells the story of two youths growing up and falling in love on a Japanese island.

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The PartyThe Party

Comedy201771 minsDirector: Sally Potter

Following some unexpected revelations, a celebration quickly takes a turn for the worse in Sally Potter's razor-sharp comedy.

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Lean on PeteLean on Pete

Drama2018122 minsDirector: Andrew Haigh

The ravishing fourth feature from Andrew Haigh (45 Years, Weekend) sees a boy and a horse embark on a Huckleberry Finn-esque journey across America in search of home.

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Ghost StoriesGhost Stories

Horror201898 minsDirector: Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman

Being scared has never been this much fun, as Martin Freeman, Andy Nyman and Paul Whitehouse bring the chilling London stage play to the screen.

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The Florida ProjectThe Florida Project

Drama2017112 minsDirector: Sean Baker

Tangerine director Sean Baker presents another visionary take on the wild ups and dangerous downs of life in America’s underbelly, featuring an Oscar-nominated turn from Willem Dafoe.

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Journey's EndJourney's End

Drama2018108 minsDirector: Saul Dibb

Sam Claflin, Paul Bettany and Asa Butterfield bring R C Sherriff’s acclaimed First World War play to the screen, in this new adaptation from director Saul Dibb.

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Loving VincentLoving Vincent

Drama201795 minsDirector: Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobiela

The first ever fully painted feature film takes us through the last days of Vincent van Gogh.

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Manchester by the SeaManchester by the Sea

Drama2016137 minsDirector: Kenneth Lonergan

Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams shine in this devastating, Oscar-winning drama from Kenneth Lonergan about a man’s painful hometown return.

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MindhornMindhorn

Comedy201788 minsDirector: Sean Foley

Julian Barratt is hilarious as the washed-up actor forced to reprise his 80s TV role as a sleuth with a robotic truth-telling eye, to help catch a deranged killer.

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Film Stars Don't Die in LiverpoolFilm Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

Biopic2017106 minsDirector: Paul McGuigan

Annette Bening and Jamie Bell bring to life the true story of the love affair between Gloria Grahame and young, Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner.

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La La LandLa La Land

Comedy2016128 minsDirector: Damien Chazelle

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone channel old-school Hollywood glamour in this bright and playful romantic musical from director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash).

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Their FinestTheir Finest

Comedy2017117 minsDirector: Lone Scherfig

Gemma Arterton sparkles in this witty drama set in the world of propaganda filmmaking during WWII, from director Lone Scherfig (The Riot Club, An Education).

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ManifestoManifesto

Animation & Artists Moving Image201594 minsDirector: Julian Rosefeldt

Cate Blanchett gives a tour-de-force performance in this kaleidoscopic trip through the art manifestos of the 20th century.

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Chi-RaqChi-Raq

Musical2015127 minsDirector: Spike Lee

Spike Lee’s bold and vivacious hip-hop musical restages an ancient Greek battle-of-the-sexes in 21st-century Chicago.

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Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected WorldLo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World

Documentary201698 minsDirector: Werner Herzog

Legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog explores the past, present and future of the Internet in this extraordinary documentary.

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A Quiet PassionA Quiet Passion

Biopic2017125 minsDirector: Terence Davies

Terence Davies' elegant and deeply moving biopic of poet Emily Dickinson, played with sensitivity and rebellious spirit by Cynthia Nixon.

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Green RoomGreen Room

Thriller201595 minsDirector: Jeremy Saulnier

A punk band becomes besieged in the backstage hideaway of a hideous neo-Nazi club, in this gloriously tense shocker from the director of Blue Ruin.

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YouthYouth

Drama2015119 minsDirector: Paolo Sorrentino

Michael Caine scintillates as a curmudgeonly composer in Paolo Sorrentino’s deliciously bittersweet drama.

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The PassThe Pass

Drama201686 minsDirector: Ben A. Williams

Russell Tovey stars as a Premier League footballer who shares a fumbled pass (of the sexual kind) with a teammate (Arinzé Kene), changing everything - both on and off the pitch.

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Free FireFree Fire

Action and Adventure201790 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley

Ben Wheatley’s (High-Rise, Sightseers) all-guns-blazing bullet opera, starring Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy and Armie Hammer.

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Trespass Against UsTrespass Against Us

Crime201799 minsDirector: Adam Smith

Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender are the father and son outlaws in this exhilarating crime drama with a Chemical Brothers soundtrack.

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StrongerStronger

Biopic2017119 minsDirector: David Gordon Green

Jake Gyllenhaal excels in a rousing story of strength and survival, from the acclaimed director of Prince Avalanche and George Washington.

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My Scientology MovieMy Scientology Movie

Documentary201699 minsDirector: John Dower

Louis Theroux investigates the secretive world of the Church of Scientology, armed with his characteristic deadpan wit.

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PatersonPaterson

Comedy2016118 minsDirector: Jim Jarmusch

Adam Driver excels in this effortlessly charming tale of a bus driver poet in New Jersey, filmed with typically groovy elan by Jim Jarmusch.

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The ClubThe Club

Drama201597 minsDirector: Pablo Larraín

Pablo Larraín’s Berlin prize-winner is a typically stylish, darkly witty tale of corruption, concealment and conspiracy in Chile’s Catholic church.

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High-RiseHigh-Rise

Science Fiction2016119 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley

Ben Wheatley's savage and brilliant adaptation of JG Ballard's dystopian satire, starring Tom Hiddleston.

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CarolCarol

Drama2015119 minsDirector: Todd Haynes

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara illuminate Todd Haynes’ intoxicating adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s beloved novel.

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RoomRoom

Thriller2016118 minsDirector: Lenny Abrahamson

Brie Larson’s Oscar-winning performance is the beating heart of Lenny Abrahamson’s extraordinarily moving drama.

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On Chesil BeachOn Chesil Beach

Drama2018110 minsDirector: Dominic Cooke

Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle play a young, married couple struggling to physically connect in this sensitive adaptation of Ian McEwan’s acclaimed novel.

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The AssassinThe Assassin

Action and Adventure2015106 minsDirector: Hou Hsiao-Hsien

Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s mesmerising, visually stunning tale of love and honour was Sight and Sound magazine’s best film of 2015.

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On the RoadOn the Road

Drama-documentary2017121 minsDirector: 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.

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After the StormAfter the Storm

Drama2016118 minsDirector: Hirokazu Koreeda

As typhoons buffet Tokyo, Hirokazu Koreeda examines a broken family and the father’s dogged attempts to glue it back together.

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The WaveThe Wave

Disaster2015105 minsDirector: Roar Uthaug

Seismic rumblings in the Norwegian fjords threaten to start a chain reaction that will destroy the local area. Can it be stopped in time?

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NerudaNeruda

Biopic2016110 minsDirector: Pablo Larraín

Pablo Larraín's bold, inventive detective thriller offers an electrifying contemplation of the Chilean poet's life on the run in the late 1940s.

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Love Is StrangeLove Is Strange

Drama201495 minsDirector: Ira Sachs

Ira Sachs’s refined Manhattan-set drama sees Alfred Molina’s Ben and John Lithgow’s George in the latter days of a tender, loving 39-year relationship.

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The Invisible WomanThe Invisible Woman

Biopic2014111 minsDirector: Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this adaptation of Claire Tomalin’s book about the long-standing affair between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan.

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Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon FilmsElectric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Documentary2014106 minsDirector: Mark Hartley

A documentary love letter to the golden of exploitation cinema and the output of Cannon Films, the cut-price studio that challenged Hollywood.

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SuffragetteSuffragette

Historical drama2015106 minsDirector: Sarah Gavron

The time is now for factory worker Maud (Carey Mulligan) as she joins the campaign movement for women’s votes, in Sarah Gavron’s stirring social history.

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A Girl Walks Home Alone at NightA Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Horror2014101 minsDirector: Ana Lily Amirpour

If you only see one Iranian vampire western this year, make sure it’s this one. A female vampire stalks a ghost town in Ana Lily Amirpour’s arresting debut.

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The ProgramThe Program

Biopic2015103 minsDirector: Stephen Frears

Ben Foster is Lance Armstrong in this kinetic account of the cyclist who fell from grace, from acclaimed director Stephen Frears.

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The LobsterThe Lobster

Science Fiction2015118 minsDirector: Yorgos Lanthimos

Colin Farrell, Ben Whishaw and Rachel Weisz star in this bleakly hilarious dystopian drama from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth).

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Testament of YouthTestament of Youth

Drama2015130 minsDirector: James Kent

Alicia Vikander brings to life the extraordinary life of Vera Brittain, whose affair with a dashing friend (Kit Harington) is cruelly cut short by the onset of war.

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BrooklynBrooklyn

Romance2015112 minsDirector: John Crowley

Saoirse Ronan shines as a woman who journeys from post-war small-town Ireland to New York, in Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s best-selling novel.

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PhoenixPhoenix

Drama201498 minsDirector: Christian Petzold

Nina Hoss is superb as concentration camp survivor who assumes a new identity, in Christian Petzold’s intricate post-WWII thriller.

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National GalleryNational Gallery

Documentary2014181 minsDirector: Frederick Wiseman

The inner workings of London’s National Gallery are laid bare in this absorbing, forensic examination by revered filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.

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HockneyHockney

Biopic2014108 minsDirector: Randall Wright

A portrait of the beloved British artist, drawing on his own home-movie footage and with revealing contributions from his friends and colleagues.

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The Imitation GameThe Imitation Game

Biopic2014115 minsDirector: Morten Tyldum

Benedict Cumberbatch’s roundly acclaimed performance anchors the incredible, Oscar-winning story of code-breaker Alan Turing.

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Beasts of the Southern WildBeasts of the Southern Wild

Drama201293 minsDirector: Benh Zeitlin

Set in a Deep South delta, Zeitlin’s feature debut takes a child’s eye view of poverty, adult apathy and ecological crisis. Hallucinatory fare

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Beyond the HillsBeyond the Hills

Drama2012152 minsDirector: Cristian Mungiu

Cristian Mungiu's scarily plausible drama about a nun's friend suffering for her love in a nunnery; obsession and superstition wreak havoc.

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Queen and CountryQueen and Country

Comedy2015115 minsDirector: John Boorman

John Boorman’s follow up to Hope and Glory finds 18-year-old Bill called up for National Service against the backdrop of the Korean War.

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MaidanMaidan

Documentary2014128 minsDirector: Sergei Loznitsa

An essential and explosive documentary about the Ukrainian civil riots and protest movement, from the acclaimed director of In the Fog.

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Blue is the Warmest ColourBlue is the Warmest Colour

Romance2013180 minsDirector: Abdel Kechiche

The epic, passionate and strikingly naturalistic Palme d'Or-winning romance.

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AltmanAltman

Documentary201496 minsDirector: Ron Mann

An illuminating documentary about American cinema’s maverick genius Robert Altman, featuring unseen home movies and extensive interviews.

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The DoubleThe Double

Drama201493 minsDirector: Richard Ayoade

Richard Ayoade’s stylish and sinister adaptation of Dostoevsky’s story stars Jesse Eisenberg in a dual-role as a timid office clerk confronted by his confident, scheming doppelganger.

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The Selfish GiantThe Selfish Giant

Drama201391 minsDirector: Clio Barnard

Two Yorkshire tearaways struggle with life and friendship in this challenging, compassionate growing-up tale by the director of The Arbor.

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We Are the Best!We Are the Best!

Drama201398 minsDirector: Lukas Moodysson

A raucous coming-of-age comedy about three schoolgirls who form a punk band in 1982 Stockholm, from director Lukas Moodysson (Show Me Love).

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The GrandmasterThe Grandmaster

Action and Adventure2013109 minsDirector: Wong Kar Wai

Wong Kar-Wai’s lavish martial arts biopic tells the story of Ip Man, the legendary trainer who became Bruce Lee’s mentor.

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The Kid with a Bike The Kid with a Bike

Drama201187 minsDirector: Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

The Dardennes' powerful, award-winning drama tells of a troubled and volatile young teenager abandoned by his dad and 'adopted' by a hairdresser

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Goodbye to LanguageGoodbye to Language

Drama201470 minsDirector: Jean-Luc Godard

Jean-Luc Godard’s typically innovative and playful meditation on technology, love and language was acclaimed one of the best films of 2014.

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Tom at the FarmTom at the Farm

Drama2013103 minsDirector: Xavier Dolan-Tadros

Dark psychosexual thriller from prodigious Canadian director Xavier Dolan, following a young man who finds himself embroiled in a dangerous game of deception.

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TrishnaTrishna

Drama2012114 minsDirector: Michael Winterbottom

Tragedy befalls a young Indian woman when she falls in love with a rich British man in Michael Winterbottom's sharp Thomas Hardy update.

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MommyMommy

Drama2014138 minsDirector: Xavier Dolan-Tadros

With stylish and charged intensity, Xavier Dolan charts the fractious relationship between an uncontrollable teen and his fun-loving mother.

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360360

Drama2012110 minsDirector: Fernando Meirelles

Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Anthony Hopkins lead an ensemble cast in a sleek thriller exploring the way our lives interconnect across the world.

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Song of the SeaSong of the Sea

Animation & Artists Moving Image201493 minsDirector: Tomm Moore

Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated animation follows the magical journey of Ben and his sister Saoirse, the last Seal-child.

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We Need to Talk About KevinWe Need to Talk About Kevin

Drama2011112 minsDirector: Lynne Ramsay

Tilda Swinton gives a BAFTA-nominated performance as the mother of a teenager who commits a high school massacre. With Ezra Miller and John C. Reilly.

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SerenaSerena

Drama2014110 minsDirector: Susanne Bier

Two of the planet’s biggest stars – Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence – align in this extravagant period drama set in depression-era America.

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Inside Llewyn DavisInside Llewyn Davis

Drama2013100 minsDirector: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

The Coen brothers’ funny, melancholic elegy to early 1960s folk music follows a struggling songwriter through a winter’s worth of misdeeds, mishaps and lost cats.

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Sunset SongSunset Song

Drama2015136 minsDirector: Terence Davies

Agyness Deyn stars in Terence Davies’ moving drama about a strong young woman facing many adversities in the run up to WWI.

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Jeune & jolieJeune & jolie

Drama201393 mins

Francois Ozon’s sly and seductive account of teenage girl’s dalliance with high-class prostitution.

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Great ExpectationsGreat Expectations

Drama2012129 minsDirector: Mike Newell

Pip, a poor blacksmith's apprentice, becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor. A BAFTA-nominated telling of the Dickens' classic.