Rentals
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.

Toni Erdmann Toni Erdmann
Comedy 2016 162 mins Director: Maren Ade
A lonely prankster upends the life of his high-powered daughter in a riotous comedy, deep and sharp.

You Were Never Really Here You Were Never Really Here
Thriller 2017 90 mins Director: 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.

Still the Water Still the Water
Romance 2014 119 mins Director: 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.

The Party The Party
Comedy 2017 71 mins Director: Sally Potter
Following some unexpected revelations, a celebration quickly takes a turn for the worse in Sally Potter's razor-sharp comedy.

Lean on Pete Lean on Pete
Drama 2018 122 mins Director: 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.

Ghost Stories Ghost Stories
Horror 2018 98 mins Director: 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.

The Florida Project The Florida Project
Drama 2017 112 mins Director: 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.

Journey's End Journey's End
Drama 2018 108 mins Director: 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.

Loving Vincent Loving Vincent
Drama 2017 95 mins Director: Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobiela
The first ever fully painted feature film takes us through the last days of Vincent van Gogh.

Manchester by the Sea Manchester by the Sea
Drama 2016 137 mins Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams shine in this devastating, Oscar-winning drama from Kenneth Lonergan about a man’s painful hometown return.

Mindhorn Mindhorn
Comedy 2017 88 mins Director: 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.

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
Biopic 2017 106 mins Director: 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.

La La Land La La Land
Comedy 2016 128 mins Director: Damien Chazelle
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone channel old-school Hollywood glamour in this bright and playful romantic musical from director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash).

Their Finest Their Finest
Comedy 2017 117 mins Director: 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).

Manifesto Manifesto
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2015 94 mins Director: Julian Rosefeldt
Cate Blanchett gives a tour-de-force performance in this kaleidoscopic trip through the art manifestos of the 20th century.

Chi-Raq Chi-Raq
Musical 2015 127 mins Director: Spike Lee
Spike Lee’s bold and vivacious hip-hop musical restages an ancient Greek battle-of-the-sexes in 21st-century Chicago.

Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World
Documentary 2016 98 mins Director: Werner Herzog
Legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog explores the past, present and future of the Internet in this extraordinary documentary.

A Quiet Passion A Quiet Passion
Biopic 2017 125 mins Director: Terence Davies
Terence Davies' elegant and deeply moving biopic of poet Emily Dickinson, played with sensitivity and rebellious spirit by Cynthia Nixon.

Green Room Green Room
Thriller 2015 95 mins Director: 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.

Youth Youth
Drama 2015 119 mins Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Michael Caine scintillates as a curmudgeonly composer in Paolo Sorrentino’s deliciously bittersweet drama.

The Pass The Pass
Drama 2016 86 mins Director: 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.

Free Fire Free Fire
Action and Adventure 2017 90 mins Director: Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley’s (High-Rise, Sightseers) all-guns-blazing bullet opera, starring Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy and Armie Hammer.

Trespass Against Us Trespass Against Us
Crime 2017 99 mins Director: Adam Smith
Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender are the father and son outlaws in this exhilarating crime drama with a Chemical Brothers soundtrack.

Stronger Stronger
Biopic 2017 119 mins Director: David Gordon Green
Jake Gyllenhaal excels in a rousing story of strength and survival, from the acclaimed director of Prince Avalanche and George Washington.

My Scientology Movie My Scientology Movie
Documentary 2016 99 mins Director: John Dower
Louis Theroux investigates the secretive world of the Church of Scientology, armed with his characteristic deadpan wit.

Paterson Paterson
Comedy 2016 118 mins Director: 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.

The Club The Club
Drama 2015 97 mins Director: 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.

High-Rise High-Rise
Science Fiction 2016 119 mins Director: Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley's savage and brilliant adaptation of JG Ballard's dystopian satire, starring Tom Hiddleston.

Carol Carol
Drama 2015 119 mins Director: Todd Haynes
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara illuminate Todd Haynes’ intoxicating adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s beloved novel.

Room Room
Thriller 2016 118 mins Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Brie Larson’s Oscar-winning performance is the beating heart of Lenny Abrahamson’s extraordinarily moving drama.

On Chesil Beach On Chesil Beach
Drama 2018 110 mins Director: 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.

The Assassin The Assassin
Action and Adventure 2015 106 mins Director: 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.

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.

After the Storm After the Storm
Drama 2016 118 mins Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
As typhoons buffet Tokyo, Hirokazu Koreeda examines a broken family and the father’s dogged attempts to glue it back together.

The Wave The Wave
Disaster 2015 105 mins Director: 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?

Neruda Neruda
Biopic 2016 110 mins Director: 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.

Love Is Strange Love Is Strange
Drama 2014 95 mins Director: 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.

The Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman
Biopic 2014 111 mins Director: 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.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Documentary 2014 106 mins Director: 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.

Suffragette Suffragette
Historical drama 2015 106 mins Director: 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.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Horror 2014 101 mins Director: 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.

The Program The Program
Biopic 2015 103 mins Director: Stephen Frears
Ben Foster is Lance Armstrong in this kinetic account of the cyclist who fell from grace, from acclaimed director Stephen Frears.

The Lobster The Lobster
Science Fiction 2015 118 mins Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Colin Farrell, Ben Whishaw and Rachel Weisz star in this bleakly hilarious dystopian drama from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth).

Testament of Youth Testament of Youth
Drama 2015 130 mins Director: 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.

Brooklyn Brooklyn
Romance 2015 112 mins Director: 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.

Phoenix Phoenix
Drama 2014 98 mins Director: Christian Petzold
Nina Hoss is superb as concentration camp survivor who assumes a new identity, in Christian Petzold’s intricate post-WWII thriller.

National Gallery National Gallery
Documentary 2014 181 mins Director: Frederick Wiseman
The inner workings of London’s National Gallery are laid bare in this absorbing, forensic examination by revered filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.

Hockney Hockney
Biopic 2014 108 mins Director: 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.

The Imitation Game The Imitation Game
Biopic 2014 115 mins Director: Morten Tyldum
Benedict Cumberbatch’s roundly acclaimed performance anchors the incredible, Oscar-winning story of code-breaker Alan Turing.

Beasts of the Southern Wild Beasts of the Southern Wild
Drama 2012 93 mins Director: 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

Beyond the Hills Beyond the Hills
Drama 2012 152 mins Director: 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.

Queen and Country Queen and Country
Comedy 2015 115 mins Director: 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.

Maidan Maidan
Documentary 2014 128 mins Director: Sergei Loznitsa
An essential and explosive documentary about the Ukrainian civil riots and protest movement, from the acclaimed director of In the Fog.

Blue is the Warmest Colour Blue is the Warmest Colour
Romance 2013 180 mins Director: Abdel Kechiche
The epic, passionate and strikingly naturalistic Palme d'Or-winning romance.

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.

The Double The Double
Drama 2014 93 mins Director: 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.

The Selfish Giant The Selfish Giant
Drama 2013 91 mins Director: Clio Barnard
Two Yorkshire tearaways struggle with life and friendship in this challenging, compassionate growing-up tale by the director of The Arbor.

We Are the Best! We Are the Best!
Drama 2013 98 mins Director: 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).

The Grandmaster The Grandmaster
Action and Adventure 2013 109 mins Director: 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.

The Kid with a Bike The Kid with a Bike
Drama 2011 87 mins Director: 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

Goodbye to Language Goodbye to Language
Drama 2014 70 mins Director: 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.

Tom at the Farm Tom at the Farm
Drama 2013 103 mins Director: 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.

Trishna Trishna
Drama 2012 114 mins Director: 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.

Mommy Mommy
Drama 2014 138 mins Director: Xavier Dolan-Tadros
With stylish and charged intensity, Xavier Dolan charts the fractious relationship between an uncontrollable teen and his fun-loving mother.

360 360
Drama 2012 110 mins Director: 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.

Song of the Sea Song of the Sea
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2014 93 mins Director: Tomm Moore
Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated animation follows the magical journey of Ben and his sister Saoirse, the last Seal-child.

We Need to Talk About Kevin We Need to Talk About Kevin
Drama 2011 112 mins Director: 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.

Serena Serena
Drama 2014 110 mins Director: 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.

Inside Llewyn Davis Inside Llewyn Davis
Drama 2013 100 mins Director: 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.

Sunset Song Sunset Song
Drama 2015 136 mins Director: Terence Davies
Agyness Deyn stars in Terence Davies’ moving drama about a strong young woman facing many adversities in the run up to WWI.

Jeune & jolie Jeune & jolie
Drama 2013 93 mins Director: François Ozon
Francois Ozon’s sly and seductive account of teenage girl’s dalliance with high-class prostitution.

Great Expectations Great Expectations
Drama 2012 129 mins Director: 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.