LOLA

Two sisters in WWII Britain invent a machine that can decode TV broadcasts from the future, in this irresistible found-footage sci-fi that buzzes with timeless ingenuity.

In 1941, music-loving sisters Thomasina and Martha Hanbury build a machine called LOLA, which can intercept radio and TV broadcasts from the future. Initially using it to become the first fans of David Bowie, as WWII escalates the siblings deploy their precognition contraption in the military intelligence fight against the Nazis. Cleverly constructed using distressed B&W film stock, this playful first feature mixes fake celluloid newsreels with genuine archive, plus sardonic synth-pop songs by The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon.