Category: LFF 2020

Directed by Spike Lee and written by star David Byrne, documents the former Talking Heads frontman’s timely 2019 Broadway show, based on his recent album and tour of the same name. Also starring: Tendayi Kuumba, Mauro Refosco, Chris Giarmo and Daniel Freeman.

Written and directed by Peter Wollen, in the 1970s, aliens send a female android diplomat to Earth on a mission of peace, she lands in war-torn Palestine instead of MIT by mistake and meets a friendly UK journalist there. Starring: Bill Paterson, Tilda Swinton, Patrick Bauchau, Ruby Baker and Joumana Gill.

Written and directed by Francis Lee, in 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and a young woman (Saoirse Ronan) sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever. Also starring: Gemma Jones, Fiona Shaw, Claire Rushbrook, Alec Secareanu and James McArdle.

Written and directed by Aleem Khan, set in the port town of Dover, Mary Hussain (Joanna Scanlan) suddenly finds herself a widow following the unexpected death of her husband. A day after the burial, she discovers he has a secret just twenty-one miles across the English Channel in Calais. Also starring: Nathalie Richard, Talid Ariss, Nasser Memarzia, Sudha Bhuchar and Nisha Chadha.

Written and directed by Gianfranco Rosi, shot over the course of three years between Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Lebanon, Notturno follows different people from near war zones in the Middle East, trying to start again with their everyday lives.

Written and directed by Steve McQueen, co-written by Courttia Newland, a single evening at a house party in 1980s West London sets the scene, developing intertwined relationships against a background of violence, romance and music. Starring: Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Micheal Ward, Shaniqua Okwok, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Ellis George, Francis Lovehall and Daniel Francis-Swaby.

Written and directed by Francisco Márquez, co-written by Tomás Downey, Cecilia (Elisa Carricajo) is a sociology teacher, one night the son of her maid desperately knocks on the door of her house but she doesn’t open it. The next day his body shows up having been murdered by the police and she begins to be haunted by the young man’s ghost. Also starring: Mecha Martinez, Eliot Otazo, Ciro Coien Pardo and Cecilia Rainero.

Written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, following an agent who works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people’s bodies – ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients. Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Tuppence Middleton, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Bean, Rosif Sutherland and Gabrielle Graham.

Written and directed by Damiano D’Innocenzo and Fabio D’Innocenzo, a few families living out on a limb in the suburbs of Rome, tensions here can explode at any time, ultimately it’s the children who bring about the collapse. Starring: Elio Germano, Tommaso Di Cola, Giulietta Rebeggiani, Gabriel Montesi, Justin Korovkin, Barbara Chichiarelli, Lino Musella, Ileana D’Ambra and Max Malatesta.

Directed by Yemi Bamiro, exploring the phenomenon of Air Jordan sneakers showing their social, cultural and racial significance and how ground-breaking marketing strategies created a multi-billion-dollar business. Featuring: David Falk, Jemele Hill, Scoop Jackson, DJ Clark Kent, Roland Lazenby, David Stern and Rick Telander.