Sci-Fi-London
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| SCI-FI-LONDON | |
 Festival Poster 2009 |
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| Location | London, UK |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 |
| Awards | The Arthur C. Clarke Award / Best Feature Film / Best Short Film / Audience Award |
| Language | International |
| Official website | |
Starting life in 2002, The London International Festival Of Science Fiction And Fantastic Film (SCI-FI-LONDON), is a UK based Film Festival, dedicated to the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Contents |
[edit] About The Festival
Designed to be a festival that “takes a serious look at sci-fi and fantasy, bringing new, classic and rare movies from around the world to the UK”, Sci-Fi-London (SFL) has since screened world and UK Premieres, seminal cult classics, as well as Documentaries, Debates and talks.
Short films are also an important part of the festival programme, either screening together, or in front of each movie shown. Over its history Sci-Fi-London has held a number of Short Film competitions, and in 2008 launched its first 48hr Film Challenge, in order to encourage filmmakers to create sci-fi short films over a very short space of time.
In 2006 the festival also became the home of The Arthur C. Clarke Award, the most prestigious award for science fiction literature in Britain, and recognised as one of the most prestigious science fiction awards in the world.
Over the years, Sci-Fi-London has also given out its own awards for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film screened as part of the festival programme. Since 2003, an Audience Award for best short film at the festival, has also been added, voted for by members of the festival audience.
Sci-Fi-London has also played host to the annual Douglas Adams Memorial Debate, which, much in the spirit of the illustrious author, gathers together leading scientists, writers and thinkers to discuss a specific topic relating to the science fiction genre and its relationship (or not) to the wider world.
The Sci-Fi-London Film Festival has also been one of the few places in the UK to screen "All-Nighters" — film marathons which run throughout the night. These, in the past, have been known to focus on anime, horror, alien, and Matrix films as well as episodes of the cult TV series; Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
The Festival is reliant mostly on a large and varied team of Volunteers, who give up their time and expertise, in aid of the various aspects of the running of the Festival. These are mostly recruited in the months leading up to the Festival, through the Festival's accessible Volunteer Programme.
[edit] Festival Dates And Location
Originally, in its first four years (2002-2005), the Festival resided mainly at the Curzon Soho Cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue (Central London).
Since that time, the festival has moved to its present location, at the Apollo Piccadilly Circus on Lower Regent Street (also Central London), for its fifth year onwards (2006-present)
At the same time the festival moved from screenings in late January/early February, to a slot in late April/early May (usually the May Bank Holiday Weekend).
In 2008 a second festival was held for the first time, in October, called Oktoberfest. This was a one day event (plus all-nighters) scheduled over Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th of October.
In 2009 the Festival added an extra day, running from April 29 to May 4.
[edit] The Arthur C. Clarke Award
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is awarded every year to the best science fiction novel which received its first British publication during the previous calendar year. The Award is chosen by Jury.
The Award was set up in 1986 and the first winner was announced in 1987. In 2006 Sci-Fi-London hosted the Awards ceremony for the first time.
[edit] Festival Awards
As well as hosting the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival also selects is own recipients for the Best Feature Film and Best Short Film Awards, selected from the films screened as part of the festival programme.
Since 2003, Sci-Fi-London has also introduced an Audience Award for the Best Short Film screened, voted on by the festival audience.
| 2002 | Avalon - Dir: Mamoru Oshii |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Ever Since The World Ended – Dirs: Calum Grant and Josh Litle |
| 2004 | Robot Stories – Dir: Greg Pak |
| 2005 | Primer – Dir: Shane Carruth |
| 2006 | Subject Two – Dir: Philip Chidel |
| 2007 | (Not Awarded) |
| 2008 | (Not Awarded) |
| 2009 | (To Be Awarded) |
| 2002 | Inferno – Dir: Paul Kousoulides |
|---|---|
| 2003 | The Town Of The One-Handed People – Dir: Heli Ellis |
| 2004 | Chaingangs – Dir: Scott Mann |
| 2005 | La Vie d’un Chien – Dir: John Harden |
| 2006 | X – Dir: Raphael Wahl |
| 2007 | The Angel - Dir: Paul Hough |
| 2008 | Ascension - Dir: Stephen Irwin |
| 2009 | Well Founded Concerns - Dir: Tim Cawley |
| 2002 | (Not Held) |
|---|---|
| 2003 | The Cat With Hands – Dir: Robert Morgan |
| 2004 | Annie & Boo – Dir: Johannes Weiland |
| 2005 | Netherbeast Of Berm-Tech Industries – Dir: Dean Ronalds |
| 2006 | Plastic – Dir: Mark Davis |
| 2007 | Coming To Town - Dir: Carles Torrens |
| 2008 | Final Journey - Dir: Lars Zimmermann |
| 2009 | The Day The Robots Woke Up - Dir: Ed Hartwell |
[edit] The Douglas Adams Memorial Debate
In tribute to "a master storyteller and man of great vision and imagination", the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival hosted the annual Douglas Adams Memorial Debate from 2002 to 2007. This is a lively panel discussion, made up of critics, authors, experts and academics, debating questions raised where science fiction meets science fact.
| 2002 | Why is the book always better than the movie? Is it? |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Does science fiction predict the future? |
| 2004 | How much does sex drive technology? |
| 2005 | (Not Held) |
| 2006 | The battle for the future: who controls the future controls the present? |
| 2007 | From Star Wars to the Battle of Ideas, Is science fiction good for public debate? |
[edit] 48hr Film Challenge
With the aim of promoting Film-making, as well as Film-watching, in 2008 SCI-FI-LONDON hosted its very first 48 Hour Film Challenge.
Registered Teams were given a random Title, Prop/Action, and a line of Dialogue, and two days (a weekend) in which to produce a 3 to 5 minute Short Film.
In 2008 there were 137 registrants, 87 teams taking part, 70 films returned, and over 1200 people involved. All approved entries received a free screening at the cinema, for cast and crew to attend, with the overall winner shown in front of the Closing Night film. The winners were judged by Jury, which in 2008, included the director John Landis, and in 2009 will include the director Marc Caro.
| 2008 | Title: Factory Farmed - Team Name: Rebel Alliance |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Title: Tracker - Team Name: The Lost Souls |
[edit] All-Nighters
The Sci-Fi-London Film Festival is one of the few locations in the UK to screen All-Nighters – movie marathons, which run throughout the night (with the aid of ice-cream and caffeine drinks!).
[edit] Other Events
On occasion Sci-Fi-London has hosted other events, either outside of London, or at other times of the year.
In 2005 Sci-Fi-London took it's feature films, short films and all-nighters On Tour, to Edinburgh, Liverpool, York and Exeter, in February and March of that year.
In late 2008 Sci-Fi-London hosted its first Oktoberfest: a one day festival featuring new films and all-nighters, held at its regular London venue: the Apollo Piccadilly Circus.
[edit] The Website
Not only acting as a first point of reference for the Film Festival itself, the Sci-Fi-London website also provides year round News, Interviews, Reviews, Podcasts and Competitions, on a similar range of topics to that of the festival.
The website also features information on past festivals, how to volunteer at the festival, as well as a Mailing List and Message Board/Forum.
SCI-FI-LONDON.COM also operates a free 'webTV' service at SCI-FI-LONDON.TV, featuring films and shorts previously submitted or screened at past festivals.
