Perception is of course subjective, but the collective viewing experience can conjure a magic all of its own. Images swirl and distort in our memories, and films we’ve seen can swim to the surface years later. The films in this programme subvert the visual medium, playing tricks on the viewer and manipulating images from decades ago using AI. Analogue cinema is alive and well in the townships of Tanzania thanks to a community of dedicated cinephiles, and reality becomes slippery in the primeval Finnish forest, making us question the veracity of documentary filmmaking.
Rachel MacLean (Make Me Up) returns to LSFF with her latest mind-bending work Duck, reanimating screen icons to disturbing and alluring effect. The decades-old mystery of missing British adult film actress Kathy Harcourt is reinvestigated in Flyby Kathy.
Scenic View
Director Maija Blåfield, Finland 2023, 16 mins
Duck
Director Rachel Maclean, UK 2023, 16 mins
Love Is Free
Director Hannah Renton, UK 2022, 15 mins
Flyby Kathy
Director Pedro Bastos, Portugal 2023, 10 mins
The Fruit Tree
Director Isabelle Tollenaere, Belgium 2022, 14 mins
Apostles of Cinema
Directors Cece Mlay, Darragh Amelia, Gertrude Malizana, Jesse Gerard Mpango, Tanzania 2022, 16 mins
Total running time 87 mins br>
LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
LSFF Competition: This Must Be the Place
Sat 20 Jan 20:45
LSFF Competition: There Are New Suns
Wed 24 Jan 20:30
LSFF Competition: Growing Up in Public
Thu 25 Jan 20:45
British Short Films on Film
Fri 26 Jan 18:15
LSFF Competition: A Trick of the Light
Sat 27 Jan 20:40
SIGHT AND SOUND
Never miss an issue with Sight and Sound, the BFI’s internationally renowned film magazine. Subscribe from just £25*
*Price based on a 6-month print subscription (UK only). More info: sightandsoundsubs.bfi.org.uk
BFI SOUTHBANK
Welcome to the home of great film and TV, with three cinemas and a studio, a world-class library, regular exhibitions and a pioneering Mediatheque with 1000s of free titles for you to explore. Browse special-edition merchandise in the BFI Shop.We're also pleased to offer you a unique new space, the BFI Riverfront – with unrivalled riverside views of Waterloo Bridge and beyond, a delicious seasonal menu, plus a stylish balcony bar for cocktails or special events. Come and enjoy a pre-cinema dinner or a drink on the balcony as the sun goes down.
BECOME A BFI MEMBER
Enjoy a great package of film benefits including priority booking at BFI Southbank and BFI Festivals. Join today at bfi.org.uk/join
BFI PLAYER
We are always open online on BFI Player where you can watch the best new, cult & classic cinema on demand. Showcasing hand-picked landmark British and independent titles, films are available to watch in three distinct ways: Subscription, Rentals & Free to view.
See something different today on player.bfi.org.uk
Join the BFI mailing list for regular programme updates. Not yet registered? Create a new account at www.bfi.org.uk/signup
Programme notes and credits compiled by Sight and Sound and the BFI Documentation Unit
Notes may be edited or abridged
Questions/comments? Contact the Programme Notes team by email