Programme

Wednesday 29th April

Arthur C Clarke Award Invitation Only

7:45PM

SCI-FI-LONDON presents a Gala Event - the Arthur C Clarke award

Eyeborgs World Premiere

8:45PM

Are government surveillance cameras intended to keep us safe actually killing people? Is it a plot by the government to suppress the opposition, or have our terrorist enemies secretly gained control of our security system and are now using it against us?

Thursday 30th April

Blink of an Eye: Short Film Programme 1

6:30PM

Each year we put a call out for short film and each year we receive hundreds of amazing stories from around the world.

London Geek Girl Dinners SOLD OUT

6:30PM

We are delighted to welcome the London's Geek Girl Dinners to the festival.

Cyborg She

8:45PM

Jiro is a loner. Every year he buys his own present and celebrates his birthday alone, with a plate of spaghetti in the same restaurant. This year a beautiful, but kooky, girl joins in his celebrations and they spend the rest of the evening doing crazy things and having fun.

Hardware and Kevin O'Neil

9:00PM

In a post-apocalyptic, nuclearscarred future the world has become radioactive; a neon drenched, industrial wasteland populated by the disenfranchised and the demented. Amidst the dust and decay of a poisoned landscape a ''Zone Tripper'' manages to salvage a disembodied robotic head.

Friday 1st May

Yesterday

6:45PM

After outrunning and outdriving the zombie hoards, the different groups of survivors become holed up in a grocery store for what is to be the final stand-off against the undead, but decide to escape the city and head for the safety of the wilderness.

Eraser Children CANCELLED

7:00PM

In a world of useless products, police brutality, pre-paid dreams and a list of Violations so long if you laugh too loudly you will be fined.

The City of Lost Children

9:00PM

In a bizarre, surreal society, the mad, evil scientist, Krank, who is tormented by his inability to dream, kidnaps children to steal their dreams in order to reverse his accelerated aging process.

Mud Zombie

9:10PM

Forget the urban settings of your typical low-budget zombie flick, the first-ever Brazilian effort takes you to the hot, sweaty mangrove swamps of the remote state of Espirito Santo.

Saturday 2nd May

Suporting British Film: Neil Oseman FREE Event

10:30AM

This year we invite Neil Oseman (Soulsearcher) who gave a brilliant talk on lighting DV to look like Film back in 2006.

Writing Young Adult Fantasy

11:00AM

What's the difference between writing for young adults and writing for everyone else? Is there a difference at all?

Naming Pluto

11:10AM

This is the story of Venetia Phair, who as an 11-year-old Oxford schoolgirl in 1930, came up with the suggestion for the name of the newly discovered Planet X over a family breakfast, making her inspiration to name it Pluto a unique contribution to scientific history.

Monsters from the ID

11:10AM

The 1950's was an idealistic time in American History, filled with hope, opportunity, and wonder. It was also, ''The Atomic Age'' where new technology promised to both save humanity as well as put it in jeopardy.

Blink of an Eye: Long Shorts/Short Longs

11:15AM

Each year we stipulate 15 minutes as our maximum length for short film. However, we saw some impressive 'longer shorts' this year and invited them to screen with us.

Is there really anybody out there?

11:30AM

This panel discusses the likelihood of meeting an alien species and the necessary etiquette for First Contact.

Making Movies for (SM)all Screens

12:15PM

What kind of content works best on broadband platforms? Web serials, television reruns, usergenerated, reality programming - why does so much of today's content seem... a bit juvenile?

The Rise Of Steampunk Subculture

12:30PM

Steampunk has been bubbling away for years, but now Steampunk theatre and cabaret scenes are slowly establishing themselves, traditional 'goths' are replacing their eyeliner for goggles, cogs and gentleman's jackets

Blink of an Eye: Short Film Programme 2

2:00PM

Each year we put a call out for short film and each year we receive hundreds of amazing stories from around the world.

Comics as Sci-Fi Literature

2:30PM

As the graphic novel is increasingly being accepted as a legitimate form of literature, what makes a great SF comic?

Robots: Rise of the Machines

3:45PM

The relationship between humans and machines and considers what may happen in the future when robots are capable of directing their own evolution

The Problem of Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film Making

4:15PM

Money, money and of course, money - this is often the main reason why many Directors tend to stay away from sci-fi and fantasy film projects.

Robots and Reality

5:15PM

We live in a world where robots replace real people all the time, yet fictional robots are everything from cleaners to companions, sex toys to sidekicks.

Recon 2023 World Premiere

6:15PM

After 23 years of a gruelling intergalactic war, humanity is about to launch the biggest coordinated attack in its history in order to take a final stand against the invading Ma'hars.

The Mother of Invention

6:45PM

A mockumentary about an aspiring inventor who dreams of winning an annual young inventor award. The only problem is... he's never made an invention that works.

Stingray Sam

8:30PM

A dangerous mission reunites Stingray Sam with his long lost accomplice, The Quasar Kid. We follow these two space convicts as they earn their freedom in exchange for the rescue of a young girl.

The Clone Returns Home

9:15PM

As a child Kohei Takahara grew up in an idyllic country setting with his mother and twin brother. One day, his brother drowns trying to save his life whilst Kohei grows up to be an astronaut, only to lose his own life in an accident.

MST3K Comedy All Nighter SOLD OUT

11:30PM

Each year we experiment on our MST3K audience, testing their laughing gear to the max. Well this time we deliver the ultimate challenge!

Star Trek All Nighter

11:45PM

This year sees JJ Abram's 'action movie in space' hit the screens and a whole new cast take the helm of the Enterprise. To celebrate the continuance of this ground-breaking science fiction franchise we present 4 of the original Star Trek movies back-to-back.

Anime All Nighter LAST FEW SEATS

MIDNIGHT

Do you have the stamina for our notorious animé all-nighter? Now in its 8th year, brave souls are rewarded with complimentary ice cream and Redbull.

The Italian Horror All Nighter

MIDNIGHT

In anticipation of Electronic Arts' new title, DANTE'S INFERNO, which is based on Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, we present the work of four other nasty Italians.

Sunday 3rd May

The New Heroic Fantasy

11:00AM

The days of by-the-numbers 'swords and sorcery' seem to be well behind us and modern fantasy writers have brought a new type heroic fantasy to the masses.

Focus on: Israel

11:30AM

This new feature for the festival showcases a particular country's contribution to the world of science fiction.

Cyborg She

11:40AM

Jiro is a loner. Every year he buys his own present and celebrates his birthday alone, with a plate of spaghetti in the same restaurant. This year a beautiful, but kooky, girl joins in his celebrations and they spend the rest of the evening doing crazy things and having fun.

Ever Since the World Ended

11:45AM

12 years after a plague has decimated the world population, survivors are interviewed about how they now live. Set in the San Francisco bay area, the film explores, in often humorous ways, how people might cope.

Comedy and Satire in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

12:30PM

What makes the sci-fi/fantasy genre different when it comes to writing comedy? What can you do in the genre that you cannot do in straightforward fiction?

Dystopia - Are We Doomed ?

12:30PM

Apocalyptic scenarios dominate science fiction cinema today. Is our fearful attitude to the future different to the cold-war terrors of the fifties?

SCI-FI-LONDON Pub Quiz FREE Event

2:15PM

Oh yes, our notoriously tricksy pub quiz returns and everyone loves a pub quiz, right? Well, how about doing it in a luxury cinema.

Where's My Jetpack?

3:30PM

Science fiction has promised us interstellar travel, flying cars, hoverboards, teleportation, universal translators, colonies in space and so much more.

The Hunt for Gollum World Premiere

4:00PM

The great events of the war of the ring are about to unfold and the priority for Strider and Gandalf is to keep the Ring secret.

Contemporary Urban Fantasy

5:00PM

With the rise in popularity of contemporary urban fantasy what is it that we are looking for that's missing from our everyday lives?

G.O.R.A and A.R.O.G

5:45PM

Reportedly the highest-budgeted Turkish films ever made, G.O.R.A. and A.R.O.G. tell the tale of Arif, a used-carpet salesman (stand-up comedian Cem Yilmaz), who travels to far-off worlds, and back in time.

The SCI-FI-LONDON Awards FREE Event

6:30PM

Filmmaker Marc Caro presents awards to the winners of the 2nd Annual SCI-FI-LONDON 48hour Film Challenge and the Electronic Arts' DANTE'S INFERNO TRAILER competition.

Cryptic

7:30PM

Young Jessie is a solitary child, and on her birthday her mum gives her a mobile phone. That afternoon the family are celebrating and her mum is electrocuted in the swimming pool.

Monday 4th May

Jeffrey and the Dinosaur

11:00AM

A short documentary about a man whose struggle to overcome daily obstacles has produced an astonishing universe of outsider science fiction.

Monsterland

11:00AM

In these days of CGI overkill, Monsterland is a documentary that harkens back to the days when movie monsters were real.

Labyrinth FREE Event

11:00AM

Long ago, in a time before computer effects provided children's entertainment, Jim Henson was using good ol' fashioned puppetry to bring his fantastical tales to life.

Cryptic

11:15AM

Young Jessie is a solitary child, and on her birthday her mum gives her a mobile phone. That afternoon the family are celebrating and her mum is electrocuted in the swimming pool.

Blink of an Eye: Short Film Programme 2

12:00PM

Each year we put a call out for short film and each year we receive hundreds of amazing stories from around the world.

Artifical Life - It's life, just not as we know it!

12:30PM

Cutting edge science based on experimental evidence and discusses the possibility of synthetic life-like forms being generated in the laboratory and in silicon and what this means for the human race.

Fantasy Fiction from All Sides NOTE NEW TIME

1:00PM

Mark Charan-Newton works for the publisher Solaris, in the book marketing dept, he has also been an editor and now he is a published author at TOR (Pan MacMillan)

Building a Sci-fi/Fantasy World

2:20PM

Science fiction writing can demand a lot from the reader, everything from floating cities to sentient materials, but what are the challenges of creating a convincing SF / fantasy world

20th Century Boys

2:30PM

Inspired by the T. Rex song of the same name, 20th Century Boys is a national phenomenon in Japan. The award-winning, 24-volume sci-fi fantasy manga series, created by Naoki Urasawa, has now been adapted into one of Japan's most expensive movies.

A Woman In A Man's World?

3:45PM

Is hard sci-fi still the preserve of the male author? Do readers still expect male authors and male protagonists? How do publishers react to manuscripts from female SF authors?

Space Colonisation - Home Sweet Home?

5:00PM

The uniqueness of our planet and whether manned exploration of space is inevitable for the survival of the human race.

Idiots and Angels

5:30PM

Angel is a selfish, abusive, morally bankrupt man who hangs out as his local bar, berating the other patrons. One day, Angel mysteriously wakes up with a pair of wings on his back.

20th Century Boys: Chapter Two - The Last Hope

7:30PM

Inspired by the T. Rex song of the same name, 20th Century Boys is a national phenomenon in Japan. The award-winning, 24-volume sci-fi fantasy manga series, created by Naoki Urasawa, has now been adapted into one of Japan's most expensive movies.