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London Film Festival · 2024

London Film Festival 2024

Documentary Competition

Programme

6 films · 3 reviews

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Collective Monologue

Intimate and fragmented moments unfold in a community of zoos and animal rescue centers across Argentina. As histories of these institutions are uncovered, dedicated workers commit both day and night to caring for the remaining enclosed animals, fostering a mutual bond that transcends imagined boundaries between human and animal.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2024; Director: Jessica Sarah Rinland)

Kamay

Review preview for Kamay

As the modest camera follows Younes and his family, the directors dignify his struggle.

Sergiu Inizian · 3.5 out of 5
A sorrow-stricken family from rural Afghanistan seeks justice following the tragic death of their daughter, Zahra, a student at Kabul University.

(Country: Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, France; Year: 2024; Director: Ilyas Yourish, Shahrokh Bikara)

Full review See: Ilyas Yourish on his motivations for making documentary Kamay

Mother Vera

Review preview for Mother Vera

The camera is close when it needs to be but often focused on a detail, such as hands on a rosary or capturing the detail of surroundings, including religious iconography or the texture of a horse’s coat that help us to feel Mother Vera’s place within these spaces.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
An Orthodox nun in a Belarussian convent considers her past and her future.

(Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson)

Full review See: Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson on filmmaking and life choices in Mother Vera

Rising Up At Night (Tongo Saa)

Portrait of the residents of Kinshasa with their faith, hopes and disappointments, immersed in the beauty of the nights in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

(Country: Belgium, Germany, Qatar, Congo, Burkina Faso; Year: 2024; Director: Nelson Makengo)

Seeking Mavis Beacon

Review preview for Seeking Mavis Beacon

Jones and Ross are both strong personalities and the personal aspect of the film is one of its strongest suits.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Launched in the late Eighties, educational software Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the program's Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY investigators search for the unsung cultural icon, while questioning notions of digital security, AI, and Black representation in the digital realm.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Jazmin Renée Jones; Writer: Jazmin Renée Jones; Stars: Jazmin Renée Jones, Olivia McKayla Ross)

Full review

Witches

Documentary examining the relationship between the cinematic portrayals of witches and the all-too-real experiences of postpartum depression by utilising footage that spans the entirety of film history alongside personal testimony.

(Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Elizabeth Sankey)