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London Film Festival · 2025

London Film Festival 2025

Debate

Programme

11 films · 2 reviews

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Cover-Up

A documentary about the life and work of the journalist Seymour Hersh.

(Country: US; Year: 2025; Director: Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus; Stars: Seymour Hersh)

The Deal

In the wake of a scandal casting a cloud over the start of historic negotiations between the USA and Iran in Geneva, the Swiss diplomat Alexandra Weiss suddenly finds herself at the head of the most important diplomatic mission of the early 21st century.

(Country: Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium; Year: 2025; Director: Jean-Stéphane Bron; Writer: Jean-Stéphane Bron, Alice Winocour, Eugène Riousse, Julien-Guilhem Lacombe, Stéphane Mitchell, Valentine Monteil; Stars: Veerle Baetens, Juliet Stevenson, Arash Marandi, Anthony Azizi, Fenella Woolgar, Alexander Behrang Keshtkar)

Island Of The Winds

First conceived as a short film in the wake of a year she spent in the sanatorium, the director continued visiting over two decades, nurturing a deep bond with its inhabitants.

(Country: Taiwan, Japan, France; Year: 2025; Director: Hsu Ya-Ting)

John Lilly And The Earth Coincidence Control Office

Documentary about utopian neuroscientist John C Lilly.

(Country: US; Year: 2025; Director: Michael Almereyda, Courtney Stephens)

Kontinental '25

Orsolya is a bailiff in Cluj, the main city in Transylvania. One day she has to evict a homeless man from a cellar, an action with tragic consequences that triggers a moral crisis which Orsolya must weather as best she can.

(Country: Romania; Year: 2025; Director: Radu Jude; Writer: Radu Jude; Stars: Serban Pavlu, Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanta, Mardare Oana)

Love+War

A documentary following photographer Lynsey Addario capturing the Ukraine war while reflecting on her Pulitzer-winning career.

(Country: US; Year: 2025; Director: Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin; Stars: Lynsey Addario)

Mother

Review preview for Mother

This is such a buttoned up character study that it feels more like a riff than an exploration.

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
Mother Teresa biopic.

(Country: Belgium, North Macedonia; Year: 2025; Director: Teona Strugar Mitevska; Writer: Goce Smilevski, Teona Strugar Mitevska, Elma Tataragić; Stars: Noomi Rapace, Sylvia Hoeks, Nikola Ristanovski)

Full review

Orwell: 2+2=5

Review preview for Orwell: 2+2=5

Offers food for thought in the realm of a slightly ungainly and sprawling all-you-can-eat buffet rather than a satisfying sit-down feast.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Delves deep into Orwell’s final months and visionary works to explore the roots of the vital and troubling concepts he revealed to the world in his dystopian masterpiece… Doublethink, Thoughtcrime, Newspeak, the omnipresent spectre of Big Brother… disturbing socio-political truths which resonate ever-more powerfully today.

(Country: France, US; Year: 2025; Director: Raoul Peck; Stars: Narrated by, Damien Lewis)

Full review

La Paga

A Colombian peasant struggles to support his family under conditions of extreme exploitation.

(Country: Colombia, Venezuela; Year: 1962; Director: Ciro Durán; Writer: Ciro Durán; Stars: Alberto Alvarez, Maria Escalona, Rafael Briceño)

Saipan

Recreation of the 2002 pre-World Cup showdown between Republic of Ireland coach Mick McCarthy and volatile captain Roy Keane.

(Country: UK; Year: 2025; Director: Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn; Writer: Paul Fraser; Stars: Éanna Hardwicke, Steve Coogan, Alice Lowe)

Silent Friend

Tales told from the perspective of a lonely old tree standing in the middle of a botanical garden.

(Country: Greece, France, Hungary; Year: 2025; Director: Ildikó Enyedi; Writer: Ildikó Enyedi, Tina Kaiser; Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Léa Seydoux, Sylvester Groth, Yun Huang)