Ten Experimenta Films to See at BFI London Film Festival 2017

Spell Reel, Dir Filipa César

One of my favourite sections of the BFI London Film Festival is Experimenta which includes films made by artists who "transform our experience of seeing moving images". This section usually has some gems to be discovered and I am looking forward to seeing as many films as I can. 

Here are my top 10 picks, you can see the complete list of Experimenta films here. Click on each title for more information, schedule and ticketing details. 

Dead the Ends
Dir Benedict Seymour
2017 | UK | 106min 

Benedict Seymour’s experimental feature is an urgent, engaging journey into the London riots and our current political situation via imagery from dystopian science fiction. 

Erase and Forget
Dir Andrea Luka Zimmerman
2017 | UK | 88min  

Investigative portrait of famous Vietnam vet, ‘Bo’ Gritz, the inspiration for Rambo, that exposes the complexities of how America creates its own reality.  

Life Imitation
Dir Chen Zhou
2017 | China | 82min  

Cutting edge artist Chen Zhou fuses documentary, chat apps and Grand Theft Auto to build a mind-bending picture of queer lives on the edge.   

The Mærsk Opera
Dir Superflex
2017 | Denmark | 69min

Superflex create an operatic interpretation of the building of Copenhagen’s famous performance space, one of Europe’s most controversial buildings. 

No Trace of Accelerator
Dir Emily Wardill
2017 | UK-Norway | 50min   

Emily Wardill presents a compelling investigation into collective fear.

Ouroboros
Dir Basma Alsharif
2017 | France-Palestine-Belgium-Qatar | 77min  

The Gaza Strip is the starting point for this universal story of heartbreak from Basma Alsharif.  

The Pure Necessity
Dir David Claerbout
2016 | Belgium | 50min 

The Jungle Book is re-made removing the humans to create a paradise of animal freedom. 

Spell Reel
Dir Filipa César
2017 | Portugal-Germany-France | 96min   

Filipa César’s documentary following the rediscovery of the revolutionary cinema of Guinea-Bissau and its role in reclaiming national memory.   

Tonsler Park
Dir Kevin Jerome Everson
2017 | USA | 80min    

The functioning, or malfunctioning, of US democracy on Election Day 2016 as seen through the operations of polling stations in Charlottesville, Virginia.  

Tripoli Cancelled
Dir Naeem Mohaiemen
2017 | Greece-Germany-UK | 95min   

The modern migrant experience as expressed through one man’s struggle to survive, trapped in an abandoned airport for a decade. 

Images and text via BFI London Film Festival 2017.