A new film festival has started in London, one which celebrates indie cinema at a time when Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs are threatening to devastate the UK industry.
The Cine International Film Festival is based at the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel and features a host of premieres, panel talks and parties until Saturday 9th May.
The festival kicked off last night with the premiere at the Curzon of psychological thriller Savage Flowers directed by Brad Watson and starring Roxanne McKee and Nick Moran. It was followed by a march in support of indie cinema from the Curzon to the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel where the likes of Sadie Frost and Laura Whitmore joined the festival’s founders Tamer Hassan, Ben Charles Edwards and Kirsty Bell in a raucous rallying cry in the face of Trump’s proposals.
Writing for the Standard last week, Edwards had issued this challenge to aspiring filmmakers:
‘We need to stop confusing “indie” with “aspirational.” Indie is NOT a stepping-stone to Hollywood. It’s a mindset. It's the act of declaring that your story matters, even if nobody else agrees yet.
This isn’t about lowering standards. It’s about raising hell. It’s about remembering that cinema is an act of rebellion. Of course, craft matters. Of course, story matters. But so does urgency. So does truth. So does change. And change doesn’t come from another rejection letter. It comes from the next gen of filmmakers, from putting something out there that could fail gloriously, but just might change someone’s life. ‘
Earlier at the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel, the Standard had partnered with CIFF and Alfa Romeo for a special screening of the documentary Quant, about the legendary fashion designer, which featured a Q&A with director Sadie Frost beforehand.
A launch party for the festival then followed where the marchers mingled with a crowd of filmmakers and stars.
The festival line-up is as follows.
THURSDAY 8 MAY:
- Short Films Programme
- PANEL TALK: Jordan Bayne – Film3 / web3 panel with Phil Mckenzie
- SCREENING: The Waterhouse
- Gala Dinner & Teenage Cancer Trust Auction *
FRIDAY 9 MAY:
- Short Films Programme
- PANEL TALK: “Girls On Film” podcast
- SCREENING: The Wheels Of Heaven
- WORLD PREMIERE: Borrowed Time (John Lennon doc)
- SCREENING: Los Frikis
- SCREENING: Perfecto Records
- SCREENING: Heaven Nightclub
SATURDAY 10 MAY:
- Short Films Programme
- PANEL TALK: Asia Argento & Ben Charles Edwards- Future Of Independent Filmmaking
- SCREENING: London: The Modern Babylon with Julien Temple Q&A
- EXCLUSIVE UK PREMIERE: Children Of The Snow Land
- PANEL TALK: Get Your Film Financed
- The CIFF Awards *
Cine International Film Festival (CIFF) runs until Sunday at the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel. Tickets are on sale now
