- Movies by talented UK-based directors screened in Indy Film Library’s return to London
- Tickets sell out at London’s The Garden Cinema for August 29th showcase
- Selection spanned life, death, and the hereafter, with films including bittersweet comedy Hi from a mayfly, heartfelt drama The Last Rehearsal, and family horror Dial
Having stockpiled another selection of phenomenal short films by UK-based filmmakers, Indy Film Library (IFL) has returned to London’s Garden Cinema, two years after its first showcase in the capital. Hosted in collaboration with The Garden Cinema and film collective myDylarama, the event welcomed artists and audiences from around the world.
The programme put together a selection of the best works from UK-based filmmakers that IFL has received since 2024. With IFL’s annual showcase largely focusing on Benelux artists, this was a great opportunity to proudly champion talent across the UK – and provide an opportunity for friends, family and filmmakers outside the Netherlands to see their work on the big screen.
Short introductions from six of the filmmakers kicked off the screening. The full video of summaries can be found below.
The show was kicked off by HUNGER – a trippy archival horror from Natalie Spencer, in which an ancient force of nature toys with human lives, in a life-or-death game of cat-and-mouse. Continuing the otherworldly vibe, highlights of the eclectic programme included films from two of IFL’s longest standing collaborators. Josh Trett’s Dial closed the event – seven years after his short Black Shuck became the first film ever reviewed on the platform. Meanwhile, Will Priddis’ anxiety-inducing relationship horror The Impostor screened some six years after his lockdown production The Abyss first introduced him to IFL readers.
There were also plenty of new faces – with Daniel England’s celebration of eccentric pub culture How fast can you eat a pickled egg? prompting laughter from the packed theatre. Meanwhile, Myles Wheeler’s film Hi from a mayfly – ably represented by star Charlotte Capitelli – drew laughs and tears with its tale of the fleeting, nonsensical beauty of life. This coupled particularly nicely with the following The Last Rehearsal, with Carling Ernstzen’s movie about a terminally ill theatre director leaving not a dry eye in the house.
Concluding the screenings, IFL Editor Jack Benjamin said, “I always like to try and draw a theme out of the films we show – and I’m excited to hear which commonalities and contrasts you all spotted here. This was a diverse selection, and for my part, all I can hope is that overall, they show in a strange, short and often cruel life, it’s important to take every chance we can to comfort and be kind to each other.”
Discussion then moved to The Garden Cinema’s upstairs space, where the artists and audience were encouraged to speak at length about life, film, and everything in between. And after another successful London edition, Indy Film Library’s team can’t wait to bring even more top films back to London in another two years.
