Films in Debate
Riveting films that amplify, scrutinise, argue and surprise.
Debate strand supported by
Debate gala
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Official Secrets
Dir Gavin Hood | UK-USA
Gavin Hood follows up Eye in the Sky with a sharp political thriller about a key moment in the history of the Iraq conflict.
Feature films
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The Australian Dream
Dir Daniel Gordon | Australia
A thought-provoking documentary about the Australian Rules football star Adam Goodes that raises crucial questions about casual racism.
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By the Grace of God
Dir-Scr François Ozon | France
In one of his (seemingly) most straightforward but finest films yet, François Ozon deals very movingly with a real-life case of multiple child abuse.
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Citizen K
Dir-Scr Alex Gibney | USA-UK
Multiple award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney returns with a fascinating exploration of the contemporary Russian political landscape and a portrait of oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
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Clemency
Dir-Scr Chinonye Chukwu | USA
Alfre Woodard is quietly devastating as a weary prison warden presiding over her twelfth execution, in this Sundance-winning death row drama.
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County Lines
Dir-Scr Henry Blake | UK
Drawing on real-life cases, this is a controlled and disquieting drama about a 14-year-old London boy being used as a mule by nationwide drug traffickers.
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Desrances
Dir-Scr Apolline Traoré | Burkina Faso
Civil war looms in Abidjan and relations begin to fray within a family in this tense and atmospheric thriller.
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The Girl with a Bracelet
Dir-Scr Stéphane Demoustier | France-Belgium
Family relations and social expectations are compellingly picked apart in this French courtroom drama about a teenager caught in the spotlight of a murder case.
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A Hidden Life
Dir-Scr Terrence Malick | Germany-USA
Terrence Malick returns with a call for grace in this Second World War-set true story exploring the importance of unsung resistance.
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Hope Frozen
Dir-Prod Pailin Wedel | Thailand-USA
Pailin Wedel’s award-winning documentary is an emotional chronicle of parents doing what they believe is best for their child, no matter what the cost.
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Just Mercy
Dir Destin Daniel Cretton | USA
Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx excel in this powerful and impassioned death row drama based on real events.
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Luce
Dir Julius Onah | USA
This gripping psychological thriller about subjectivity and code-switching in modern America marks Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) as one of cinema’s most thrilling emerging voices.
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Lynn + Lucy
Dir-Scr Fyzal Boulifa | UK
A lifelong friendship is tested by tragedy in this atmospheric and intense first feature from acclaimed British shorts director Fyzal Boulifa.
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Made in Bangladesh
Dir Rubaiyat Hossain | Bangladesh-France-Denmark-Portugal
How do you learn to speak out when everyone expects you to be silent? In a Bangladeshi factory, a determined young woman discovers the possibilities of activism.
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Martin Eden
Dir Pietro Marcello | Italy-France-Germany
An original, stylistically dazzling and ambitious Italian adaptation of Jack London’s autobiographical novel about a self-taught and outspoken working-class writer who climbs the ranks of society.
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Mr. Jones
Dir Agnieszka Holland | Poland-Ukraine-UK
James Norton stars as Welsh journalist Gareth Jones whose 1930s visit to Soviet Ukraine uncovered the truth of Stalin’s state-sponsored famine and reputedly inspired George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
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Noura’s Dream
Dir-Scr Hinde Boujemaa | Tunisia-Belgium-France-Qatar
Noura and Lassad’s delicate love story turns into a nightmare when Noura’s husband Sofiane is unexpectedly released from prison, days before their divorce is finalised.
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The Report
Dir-Scr Scott Z Burns | USA
The American government takes a long hard look at itself in this politically urgent drama starring Adam Driver.
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Rewind
Dir Sasha Joseph Neulinger | USA
Through unflinching interviews and home video footage, Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s powerful and frank film investigates the history of his childhood trauma.
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Seberg
Dir Benedict Andrews | USA
Kristen Stewart shines as an idealistic yet fragile Jean Seberg in this impressive new work from Una (LFF 2016) director Benedict Andrews.
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A Son
Dir-Scr Mehdi M Barsaoui | France-Tunisia-Lebanon-Qatar
Challenging your emotions at every turn, Mehdi M Barsaoui’s debut is a riveting ride in which the euphoria of a family trip quickly turns into a nightmare.
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Staff Only
Dir Neus Ballús | Spain-France
Neus Ballús’ second feature (after docudrama The Plague) follows a Spanish teenager who is forced to consider her whiteness on a family holiday in Senegal.
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The Street
Dir-Prod Zed Nelson | UK
The working-class community of Hoxton Street face the upheavals of gentrification, austerity and the eruption of Brexit, in this portrait of a rapidly changing London.
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Tell Me Who I Am
Dir Ed Perkins | UK
UK-based director Ed Perkins follows his Oscar-nominated documentary short Black Sheep with a potent and troubling exploration of trauma, identity and redemption.
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The Valley
Dir Nuno Escudeiro | Italy-France
On the idyllic mountainous border of France and Italy, local residents are self-organising in order to help refugees, while law enforcers adopt underhand methods to intervene.
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Waiting for the Barbarians
Dir Ciro Guerra | Italy
Ciro Guerra follows Birds of Passage with an allegorical epic penned by JM Coetzee, starring Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson.
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Wasp Network
Dir-Scr Olivier Assayas | France-Brazil-Spain-Belgium
Olivier Assayas takes us deep into the world of Cuban spies in Florida, in this 1990s-set espionage drama with a sting in its tail.
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Workforce
Dir-Scr David Zonana | Mexico
Produced by Michel Franco, this gripping tale focuses on construction site workers who take matters into their own hands when their bosses ignore their requests.
Short films programme
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Close and Far
The parent-child relationship is one of the most complex, evoking a whole spectrum of emotions.
