Films in Debate
Riveting films that amplify, scrutinise, argue and surprise.
In association with
Debate gala
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Foxtrot
Dir-Scr Samuel Maoz | Germany-Israel-France
Expanding from the claustrophobic confines of his award-winning Lebanon, Samuel Maoz presents a provocative portrait of the mind-set of generations subject to Israeli military conscription.
Feature films
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Adriana’s Pact
Dir-Scr Lissette Orozco | Chile
A Chilean documentary filmmaker plunges into a family’s darkest secret, with irreversible consequences.
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Azmaish: A Journey Through the Subcontinent
Dir Sabiha Sumar | Pakistan
A rare and incisive female-centric documentary about the political and cultural landscape of contemporary Pakistan and India, 70 years after they divided.
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Beauty and the Dogs
Dir-Scr Kaouther Ben Hania | Tunisia-France-Norway-Lebanon-Qatar-Sweden-Switzerland
A night transforms into a nightmare as one woman attempts to seek justice but discovers her helplessness in the face of institutionalised patriarchy.
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Birds are Singing in Kigali
Dir-Scr Joanna Kos-Krauze, Krzysztof Krauze | Poland
In this visually striking and perceptive analysis of trauma, Anna and Claudine return to Poland after witnessing the Rwandan massacres.
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The Climb
Dir Michael Woodward | UK-USA
Leave your fear of heights at home before venturing to this exhilarating documentary, where six women take part in some vertiginous direct action.
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Custody
Dir-Scr Xavier Legrand | USA-UK
Winner of the Best Director and Best First Feature prizes at the Venice Film Festival, this taut, tense drama heralds an exciting filmmaker to watch.
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Devil’s Freedom
Dir-Scr Everardo González | Mexico
The horror of Mexico’s drug war is revealed through the shattering first-hand testimonies of both victims and perpetrators in this astonishing documentary by Everardo González.
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Dolores
Dir Peter Bratt | USA
The life and achievements of little-known but indomitable civil rights activist Dolores Huerta are celebrated in Peter Bratt’s inspiring and intimate documentary.
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The Dumb Girl of Portici
Dir-Prod-Scr Lois Weber | USA
Female filmmaking pioneer Lois Weber presents a grand opera adapted for silent film, starring the divine Anna Pavlova in her only feature film role.
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The Forgiven
Dir Roland Joffé | South Africa-UK
Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana are extraordinary as Desmond Tutu and Piet Blomfeld in this tense political drama.
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Island
Dir Steven Eastwood | UK
A haunting, deeply moving documentary set among terminally ill cancer patients.
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The Light of the Moon
Dir-Scr Jessica M Thompson | USA
Stephanie Beatriz stars in this powerful and involving portrait of a confident New Yorker trying to regain control of her life after a sexual assault.
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A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot
Dir-Scr Sinéad O’Shea | Ireland-UK
Five years in the making, this brave and level-headed documentary exposes paramilitary activity in present day Northern Ireland during a supposed time of peace.
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No Stone Unturned
Dir-Scr Alex Gibney | USA-UK
No Stone Unturned is a suspenseful and profoundly effective true crime investigation from Academy-Award winning documentarian Alex Gibney.
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Oh, Sun!
Dir-Prod-Scr Med Hondo | Mauritania
This beautifully restored, prize-winning film offers a scathing attack on colonialism and a shocking exposé of racism.
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Razzia
Dir Nabil Ayouch | France
Five separate tales intertwine to tell the story of Moroccan society past and present.
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The Song of Scorpions
Dir-Scr Anup Singh | Switzerland-France-Singapore
Golshifteh Farahani and Irrfan Khan star in this revenge fantasy about a camel driver falling in love with a strong-minded young woman who can heal scorpion bites.
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A Sort of Family
Dir Diego Lerman | Argentina-Brazil-France
Adoption doesn’t go according to plan in this Argentinian knockout, when biological parents hold a nervy foster mother, brilliantly played by Bárbara Lennie, to ransom.
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Spoor
Dir Agnieszka Holland | Poland-Germany-Czech Republic-Sweden-Slovakia
Set against the forest landscape of the Polish-Czech borders, Agnieszka Holland’s ‘feminist black comedy’ is also a thriller examining a sequence of bizarre murders.
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This is Our Land
Dir Lucas Belvaux | France
Emilie Dequenne plays a young woman lured into standing as candidate for the French far right in this provocative political drama from director Lucas Belvaux.
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The Venerable W.
Dir-Scr Barbet Schroeder | France-Switzerland
Barbet Schroeder’s documentary about a Buddhist monk espousing anti-Muslim hatred is a frighteningly resonant account of racist and nationalist rhetoric leading to horrendous violence.
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La Vérité
Dir Henri-Georges Clouzot | France-Italy
Brigitte Bardot gives her greatest performance in Clouzot’s bitter drama about a free-spirited young woman in a fraught relationship in late 1950s Left Bank Paris.
Short films programme
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Distilled Identities
Tales from a fearful world seem to circulate constantly as we face an ever-changing climate of war and terror. As the map of the world’s population continues to evolve, we question identity, scrutinise belonging, compromise culture and defend our homes. Yet there is hope when fear evaporates and unity prevails.
Festival calendar
2018 Festival submissions
2018 BFI London Film Festival submissions are now open.
