This week it's the 62nd BFI London Film Festival and there are a selection of accessible films where introductions and Q&As are BSL interpreted.
Keep an eye on the following films:
Capernaum
17 October 2018, 5.30pm
It tells the story of Zain, a young boy from an impoverished family, who sues his parents for having brought him into a world of such suffering and despair. Along the way, he forges an unlikely bond with a toddler, the child of an Ethiopian maid working illegally in Lebanon.
Filming on location in Beirut, Labaki draws out astonishing performances from her young leads while taking the viewer on a journey into subterranean areas of the Lebanese capital, where people exist below the poverty line and lack any legal recognition. Most importantly, Labaki humanises her characters, gradually building towards a finale that is as emotionally devastating as it is life-affirming.
The Chambermaid
18 October 2018, 6pm
Eve is a conscientious maid with a broad smile and kind demeanour. Punctual and enterprising, paying close attention to the details that make a premier hotel so rewarding a stay, she hopes her impeccable professionalism will bring her promotion to Hotel Presidente’s exclusive penthouse floor.
She records her day-to-day activities, from ensuring rooms are immaculately presented each morning and liaising with her colleagues and hotel maintenance staff to attending a literacy class that will help her chances of promotion.
Avilés’ impressive debut profits from a spare script and nuanced direction, while Gabriela Cartol’s breakout performance brings charisma and warmth to Eve.
With its dry humour and sly observations about class, privilege and exploitation, The Chambermaid is a confident, compelling and deeply resonant piece of filmmaking.
Burning
19 October, 8:15pm
Jongsu’s (Yoo Ah-in) unremarkable day-to-day life is pleasantly disrupted when a chance meeting with quirky childhood friend Haemi (Jeon Jong-seo) sparks a promise of romance. Soon to depart on a trip to Africa, Haemi asks Jongsu to cat-sit, which he dutifully does, even though the animal remains stubbornly elusive (does it even exist?).
Anticipating their reunion, Jongsu is surprised at the airport to find Haemi arriving with the charismatic Ben (Steven Yeun), whom she met on the trip.
No match for the poised and obviously wealthy Ben, Jongsu’s jealousy at the shift in Haemi’s affections builds over subsequent weeks.
Based on a Haruki Murakami short story, screenwriter Oh Jung-Mi and Lee have fashioned a lean slow-burner: gripping, elliptical and intriguingly ambiguous. Pitch-perfect performances from the three leads are intimately captured by cinematograper Hong Kyung-Pyo, his camera also revelling in the visual poetry of every environment.
With a missing girl, a mysterious cat, an arsonist and a possible murder, director Lee expertly controls the tension until the breathtaking, explosive finale.
Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis to the screenings above.
To book, please contact the Box Office on
020 7960 2102 (the BFI welcome calls using text relay services)
or
bfi.org.uk/access and quote ACCESS
