The South London Film Festival Returns to Brixton with Bold Premieres and a Director Who’s Reshaping the Scene

This May and June, the South London Film Festival returns to Brixton with a confident lineup of premieres, award winners, and urgent new stories. Led by Festival Director Kyriakos Georgiou, the event has grown into one of the most distinct voices in London’s film calendar, focused on quality, variety, and stories that push forward.

A Festival with Focus and Energy

The 2025 edition unfolds at the Picturehouse Ritzy, a cinema with over 340 seats and a long-standing presence in South London’s cultural life. It is a space that feels intimate yet grand, ideal for a festival that values emotional connection as much as visual craft.

This year’s programme once again stays true to Georgiou’s vision: powerful stories, sharp curation, and full support for underrepresented voices, including a strong slate of LGBTQIA+ films. It is a space where no story feels small if it is told with honesty.

World Premieres and Award-Winning Shorts

The Official Awards Showcase on May 31 sets the tone. It features a rich mix of 15 short films, some already celebrated internationally, others making their debut right here in South London.

One of the most anticipated is Highway to the Moon, the directorial debut from Letitia Wright. Known to many from Black Panther, Wright steps behind the camera with a short film that blends memory, loss, and identity. The story follows Micah, a young man suspended between life and death in a dreamlike space where he is forced to confront everything left unsaid. Produced through her company 3.16 Productions, the film is part personal, part poetic, and speaks directly to the emotional lives of young Black men.

Also screening is A Day in February by Klaas Diersmann, a quiet, emotionally loaded short about a Ukrainian woman living abroad and trying to reach her family during a crisis. Told in one phone call, the film distills fear, love, and distance into six tightly controlled minutes. It has already played at Palm Springs and Foyle and feels even more urgent in today’s climate.

Another strong entry is Ocean on Fire, directed by Sandra Winther and filmed in the waters of French Polynesia. Combining documentary with poetic realism, the short captures a conversation between climate activist Titouan Bernicot and actress Bailey Bass as they reflect on the damage done to coral reefs and the hope found in small acts of restoration. It is less lecture, more mood, gentle, vivid, and quietly persuasive in its call to protect the planet.

Queer Stories in the Spotlight

On June 14, She Owns the Scene highlights women who command presence, both behind and in front of the camera. The centrepiece here is Sisters Wives, one of the most widely recognised queer shorts of the past year, showcasing Louisa Connolly-Burnham's talent as both a writer and director. Longlisted for the Oscars, BAFTAs, and BIFAs, it also won Best UK Short at the Iris Prize and received acclaim at the One Fluid Night LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. Blending play, danger, and desire, the film is not just visually sharp, it is emotionally charged and fearlessly performed.

Also in this showcase are performances from names like Tamzin Outhwaite, Gary Beadle, and Mia McKenna-Bruce, further pushing the scope of the programme beyond labels and into lived experience.

Kyriakos Georgiou’s Steady Course

What sets this festival apart is consistency. Georgiou does not chase trends, he builds structure. As a filmmaker and curator, he gives space to stories that matter without filtering them through industry buzz. His approach is both grounded and generous.

“Don’t give people a rulebook. Give them a platform.”

And it shows. Previous editions brought films like Riz Ahmed’s Dammi, the BAFTA-nominated Yellow, and Last Call with Tom Holland and Lindsay Duncan. But it is the lesser-known works, emerging artists from London and beyond, that define the festival’s voice.

What People Say

“No red carpets, just red hot films”
“A place where being indie doesn’t mean being invisible”
“One of the few festivals that actually feels made for the audience”

Audience members, critics, and filmmakers alike describe SLFF as welcoming, unpredictable, and always relevant.

Where to Get Involved

Tickets are on sale now
🎟️ southlondonfilmfest.co.uk
🎟️ picturehouses.com

For updates and behind the scenes content
📸 @southlondonfilmfestival
👤 Festival Director: Kyriakos Georgiou @thekyriakosgeorgiou

This year’s edition does not just celebrate film. It celebrates community. From queer voices to environmental urgency, from personal loss to collective joy, the South London Film Festival reminds us why independent cinema still matters.