Sci-Fi London has 'bigger and bolder' plans for 10th year

Sci-Fi London, the UK’s top science fiction and fantastic film festival, will celebrate its tenth anniversary with a range of events varying from the annual core film programme to a night dedicated to the impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Joining in on the Royal wedding hysteria, Sci-Fi London will host an all-night screening of classic marriage-themed sci-fi films including: Bride of Frankenstein, Bride of Dracula and I Married A Witch.

At the 10th anniversary festival (Apr 23 to May 2), participants can anticipate a “bigger and bolder” celebration, according to Festival Director Louis Savy.

“It is a tribute to our volunteer staff and the support of our sponsors and venues that we are here today. When we started ten years ago it was to challenge preconceptions about science fiction and bring a few independent movies to London,” Savy said, “I never imagined we would become a key fixture in the international film festival calendar, and be a well-known genre event.”

Highlights of the festival will include the Sci-Fi London Lab, a science thread on topics from long-distance space travel to synthetic biology, as well as a tribute to the 20th anniversary of MANGA UK with screenings of Akira and the new anime feature, Eden of the East.

In addition, Easter Sunday will find zombies, superheroes and stormtroopers taking the streets as the Fantasy Easter Parade runs from the British Film Institute (BFI) to the London Film Museum. The festival is expanding to new venues including the BFI Southbank and BFI Imax.

Prior to the festival, Sci-Fi London is also hosting a 48 Hour Film Challenge that offers the first prize of a development deal with Vertigo Films. The contest runs over the two-day period from Apr 2-4 and will be judged by the likes of Edgar Wright, Monsters director Gareth Edwards and Vertigo producer Allan Niblo.