Programmers Picks from the Breeze Film Festival

London Breeze Film Festival was founded in 2016 by Sam Cullis as Barnes Film Festival, originally taking place at the London Wetlands Centre and Olympic Studios in East London. Over the past ten years, it has blossomed into a reliable Autumn fixture in the capital, having re-branded to London Breeze in 2023. Still a grassroots festival that supports emerging talent and underrepresented voices in the industry, it now spans five days in multiple venues across London. Boasting a variety of special guests, industry events, an immersive storytelling exhibit, and with programming this year focused on the vital theme of courage, foregrounding women in film, and celebrating music and sound’s role in storytelling, Breeze’s 11^th edition offers 147 titles for your delectation. To help us discover some of the pearls in the line-up, co-lead programmer Emily Bolton has plucked out three shorts and one feature for your consideration…

1. The Couch
Directed by Lara Kuijper

A refreshingly wholesome and hopeful observation of male friendships and the cracks that can begin to form under the pressure of impending adulthood. On the surface, this is a film about a trio of friends going to pick up a couch to be able to host a party at their flat. Sounds simple? Yet, the simplicity of the premise is what allows the relationship between these young men to breathe and each of their performances to shine. With shades of Richard Linklater’s Slacker and Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, director Lara Kuijper’s version of the walking/​talking ​“slice of life” film feels entirely fresh, showcasing her own clear and precise directorial voice. The film also features an immersive original score by WLDAN which draws you into the characters’ orbit and brings the London streets they pass through to buzzing life. Special mention, as well, to the Feature we curated alongside The Couch – Sahand Kabiri’s brilliant The Crowd, an underground entry to the new wave of Iranian film. Shot in just 12 days, it follows a group of friends as they navigate friendship, loss, and life in Tehran as young queer people while planning an illegal party for one of the members of their group.

2. Silly Little Plastic Cat
Directed by Zack Grant

Part of our IMPACT programme this year – a collection of shorts concerning the environment – is the short documentary Silly Little Plastic Cat directed by Zack Grant. Filmed on the coast of Brittany, France, the film investigates a mysterious legend that has haunted the region’s shores for the past four decades: the apparition of sun-bleached, bright orange, plastic, (formerly) talking Garfield-themed telephones. The words ​‘legend’ and ​‘apparition’ are used here facetiously, because these objects are not simply appearing out of thin air, they are a reminder of the lasting impact of human overconsumption and the resulting issue of plastics in our oceans. There is nothing ​“silly” about the very real environmental commentary running throughout the film, but director Grant manages to strike a perfect tonal balance between humour and whimsy, quirk and the sombre realisation of what this unexpected phenomenon represents. It is perhaps not a coincidence that the phone is orange, as the colour symbolises both creativity and abundance. Yet, in society, it’s a colour that also triggers potential hazards. In other words, we keep creating and buying and continuing this cycle despite its costs to the Earth.

3. Point 
Directed by Ari Sohn

Point is a trippy, entrancing and intricately detailed hand-drawn animation with a violin score composed and performed by director Ari Sohn herself. Go on a kaleidoscopic journey through this world of rebirth, regeneration and renewal – part of our ​‘Sound of Storytelling’ shorts block that features films with outstanding sound and music design that enhance the stories they accompany. The violin music shapes the visuals that unfold before us, and becomes tangible within the world of the film, entangled in an audiovisual representation of the passage of time, and the transformation all living things go through with it. ​‘Point’ as a word and symbol indicates a location, a passage of time, an action, and both an origin and an end. It also shapes language and music. Point allows each of these interpretations to exist on one plane. 

4. Delupi
Directed by Mohammad Touqir Islam

Delupi was filmed in a remote village in Bangladesh in the aftermath of great political and environmental turmoil that shook the country, especially its poorest communities. Director Mohammad Touqir Islam and his crew embedded themselves within the village, allowing events to unfold organically and gaining the trust of the people around them by joining in relief efforts. Islam also uses real villagers and first-time actors, lending an added layer of authenticity to the film. When we hone in on the love story between Partha and Nupur, Mihir’s activism, and the seedy escapades of Chairman Zakir as he attempts to use the chaos of the situation to gain power, it feels wholly believable and provides an openness that makes it easy to connect with these characters and their lives.

Instead of the film becoming bogged down by the different threads of the narrative, they combine to form a tightly woven tapestry – a testament to the importance of community and that we are stronger together. The word that comes to mind when looking at Delupi’s interconnected storylines is ​‘protection’: from Mihir’s political and environmental mission, Partha’s wish to rescue Nupur and shield their love from her strict parents, the Jatra troupe’s defiance in preserving their art, to the entire population of the neighbouring villages as they unite to protect their land. Delupi is a powerful tale of young love, the resilience of the human spirit in the face of environmental crisis.

London Breeze Film Festival runs from 21 – 25 October, 2026. To explore the full programme, head to lon​don​breeze​film​fes​ti​val​.com