Sci-Fi London’s Oktoberfest Preview
Gareth Edwards' Monsters and a Guillermo del Toro all-nighter.
Sci-Fi London will be holding their little film festival over one weekend in London this October, and here's why it's not to be missed.
Not to be confused with the beer-guzzling and meat-chomping German event of the same name, Oktoberfest is held in the plush surroundings of the very nice Apollo Piccadilly Circus during 14th-16th October, and will feature sci-fi documentaries, special screenings and all-nighters.
Top of the list is the beautiful sci-fi film Monsters. It's not being released in the UK until 3rd December, but you've got two opportunities to see it next month. The first will be at the special Life, But As We Know It? event in conjuction with the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, which opens the weekend. The planetarium will host a screening of Gareth Edwards' story of an alien-infected Mexico. On the Saturday, Edwards will be on hand for another screening of Monsters back at the Apollo, and will demonstrate how he did the effects himself.
Also on Saturday is the documentary Alien Encounters: Superior Fan Power Since 1979. Narrated by Trevor Steedman, who played Colonial Marine Weirzbowski in Aliens, the man himself will be at the screening, with potentially more Alien cast members to be announced. The feature follows fans of series, inviting us in to their world of tribute to the cast and crew of these seminal sci-fi flicks, focusing mainly on the Ridley Scott and James Cameron masterpieces, Alien and Aliens. It features contributions from cast members Lance Henriksen, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright and Michael Biehn. Aliens will be on hand for photo opportunities!
The best thing about the Apollo cinema is that you feel like you're in Tron. Well, it's fitting then that there's a screening of the classic and groundbreaking 1982 film, along with an eight-minute preview of the hugely anticipated sequel Tron: Legacy.
Following Tron on Saturday night, you'll have the choice of four all-nighters. We'll suggest the Guillermo del Toro one, with screenings of Pan's Labyrinth, Cronos, The Devil's Backbone and Mimic.
Here's the line-up:
Thursday 14th October
6:30PM LIFE, BUT AS WE KNOW IT?
Friday 15th October
6:30PM RISE OF THE MACHINES
7:30PM TECHNOTISE: EDIT & I
9:30PM DOUGAL AND THE BLUE CAT
Saturday 16th October
10:30AM ROBOTS
1:00PM ALIEN ENCOUNTERS: SUPERIOR FAN POWER SINCE 1979
3:00PM TIME TRAVELLER: THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME
6:00PM MONSTERS
9:00PM TRON
11:30PM ANIME ALL NIGHTER
11:30PM MST3K ALL NIGHTER
11:30PM DEL TORO ALL NIGHTER
11:30PM STUDIO GHIBLI ALL NIGHTER
Head over to www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2010/oktoberfest to find out more and book tickets.
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