London Symphony (2017)
LONDON SYMPHONY is a silent film - a city symphony - which offers a poetic journey through the capital. It is an artistic snapshot of London as it stands today, and a celebration of its rich diversity of culture, architecture and religion.
The film was nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2017.
It had a theatrical release in the UK in September 2017. Three special screenings, featuring live performances of the film's score, were supported by the Arts Council England.
It was released internationally on Blu-ray and VOD through Flicker Alley in October 2017 and on DVD through New Wave Films in February 2018. It was added to the BFI Player in November 2017, when it was selected as Mark Kermode's choice of the week.
Kermode also featured LONDON SYMPHONY in his BBC roundup of the best films of 2017. In addition, the film was selected as CineVue's 'Film of the Week', and denoted as a 'must see' by critic Rich Cline in his five star review.
It was selected by Little White Lies magazine as one of the '100 Greatest British Films' in their July/August 2019 issue.
LONDON SYMPHONY was also the winner of four categories in the Silent London Poll of 2017: Best Silent Film DVD/Blu-ray release, Best Silent Film Theatrical Release, Best Modern Silent of 2017 and Silent Hero of 2017 (for me personally).
To find out more about LONDON SYMPHONY, please visit the film's official website.
What people said about the film...
"a seductive parade of striking images"
- Kim Newman, Sight & Sound
★★★★
"rapturous, compelling and inventive"
- David Jenkins, Little White Lies
★★★★★
"utterly breath-taking"
- Samuel Love, FilmJuice
★★★★
"This virtuoso display of editing weaves together a staggering volume of
footage of contemporary London, addressing a wide spread of themes
and geography with knife-sharp monochrome cinematography"
- Rachel Brook, One Room With A View
★★★★
"lustrous"
- Neil Smith, Total Film
★★★★★
"an essential document about London at a pivotal point in its history"
- Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Watch Mark Kermode's BFI Player introduction to the film
Watch Mark Kermode interview me for Kermode Uncut