Speaking at the Cine International Film Festival at the weekend, actor and director Asia Argento said, “Cinema isn’t dying, the fire is still alive, burning underground, in the hearts of those who refuse to ask for permission. The industry may have forgotten how to take risks, but the filmmakers haven’t – and that’s where the revolution begins.”
It was quite a rallying cry, one which perfectly surmised the spirit of a London’s newest film festival which is aiming to be a punk rock Cannes and turning Soho back into a buzzing hub for filmmakers. Launched in collaboration between DREAMTOWN Entertainment, Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel, and Goldfinch – the Academy Award and BAFTA-winning production company – CIFF was packed with exclusive world premieres, must-see screenings and thought-provoking panel talks.
Ben Charles Edwards, CIFF/DREAMTOWN co-founder, said, “CIFF has exceeded all expectations; packed screening rooms, electric energy and a lineup of bold, brilliant voices that reflect exactly what independent cinema needs right now. We set out to champion fearless filmmaking, and we did just that, while also raising vital funds for Teenage Cancer Trust and launching a new filmmaker bursary to support the next wave of talent. In a time when threats like Trump’s proposed tariffs could further isolate voices and limit creative exchange, festivals like CIFF are more essential than ever. Now is the moment to protect and uplift global storytelling, and we’re proud to be doing exactly that.”
The festival culminated in an awards ceremony on Saturday 10 May at the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel, where visionary filmmaker Julien Temple and literary icon Irvine Welsh were honoured with two of the night’s biggest gongs. Temple, the high priest of punk cinema, received the CIFF Lifetime Achievement Award for a career spent injecting uncompromising chaos and counterculture into the silver screen. Groundbreaking author Irvine Welsh took home the esteemed CIFF Writer’s Award.
Other recipients included Caroline Goodall who won CIFF Best Performance for Second Time Around, TWAIN, produced by Daisy Edgar-Jones, received CIFF Best Screenplay, and Los Frikis was awarded CIFF Best Picture. Student filmmakers Joshua Cleary and Meera Mistry both won the Goldfinch Academy CIFF Award, offering the recipients mentorship and a cash bursary to support their career.
Mark Fuller, owner of the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel, said, “Tamer and I have been talking about creating a platform for independent film and hosting it at the hotel for years, and then suddenly in just four months we put it together. We’re delighted to make it a reality and the timing feels more important than ever. Teaming with Kirsty and Ben, we’ve created a visionary event that has united the film community. We’ve always been supporters of the creative industries. I’m blown away by the passion, intensity and belief of the filmmakers. The creative art of film and music is officially back in Soho. It was gone for a while, but now it’s back and you know where to find it.”
Speaking to the Standard after the awards ceremony, legendary Football Factory actor Tamer Hassan, who is co-founder of CIFF and co-owner of the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel, took a drag of his cigarette and said, “CIFF all happened so organically. We’re a dysfunctional family and we just decided to put on a festival together. We had the hotel to utilise and we just did it ourselves. I'm born and bred in the greatest city on the planet and it deserves some of the glamour that you’ll get in these festivals around the world..
Look, we’re not making money with this, we’re giving back and raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust. Everybody’s working for free.
The response I've had, and we've had as a team, on this small little festival has been overwhelming, overwhelming and it really, and long may it rain, and I promise you this, I will bring a festival as big as Cannes to London. And in Soho, there's more talent, more creativity in this one square mile than there is anywhere in the world. We are the best of what we do.”