...And Every Brilliant Thing to close it

The film version of Stephen Fry’s comic novel  The Hippopotamus is to open the sixth LOCO London Comedy Film Festival next month, it has been announced.  

And the closing movie will be Every Brilliant Thing, a filmed version of the hit stage show starring Jonny And The Baptists frontman Jonny Donahoe, below.

He co-wrote the show – about a young man dealing with his mother’s suicide attempts - with  Duncan Macmillan, and both will be at the festival for a Q&A session after the May 7 screening.

The Hippopotamus will be getting its UK premiere on the opening night, May 4. In it, Roger Allam stars as disgraced poet Ted Wallace, who turns detective to investigate strange events at a country house.

John Jencks’ film of Fry’s black comedy also stars Tim McInnerny, Fiona Shaw, Matthew Modine, Emily Berrington and Russell Tovey.

Also announced today are the nominees for the LOCO Discovery Awards which return for a sixth year to honour British first time feature filmmakers.

They are: Mindhorn, directed by Sean Foley and starring Julian Barratt as an actor who starred in a cheesy 1980s cop show; Chubby Funny, about an aspiring actor perpetually typecast as a chubby best friend which is directed, written by and starring Harry Michell; and the bleakly funny relationship comedy Brakes directed and written by Mercedes Grower and starring Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Julia Davis, Kerry Fox, Steve Oram, Seb Cardinal and Kate Hardie (Reviewed here). All will be screed at the festival.

LOCO will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of Hot Fuzz with a screening and Q&A with filmmakers and cast, although the exact line-up has yet to be announced, while Comedians’ Cinema Club will offer their loose, live interpretation of the film.

Further highlights include Deeds Not Words, a celebration of the female stars of silent comedy, and a raft of short films, including Bullet To The Heart, directed by Jon Drever and starring Brett Goldstein and Aisling Bea, below, as assassins, which was previously released online for 24 hours on Valentines Day.

An exhibition running through the event will honour Betty Box and Peter Rogers for their contribution to British comedy as producers of the Doctor and Carry On series

Festival director  Denise Hicks said: ‘Film, particularly comedy, is a powerful medium for telling stories that inspire hope, and we have programmed a variety of films that present hopeful stories in many different guises.’

The festival takes place at the BFI Southbank on May 4 to 7. More information is available at locofilmfestival.com.

Published: 4 Apr 2017