Films on our watchlist at London Film Festival 2026
From documentaries exploring connections between families and their land to raucous anti-capitalist satires, here's what we're hoping to catch at London Film Festival this year.
Header image: I Love Boosters © Neon
London Film Festival 2026 kicks of this week and we've picked out seven films that caught our eye on this year's festival programme.
From documentaries exploring connections between families and their land to raucous anti-capitalist satires, here are the films the Climate Spring team is hoping to catch at London Film Festival this year:
A Long Winter (directed by Andrew Haigh)
After his mother disappears during the first blizzard of the season, a young man refuses to give up hope as one long winter reshapes his relationship with his father and his understanding of the man he is becoming. Adapted from a Colm Tóibín short story, we’re interested in this one for how it might explore grief, personal growth and masculinity through a relationship to the natural world.
To Hold a Mountain (directed by Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić)
A shepherd mother and her teen daughter fiercely defend their mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground. From domestic rituals to the demands of pastoral labour, their lives are sustained by an intimate understanding of the land. We’re looking forward to this one for explorations of enduring connections between land stewardship and familial ties.
Bunker (directed by Florian Zeller)
Set against a backdrop of widening class divisions and capitalist excess, the seemingly stable lives of an acclaimed architect and his publisher wife begin to unravel when he accepts a controversial commission to build a luxury bunker for a tech billionaire. We’re interested in this for its potential for timely commentary on the billionaire class and their enablers.
Filipiñana (directed by Rafael Manuel)
Set on an opulent Manila golf club, Isabel spends her first week on the job as a “tee-girl” learning the rules from the very bottom of its strict hierarchy. However, she quickly discovers there are more than a few unspoken rules. We’re looking forward to this for a critique of colonial legacies, class structures and gentrification set against a sweltering and tense backdrop.
Wild Horse Nine (directed by Martin McDonagh)
On the cusp of dictator Augusto Pinochet taking power in Chile, a trio of CIA agents bicker as they await the ‘go’ date on their part in yet another military coup. However, against the stunning natural beauty and mysterious ancient artefacts of Easter Island, their plan unravels. We’re interested in this for how it might address the militarisation of natural landscapes and their inhabitants.
I Love Boosters (directed by Boots Riley)
Aspiring fashion designer Corvette and “The Velvet Gang”, are a group of ‘boosters’ who rob clothes from fashion entrepreneur Christie Smith’s boutiques. But when Smith steals one of Corvette’s designs, The Velvet Gang are pushed to the next level. We’re looking forward to this one for its apparent criticisms of capitalism from the visionary filmmaker behind Sorry to Bother You.
Water Body (directed by Marshmallow Laser Feast – Barnaby Steel, Ersin Han Ersin, Robin McNicholas)
Part of the special presentations at London Film Festival this year, this immersive experience invites viewers to journey through the hidden flows of our planet. The new site-specific installation by acclaimed UK studio Marshmallow Laser Feast, traces unseen connections between landscapes, ecosystems and ourselves.
Check out the full programme of films and events here.