The London Comedy Film Festival 2025 (LOCO) runs this week from May 8 to May 11 at the Ritzy Picturehouse in Brixton with a range of new and classic comedy films for all tastes.

The festival opens with Hostages starring Charlotte Ritchie and Tanya Moodie on Thursday 8th May.

The film also features Nicholas Asbury, Raj Ghatak, Luke McQueen, Nick Helm, Rachel Stubbings, Jack Barry, Georgie Jones and Simon McCoy. The screening with be followed by a cast Q&A.

It's a comedy set during a terrorism situation in London. Charlotte Ritchie plays a wannabe social media influencer live-posting from the incident.  HOSTAGES is a comedy about the 24hr news cycle, "experts" and whether or not social media is more important than people's lives. (It is.)  

Charlotte Ritchie said: “It was such a refreshing and joyful experience filming Hostages, and I am excited to take part in a festival which truly celebrate s comedy in film.”

LOCO is the largest comedy film festival in the world, celebrating the UK’s rich comic heritage as well as cutting-edge humour globally. the weekend will also feature short films from new filmmakers.

Tickets and screening schedule here:  https://locofilmfestival.com

LOCO FULL FEATURE SCREENINGS

Hostages (2025) UK

Written and Directed by Jim Owen

After a terrifying explosion in a hotel, three strangers escape together and hide out in a room. Charlotte Ritchie plays a wannabe social media influencer live-posting from the incident. A comedy about the 24hr news cycle, "experts" and whether or not social media is more important than people's lives. (It is.)  

Two Big Feet (2025) 

Written and Directed by Noah Stratton-Twine 

After a conspiracy theorist is unambiguously dumped, his loyal to a fault childhood best friend schemes to fake a Sasquatch sighting to lift his dwindling spirits. 

Playing Away (1986) UK 

Directed by Horace Ové and written by Caryl Phillips. 

A rarely seen comic gem about a black cricket team from Brixton who play a charity match at a rural village's "Third World Week" celebrations, highlighting issues of race, class, and belonging.

Heavens Above! (1963) UK

Directed by John and Roy Boulting

Peter Sellers stars as a chaplain assigned to an affluent parish. His progressive views such as appointing a black churchwarden and taking in a family of gypsies, disrupt the town's conservative social order. 

The Watermelon Woman (1996) US

Written, directed by and starring Cheryl Dunye

A young Black lesbian filmmaker tries to uncover the identity of a Black uncredited actress. A witty romantic comedy and a powerful commentary on the invisibility of Black queer women, widely regarded as the first feature film directed by an out Black lesbian.

Nanny McPhee (2005) US

Directed by Kirk Jones 

Emma Thompson stars as a magical nanny who helps a widowed father manage his seven unruly children.