This week, MASSIVE Cinema shares Netti Hurley’s best film picks as part of the MASSIVE Cinema Shutdown series. The MASSIVE Cinema shutdown was created to bring a series of events to celebrate cinema during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Netti Hurley, a London based photographer, and film director is well versed in cinema both British and independent, and shares her top films for you to watch at home. 

Netti’s top 5 recommendations are:

1.     Festen – available on BFI Player Subscription 

When a family gathers to celebrate the patriarch’s 60^thbirthday the reunion turns both dark and hilarious, sometimes both at the same time. Festen was the first film of the Dogme 95 movement initiated by director Thomas Vinterberg and Lars von Trier.

2.     John & Jane – available on Amazon Prime Video Rental

An original blend of observational documentary and tropical science-fiction, John & Jane follows the stories of six “call agents” that answer American 1-800 numbers in a Mumbai call center.

3.     El Mariachi – available on Amazon Prime Video Rental

El Mariachi, an aspiring musician, just wants to play his guitar. Unfortunately, the town he tries to find work in has another visitor, a killer who carries his guns in a guitar case. The local drug lord and his henchmen mistake El Mariachi for the killer and chase him around the town trying to kill him and steal his guitar case. 

4.     Nénette et Boni – available on Amazone Prime Video Rental

A French drama film, Nénette et Boni, tells the story of teenage siblings Nenette and Boni, who were raised apart as a result of their parent’s divorce. Their mother, who doted on her son Boni, has died. He works for a couple as a pizza baker, and is surprised and enraged when his younger sister, having run away from boarding school, suddenly turns up.

5.     Romance – available on BFI Player Subscription 

A young schoolteacher, sexually frustrated by her boyfriend, looks elsewhere for physical affection and embarks on a series of increasingly extreme sexual encounters. Shockingly explicit, the film blurs the lines between art and pornography. 

MASSIVE Cinema, which is part of the BFI Commission on UK Independent Film, is a place where youth culture and cinema collide. The MASSIVE Cinema Shutdown offers young audiences unique ways to experience new and classic releases while at home, through a series of virtual screenings, watch parties, and a free six-week trial of BFI Player. The Watch List will be announced weekly, featuring five rotating film recommendations from well-known faces within film, music, and culture. 

Check out the GUAP Arts & Culture section, to discover new art, film, and creative individuals.