British and American English

• Introduction
• Spelling
• Pronunciation
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Usage
• Conclusion

Introduction

Those people who complain about the difficulties of learning German, don't know how lucky they really are - they only have one language to master. Admittedly, there are regional differences of dialect in German-speaking countries, but the non-native speaker who has learned Hochdeutsch (high or standard German) should have no problems in making himself understood by citizens of Germany, Austria or Switzerland. The difficulty for the non-native learner of English on the other hand is that there is no standard English form. He is confronted with two English dialects to learn: British English and American English (leaving aside Australian, Indian, South African English etc.) And despite the many cross-cultural influences, it seems that the vocabularies, spellings and pronunciations of these two dialects are diverging year by year.

To be consistent in his use of English and, more importantly, to be understood , the non-native speaker needs to know which words have distinct meanings and pronunciations depending on whether they are used by a Briton or an American. This is necessary not only for sake of communication, but also to avoid embarrassment. For example, if a Londoner tells a resident of New York that she has left her child's dummy in the pram and its nappy in the boot, she will merely be greeted with a look of bewilderment. If the New Yorker then tells the London woman that she has nice pants, he may well wonder why she doesn't seem to take his remark as a compliment.

[In America dummies and nappies are called pacifiers and diapers; prams and boots are calledbaby carriages and trunks. For Americans pants are trousers but for Britons pants are what you wear under your trousers.]

What follows are brief examples of the major areas of difference between the two languages, together with some quiz questions:

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Spelling differences

In general, where there are differences between British English (BE) and American English (AE) spelling, it can be said that American English has the more economical and phonetic spelling. Unnecessary letters are left out and words are spelled how they sound. An obvious example is the omission in AE of the letter uin words such as color, neighbor, honor etc. Compare also the AE wordstraveling, jewelry and program with their BE counterparts travelling, jewelleryand programme. However, this rule does not always apply. For example, you would expect skilful to be the AE spelling and skillful the BE spelling, but unfortunately you would be wrong!

Quiz 1

In the following table, which words are spelled in American English and which in British English? Can you give the alternative spelling in each case?

Example: AE - mustache : BE - moustache

airplane	cheque	theatre	tyre
defense	woolen	pajamas	gaol

Go to answers

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Pronunciation differences

There are of course great regional differences in pronunciation within both countries, but the following is a list of words which are pronounced differently by most Americans and most British. The difference lies either in using different vowel sounds or by stressing the word in a different place.

Quiz 2

Can you say the following words both how an American and how a Briton would say them?

vase	route	ballet	address (noun)	ate
buoy	tomato	advertisement	garage	leisure

Go to answers

Vocabulary differences

As a percentage of the total English vocabulary the number of words which are used only in one or the other country is very small, but the problem for learners of English is that these words are among the most common in the language. There are many words that are used almost exclusively by Americans which are understood by most Britons, and vice versa. But there are others which can cause difficulty. For example, most Britons know that Americans call biscuits cookiesand flats apartments, but not so many know what an alumnus or a fender is. Similarly, Americans know that what they call their yard is called a garden in Britain and that trucks are lorries, but common British English words likeplimsolls or oflicence may mean nothing to them.

Quiz 3

From the lists below, choose the pair of words that have the same meaning and identify them as American English or British English.

Example: AE - cookie    =   BE - biscuit

closet	queue	vacation	fall	bonnet
sweets	thumb tack	lift	bill	caravan
flashlight	subway	postman	baggage	movie
drapes	underground	luggage	elevator	cupboard
hood	mailman	torch	check	line
curtains	film	candy	gas	autumn
petrol	drawing pin	holiday	trailer

Go to answers

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Grammar

British English and American English grammar are mostly in agreement; there are however some interesting variations. For example there are differences in certain verb forms. In AE the past tense of fit is fit; in BE it is fitted. Americans say I'vegotten to know her well; Britons I've got to know her well. In BE the present perfect tense is used for situations in which AE would typically use the past simple. For example using the words just or already, Britons would be more likely to say: I've just seen him or I've already done it whereas in AE it would be common to hear I just saw him or I already did it.

As another example, Americans are much more likely to be technically correct in the agreement of collective noun and verb form than Britons. So in standard AE it would be: The team is playing well this season whereas in BE it is common and acceptable to say The team are playing well. Similar differences can be seen in the use of words like government, committee etc.: The government is .. (AE),The government are .. (BE).

Quiz 4

The following sentences are typically AE. What would the typical Briton say?

• Do you have any siblings?
• It is important that she be told.
• The jury has not yet reached its decision.
• Go fetch your book.
• He dove into the water.
• You must come visit me real soon.

Go to answers

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Usage

There are countless other small and interesting differences between AE and BE, which come under the heading of usage. Take the useful expression used in AEthrough, meaning up to and including. E.g., The exhibition is showing March through June. The equivalent expression in BE is from March to June, but this is ambiguous. Does the exhibition close at the end of May or the end of June? To avoid any misunderstanding, it is necessary to say something like The exhibition is showing from March to the end of June.

As another example: for Americans the number billion has 9 zeros (a thousand million); for most Britons it has 12 zeros (a million million). Zero itself is a much more common word in AE than in BE, where nought is more widespread. Americans are likely to say the number 453 as four hundred fifty three, whereas in Britain it would almost always be said four hundred and fifty three. And so on!

Quiz 5

Are the following sentences more likely to be said (or written) by an American or a Briton?

• I'll try and visit you on the weekend.
• Please write me when you arrive.
• Call me as soon as you get there.
• Most everyone has a telephone and a refrigerator these days.
• If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it over.
• He was born 3/27/1981.
• The soccer team won two to nothing (2-0).
• She arrived at twenty of two.
• The secretary said, "Mr. Clinton will see you soon."

Go to answers

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Conclusion

It is clear that the poor non-native speaker has an almost impossible task to keep the two languages separated. The best he can do is to acquire a good reference book. Two books that I can recommend on this topic are:

• Practical English Usage, M. Swan (1995) , Oxford University Press
• The Right Word at the Right Time (A guide to the English language and how to use it) (1985) Readers Digest

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Answers

Quiz 1 - Spelling

In the following table the red spellings are American English and the blue spellings are British English:

airplane - aeroplane	check - cheque	theater - theatre
defense - defence	woolen - woollen	tire - tyre
pajamas - pyjamas	jail - gaol*

* Jail is more common in BE too nowadays, although gaol is still perfectly acceptable (and pronounced the same as jail!)

Quiz 2 - Pronunciation

Americans and Britons agree in most cases on where a word in stressed. For example, everyone says pencil and relax, cinema and consider, but the following words from the table are stressed differently in the two dialects:

• ballet - BE   :   ballet - AE
• address - BE   :   address * - AE
• garage - BE   :   garage - AE
• advertisement - BE   :   advertisement - AE

The differences in pronunciation of the other words lie in the vowel sounds, not in differently-stressed syllables. They are therefore more difficult to illustrate in writing without recourse to phonetic script, which few people know. Their proununciations are illustrated therefore by reference to common words with the same sound

• vase:   vars as in cars (BE)   :   vace as in face (AE)
• route:   root as in shoot (BE)   :   rout * as in shout (AE)
• buoy:   boy as in toy (BE)   :   booey as in the French name Louis (AE)
• ate:   et as in let (BE)   :   ate as in late (AE)
• tomato:   tomarto (BE)  :   tomayto * (AE)
• leisure as in pleasure (BE)   :   leesure (lee as in she) (AE)

*  Some Americans pronounce these words as Britons do.

Quiz 3 - Vocabulary

The AE words are shown in red, the BE words in blue:

: closet - cupboard : vacation - holiday : fall - autumn : thumb tack - drawing pin: flashlight - torch : subway - underground : baggage - luggage : movie - film :drapes - curtains : elevator - lift : hood - bonnet : mailman - postman : check -bill * : line - queue : candy - sweets : gas - petrol : trailer - caravan :

* In England you ask the waiter for the bill at the end of your meal. In America you ask for the check. A bill in AE is a synonym for a banknote.

Quiz 4 - Grammar

• AE - Do you have any siblings?
  BE - Have you got any brothers or sisters?



• AE - It is important that she be told. *
  BE - It is important that she is told.



• AE - The jury has not yet reached its decsion.
  BE - The jury have not yet reached their decision.



• AE - Go get your book.
  BE - Go and fetch your book.



• AE - He dove into the water.
  BE - He dived into the water.



• AE - You must come visit me real soon.
  BE - You must come and visit me really soon.

* AE is much more likely to use a subjunctive form than BE.

Quiz 5 - Usage

This was a trick question because in fact all of the sentences are more likely to be said or written by an American than a Briton! Here they are again with their English equivalents:

• AE - I'll try and visit you on the weekend.
  BE - I'll try to visit you at the weekend.



• AE - Please write me when you arrive.
  BE - Please write to me when you arrive.



• AE - Call me as soon as you get there.
  BE - Ring me (phone me) as soon as you get there.



• AE - Most everyone has a telephone and a refrigerator these days.
  BE - Almost everyone has a telephone and a fridge these days.



• AE - If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it over.
  BE - If you make a mistake, you'll just have to do it again.



• AE - He was born 3/27/1981.
  BE - He was born on 27/3/1981.



• AE - The soccer team won two to nothing (2-0).
  BE - The soccer team won two-nil (2-0).



• AE - She arrived at twenty of two.
  BE - She arrived at twenty to two.



• AE - The secretary said, "Mr. Clinton will see you soon."
  BE - The secretary said: "Mr Clinton will see you soon."
The difference in the last two sentences is in the punctuation.

Nick Drake - Pink Moon (Full Album)

[BBC Culture] Is traditional fashion photography finished? By Philippa Warr

New technology is shaking things up in style photography. Philippa Warr speaks to legendary photographer Nick Knight about the radical shifts taking place. 

Nick Knight has collaborated with Diesel and designer Nicola Formichetti on the fashion campaign for #DIESELTRIBUTE. (SHOWstudio.com/Nick Knight)

"Fashion photography has changed."
World-famous image-maker Nick Knight is telling me how smartphones and advances in image-editing apps are fundamentally altering his line of work, perhaps even rendering traditional fashion photography obsolete. Technological advances are opening up image capture and manipulation to a wider audience, enabling big budget effects on everyday devices, while behind the scenes the power balance between model and magazine is shifting.
Knight makes a case for photography − as we understand it − being over. His point is that it used to be relatively straightforward. "The image-making I do now is no longer defined by any of those parameters," he says "I've argued strongly for the last ten years or more that we have to say photography is finished − it isn't the medium we use anymore."
Of course, photography still exists, but for Knight it's no longer the medium we turn to when we want to communicate visually. "There's a new medium called image-making which behaves in a completely different way, is done by completely different equipment and is expressed in completely different chemicals and minerals."
He's referring to devices like smartphones and applications like Instagram, which allow for near-instant image editing; and can be shared immediately with a massive global audience.
"Accessible yet still magical," is how Justin Cooke describes Instagram and the work which appears on it. Cooke is now CEO of the agency Innovate7 but used to work as vice president of PR at Burberry. He was part of a team who met with Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram. Adoption of the app by Burberry while Instagram was still up-and-coming was vital in keeping the brand ahead of the competition, according to Cooke.
"Instagram was one of those apps that come up every so often like Twitter or Glitché or Mega Photo that allows you to do at the click of a button what before would have taken a long time," says Knight. "I like it because I'm not someone whose primary way of expressing themself is through writing."
Back to the future

The imagery Knight now creates is often shot directly on his iPhone and then run through a selection of image-editing apps − the aforementioned Mega Photo and Glitché being favourites − or traditional Photoshop (as with his beautiful images seen in the catalogue of Somerset House in London’s exhibtion Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!). Knight’s images are then uploaded to his Instagram account.
"It took me back, in a weird way, to the beginnings of my love of photography in the 1970s. I could create something from the world around me, but of course you have to go through the whole process of having the film developed, printing it in the darkroom and finding somewhere to show it. That bit has been super-accelerated."
This acceleration suits the internet well. As Knight points out, most people get their style information online now, and that makes it the most appropriate medium for publishing fashion images − far more so than traditional magazines. Clothes are ultimately designed with movement in mind – and the possibilities of image-making – and video −stretch beyond those offered in print.
Out of print?

The changing nature of fashion photography, and photography in general, will affect traditional practitioners and has (unsurprisingly) been met with resistance from some. "There's a certain amount of very understandable reluctance," says Knight. "Where there is a sense of fear is from people who are going to be put out of work by it or who are going to have to change their way of thinking" − magazine promoters, for example, whose job it is to lionise print.
Models, however, stand to benefit greatly from the changes. Traditionally models have been beholden to magazines for work and for exposure but at this point Cara Delevingne has over three million followers on her Instagram account; Kim Kardashian has eleven million.
"I don't think it's sunk in to the models yet but they have the balance of power now," says Knight. "That power shift is something that's fundamental and will change how we perceive people and how the whole system operates." Once the power shift is understood the models will likely have a very different relationship with the fashion publications that sell perhaps a couple of hundred thousand copies. "The models can say, 'Wait a minute, by a factor of a hundred you should be working for me'. So it changes things a lot."
What are the limitations of smartphone photography? As an enthusiast and an earlier adopter Knight has had time to critically assess the options available through the App Store and elsewhere. I ask what, in an ideal world, he would like to add to his current smartphone toolkit. The answer, surprisingly, goes back to traditional photography.
"The default [on smartphones] is a wide angle lens − that's fine for certain sorts of photography or certain sorts of image making. You can see why people did it: 'I want to take a picture of my friend sitting in the car seat opposite me and if I've got a wide-angle lens I can get most of my friend in’." But it's not ideal for all situations and can also create distortions.
Knight's observation highlights just how young this medium is. There is a plentiful supply of apps designed to paper over the limitations of smartphone cameras and even more which achieve effects and circulation boosts either impossible or hugely time consuming with traditional cameras. But there are also technical developments needed − for example, in the realms of lens-making − before the full extent of the repercussions on traditional fashion photography can be known.
As Knight sees it, the image making we have now is an area ripe for invention and marked by the capacity for innovation. As he says, "It hasn't defined itself yet."
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[Twistedsifter] Astonishing Underwater Sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor

Astonishing Underwater Sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor [30 pics]

Categories: ART, LISTS Tags: · sculpture, water · Leave a Comment

Jason deCaires Taylor’s underwater sculptures create a unique, absorbing and expansive visual seascape. Highlighting natural ecological processes, Taylor’s interventions explore the intricate relationships that exist between art and environment. His works become artificial reefs, attracting marine life, while offering the viewer privileged temporal encounters, as the shifting sand of the ocean floor, and the works change from moment to moment.

Below you will find a small collection of his work. For more pictures and extensive details on each project, the Sifter highly recommends Jason deCaires official site. Enjoy!

JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR: ARTIST BIO

Jason deCaires Taylor is a man of many identities, whose work resonates with the influences of his eclectic life. Growing up in Europe and Asia with his English father and Guyanese mother nurtured his passion for exploration and discovery. Much of his childhood was spent on the coral reefs of Malaysia where he developed a profound love of the sea and a fascination with the natural world.

This would later lead him to spend several years working as a scuba diving instructor in various parts of the globe, developing a strong interest in conservation, underwater naturalism and photography. His bond with the sea remains a constant throughout Taylor’s life though other key influences are found far from the oceans. During his teenage years, work as a graffiti artist fired his interest in the relationship between art and the environment, fostering an ambition to produce art in public spaces and directing the focus of his formal art training.

He graduated in 1998 from the London Institute of Arts, with a B.A. Honours in Sculpture and Ceramics. Later, experience in Canterbury Cathedral taught him traditional stone carving techniques whilst five years working in set design and concert installations exposed him to cranes, lifting, logistics and completing projects on a grand scale.

With this range of experiences he was equipping himself with the skills required to execute the ambitious underwater projects that have made his name. Carving cement instead of stone and supervising cranes while in full scuba gear to create artificial reefs submerged below the surface of the Caribbean Sea, the various strands of his diverse life resolve themselves convincingly in the development of his underwater sculptures. These ambitious, public works have a practical, functional aspect, facilitating positive interactions between people and fragile underwater habitats.

Jason deCaires Taylor has gained significant interest and recognition for his unique work, with features in over 1000 publications around the world, including National Geographic, Vogue, USA today, the BBC, and CNN and he has made several TV appearances.

His international reputation was established in May 2006, when he created the world’s first underwater sculpture park in Grenada, West Indies, leading to both private and public commissions. Taylor is currently founder and Artistic Director of the Museo Subacuático del Arte (MUSA) in Cancun, Mexico.

JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR’S ‘VICISSITUDES’

Vicissitudes depicts a circle of figures, all linked through holding hands. These are life-size casts taken from a group of children of diverse ethnic background. Circular in structure and located five meters below the surface, the work both withstands strong currents and replicates one of the primary geometric shapes, evoking ideas of unity and continuum.

The underwater environment is much like that of the outdoors. An object is subject to changes in light and prevailing weather conditions. The cement finish and chemical composition of Vicissitudes actively promotes the colonisation of coral and marine life. The figures are transformed over time by their environment, and conversely as this happens so they change the shape of their habitat. This natural process echoes the changes exacted through growing up. Social interchange shapes this process, while conversely as the product of a particular society we in turn invoke change on the workings and dynamics of that environment.

The sculpture proposes growth, chance, and natural transformation. It shows how time and environment impact on and shape the physical body. Children by nature are adaptive to their surroundings. Their use within the work highlights the importance of creating a sustainable and well-managed environment, a space for future generations. Taylor notes that close to forty percent of coral reefs worldwide has been destroyed and that this figure is set to increase. His work reminds us that the marine environment is in a constant state of flux, and that this in turn reflects poignantly the vicissitudes, changing landscapes, of our own lives.

JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR’S ‘THE LOST CORRESPONDENT’

The Lost Correspondent depicts a man sitting at a desk with a typewriter. The desk is covered with a collection of newspaper articles and cuttings that date back to the 1970s. Many of these have political significance, a number detail Grenada’s alignment with Cuba in the period immediately prior to the revolution. The work informs the rapid changes in communication between generations. Taking the form of a traditional correspondent, the lone figure becomes little more than a relic, a fossil in a lost world.

JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR’S ‘GARDENER OF HOPE’

La Jardinera de la Esperanza (the gardener of hope), depicts a young girl lying on garden patio steps, cultivating a variety of plant pots. The sculpture is sited four metres beneath the surface Punta Nizuc, Cancun. The pots are propagated with live coral cuttings rescued from areas of the reef system damaged by storms and human activity. This technique, a well-established procedure in reef conservation, rescues damaged coral fragments by providing a suitable new substrate.





The sculpture, a synthesis between art and science, conveys a message of hope and prosperity, portraying human intervention as positive and regenerating. The young Girl symbolizes a new, revitalized kinship with the environment, a role model for future generations.

The interaction between the inanimate and living forms highlights a potential symbiotic relationship with the life systems of the underwater world. Over the past few decades we have lost over 40% of our natural coral reefs. Scientists predict a permanent demise of 80% by 2050. The Gardner of Hope is designed to focus attention on this important, often forgotten, ecological issue. Built into the base of the sculpture are specialized habitat spaces designed to encourage individual types of marine creatures such as moray eels, juvenile fish and lobsters.

JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR’S ‘ARCHIVE OF LOST DREAMS’

The Archive of Lost Dreams depicts an underwater archive, maintained by a male registrar. The archive is a collection of hundreds of messages in bottles brought together by the natural forces of the ocean. The registrar is collating the individual bottles and categorising the contents according to the nature of each message – fear, hope, loss, or belonging.





Various communities from a broad spectrum of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds have been invited to provide the messages, which, it is hoped, will document current values and aspirations for future generations to discover.





The sculpture is placed within an area of the national marine park, which had been previously damaged, by hurricanes and tropical storms. The choice of location aims to draw the high number of visitors to the region away from other sections of pristine reef allowing them space to develop naturally.

ARTIFICIAL REEFS

Oceans teem with microscopic organisms that are constantly drifting down towards the sea bed, attaching to and colonising on the way any hard secure surface, such as rock outcrops, and thereby creating the basis of a natural reef. Coral reefs attract an array of marine life (such as colourful fish, turtles, sea urchins, sponges, and sharks) and also provide enclosed spaces for sea creatures to breed or take refuge.





Only about 10 – 15% of the sea bed has a solid enough substratum to allow reefs to form naturally. In order to increase the number of reefs in these areas artificial reefs have recently been created from materials that are durable, secure and environmentally sensitive. These reefs appear to have been successful in that they have attracted coral growth which, in turn, can support an entire marine ecosystem.





One of the greatest benefits of artificial reefs is that they have lifted the pressure off natural reefs which, over the past few decades, have been over-fished and over-visited. By diverting attention to artificial reefs, natural reefs have now been given a greater chance to repair and to regenerate.

ALL INFORMATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY VIAUNDERWATERSCULPTURE.COM

[Little White Lies] 15 Films To See At The BFI London Film Festival 2013

Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch) – Cult

Directed by Jim Jarmusch, this love story between vampires Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston is what would play if there was an indie heaven, projected inside a giant coffin made of upcycled lace. Expect gothic imagery, grand emotion, genre riffing and an offbeat tone. The translucent and talented Mia Wasikowska is in the mix as a sisterly spanner in the works.

12 Years A Slave (Steve McQueen)

The third collaboration between director Steve McQueen and his star Michael Fassbender sounds as ambitious as Hunger andShame while also treading new storytelling ground. Fassbender plays the villainous plantation boss Epps, Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon, a slave struggling for dignity. McQueen regulars DoP Sean Bobbitt and editor Joe Walker are present to ensure a visually engaging ride.

We Are The Best! (Lukas Moodysson) –  Sonic

Swede Lukas Moodysson has had a curious career. Emerging 15 years with the smalltown comic delight Show Me Love he was hailed as the new Ingmar Bergman before disappearing into a cinematic no-man’s land. Early buzz around We Are The Best!suggests this coming-of-ager about two punk-loving adolescents in the ‘80s is return to what Moodysson does best.

The Double (Richard Ayoade)

Richard Ayoade’s second feature film is about a man driven wild by a doppelganger. Jesse Eisenberg plays Simon, a downtrodden office clerk besotted by colleague Hannah (Mia Wasikowska). A descent into madness is prompted by the appearance of a confident and successful double. Adapted from a Dosteyevsky novella, we’re expecting endearing, Submarine-like touches to find their way into this psychologically fearsome premise.

Under The Skin (Jonathan Glazer)

Scarlett Johansson plays an alien femme fatale in this adaptation of Michel Faber’s eerie and humanity-hating sci-fi novel. With Birth director Jonathan Glazer at the helm, its Glasgow setting never seemed so grim. Under the Skin has been bowling over all at Venice even as critics struggle to pierce the heart of this strange and haunting story. Read our review from the 2013 Venice Film Festival.

Tom At The Farm (Xavier Dolan)

Precocious 24-year-old French-Canadian Xavier Dolan has been very busy since he made his name with Heartbeats in 2010. Hipster soundtracks, stylised cinematography and self-casting ( you would if you looked like the male Helen of Troy) have divided audiences but early word on Tom at the Farm is this taut relationship drama dealing with sexuality will impress beyond Dolan’s usual (adoring) fanbase. Read our review from the 2013 Venice Film Festival.

The Armstrong Lie (Alex Gibney)

Alex Gibney is rapidly emerging as the most important documentarian of his generation, shedding light wherever there is murk. His muscular investigative style is brought to cycling superstar turned dope-scandalee, Lance Armstrong. Expect great access, clear storylines and a forceful drive towards truth.

Exhibition (Joanna Hogg) –  Dare

We do so love the well-observed civil awkwardness of Joanna Hogg's previous films, Unrelated and Archipelago. Long shots, stilted dialogue and a pathetic desire to stay polite even as sucked down by emotions are her calling cards. This third time round, Tom Hiddleston (Hogg’s good friend and regular collaborator) is in a supporting role while Viv Albertine and Liam Gillick play the lead artist couple dealing with the domestic furore of selling the house.

Half A Yellow Sun (Biyi Bandele) – Dare

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie won the Orange Prize for Fiction with his 2006 novel about two sisters, Olanna and Kainen, trying to live a full life on the cusp of the Nigerian Civil War of the '60s. With Thandi Newton playing Olanna and Chiwetel Ejiofor (hi again) as her husband, Odenigbo, this adap promises to bring the war of a flailing relationship to the fore just as much as the actual impending war.

Locke (Steven Knight) –  Journey

Would you like to be locked in a car with Tom Hardy for 90 minutes? It's not for everyone, but The Hard man’s performance has been praised to the hilt in this single character study of a life unraveling across the length of a car journey.

Enough Said (Nicole Holofcener) – Laugh

Sadness rocked the industry in June when it was announced that James Gandolfini died of a heart attack at the age of 51. Enough Said was his penultimate film (Animal Rescue, out next year, was his last) and he’s got serious female acting cahoonas keeping him company. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Catherine Keener and Toni Colette help to rock this mid-life-crisis rom-com.

Gone Too Far (Destiny Ekharaga) – Laugh

British/Nigerian comedian/director Destiny Ekharaga is one to watch according to festival programmer, Clare Stewart. Her first feature is a comedy set over the course of a single day in Peckham, south London. Family, loyalty and race are among the themes.

La Belle et la Bête (Jean Cocteau) – Love

At last year’s LFF, David Lean’s four hour masterpiece, Lawrence of Arabia was among the highlights. This year’s archival treasure of note is a restoration of Jean Cocteau’s 1946 gothic love story.

Norte, The End of History (Lav Diaz) –  Dare

Filipino auteur Lav Diaz favours epics, meaning this sub four-hour drama is the perfect (comparatively) tame entry point for the uninitiated. Loosely based on Dostoevsky’s (hi again) classic 1886 novel, 'Crime and Punishment', Diaz transplants the action to the Philipines where lush imagery takes the place of bleak Russian streets.

The Congress (Ari Folman) –  Cult

This follow-up to Waltz With Bashir takes on the revealing subject of ageing from the perspective of a Hollywood actress. Robin Wright plays... Robin Wright, who sells her digitised image to Miramount Studios. Blending live action and animation, The Congress looks like it could take satire to a whole new form-pushing plain.

For more information on the 57th LFF and to book tickets visit bfi.org.uk/lff