One thing the festival has been encouraging over the last couple of years is the integration of real science with science fiction. This has been done through the SCI-FI-LONDON LAB strand of the festival, where scientists, authors and filmmakers sit together on panels to discuss the fantasy and realities of the genre. Sci-fi fans (especially the ones that come to SFL) are generally smarter than the average cinemagoer, so if the science part isn't believable they won't buy into the fiction part as easily.

With this in mind, the first event of the evening was a good example of this melding of science and fiction with an eye on the big picture more than the big screen. Brazilian filmmaker Frank DaSilva and British writer Simon Powell have put together a project they are calling Earth 2.0. The basic premise is that old Earth is not functioning properly and needs a reboot and a systems upgrade. Thankfully, unlike computer upgrades, theirs is to make things simpler and more efficient.

They have got together with some very smart people including SFL's science advisor and TED Fellow Dr. Rachel Armstrong; writer Graham Hancock; futurologist Melissa Sterry; Tia Kansara, sustainable systems architect; and Niall Dunne, who specialises in developing new corporate systems. After a screening of the short film Earth 2.0: Initialization, which was more of a presentation/trailer for the EARTH 2.0 feature documentary, than an actual short film, but it put the evening into context before each of these guests gave a presentation of their ideas for a new and better Earth. Some very interesting ideas were posited, and audience reactions were inevitable, which led to some healthy debate in the bar after the event was finished, although they did have to compete with a slightly more boisterous networking drinks for the Directors Guild of Great Britain; another SFL regular event. SCI-FI-LONDON is going to continue supporting the EARTH 2.0 project and will keep you posted as it develops.

While these visionaries were debating the future of our planet, in the adjacent screen there were bite-size visions of imagined futures in the second of our Blink of an Eye shorts programme.

Film wise we had the UK premieres of US sci-fi indie CORRIDOR, and the live-action adaptation of the popular manga GANTZ, presented by Terracotta Far East Film Festival. SFL will be presenting YAKUZA WEAPON at the Terracotta festival and there is a special ticket offer here.

For a Tuesday after Easter holidays we were pleasantly surprised and grateful to the number of people who came to support the festival and its cocktail of events.