Life in 2050 is over, or at least the festival is for another year. We have all recovered from festival fatigue and returned to the alternative reality that is our daily lives, even if it is one of a new political landscape, but one we enter with a different world view following the thought-provoking content of some of our films and LABs.

Even before the festival started we knew we had a good programme and possibly the most consistently strong one to date. This was certainly confirmed by both attendances (our highest yet) and comments from those who attended.

From the opening night film, SPLICE, which exceeded our expectations in ticket sales and required a second screen to cater for the demand, to the closing night film CARGO, we were able to treat attendees to quality films that may never get another screening in this country - unless we make enough noise online about them.

The festival got off to a great start with China Mieville winning his third Arthur C Clarke Award for The City and The City, which lead to some serious partying by the gathered literati.

The films kicked off with the short film ABDUCTED by Shoot the Runner, the winner of our 48 Hour Film Challenge, sponsored by Canon, followed by Vincenzo Natali’s SPLICE. Audiences were divided but overall the film got a thumbs-up.

Thursday evening saw the beginning of our Polish film strand, with an emphasis on the work of Stanislaw Lem. We also hosted a sold-out event for the Geek Girl Dinners, as the fairer sex gathered to dispel the myth that geeks are all less than attractive males with limited social skills and personal hygiene problems.

The main topic of conversation was British Women in Manga and guest panellists Emma Viecelli, Kate Brown and Karen Rubins proved that you can be both British and female and make a living in the highly competitive, male-dominated world of comics.

We were also very privileged to screen two films on the Thursday evening. Firstly, the UK premiere of Vicenzo Natali’s 2004 film NOTHING, then a special preview of RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH, based on the semi-autobiographical story by Philip K Dick, possibly one of the most faithful adaptations of the writer’s works. Again, there was plenty of debate after the screening, in the cinema and online.

While the rest of the country was embroiled in political debate for the upcoming elections, within the luxurious confines of the Apollo cinema we were being treated to two different possible scenarios.

Mexican film DEPOSITARIOS, showed us a world of clone farms and the battle between church and state, while French film 8th WONDERLAND showed us democracy at work in a virtual state that was influencing the real world. And in a strange quirk of fate the film proved to be prescient following the FCO’s gaffe about the forthcoming Papal visit to Britain. The directors were there to answer questions.

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the Geek Night Out comedy event, with Rob Deb acting as MC, proving that, despite their earnest appearance, geeks don’t take themselves too seriously. It finished with a storming ten-minute improv set from X-Files and Lone Gunmen star Dean Haglund. Highlights are online here.

Come Saturday, the festival was in full swing. Our LAB panels took place in the morning and continued throughout the afternoon with a focus on comic-book history and the future of publishing. It is the nature of independent film festivals to have minor hiccups, usually limited to screenings starting late.

Unfortunately, we were struck with our first, and thankfully only, major disaster of the festival before the screening of our Bollywood spectacular, LOVE STORY 2050, which saw the film being cancelled due to accident caused by the excessive heat in the projection booth.

Although we offered those attending traditional Indian snacks and an alternative film, it was still a great disappointment for us that we were unable to screen the film. Thankfully the rest of the festival went on without further disasters of the same proportion.

The legacy of Joss Whedon still holds a lot of sway with the fans as we saw with the sold out screening of TiMER, starring Buffy alumni Emma Caufield, or was it simply that even geeks like a romantic comedy if it has the right elements?

Of course, the big event of the weekend is the All-Nighters, and they are a staple fixture on the calendar for those who appreciate anime, comedy and classic sci-fi, watched in a confined space with their kindred spirits. Although we lost some the most anticipated anime titles to the BFI Anime season, we still managed to put together a crowd-pleasing selection.

The comedy all-nighter featured another live improv dubbing, this time the Rutger Hauer stinker SALUTE OF THE JUGGER (written and directed by David Peoples who also wrote BLADE RUNNER and the Oscar-winning UNFORGIVEN). Dean Haglund joined the panel to add his unique voice to the proceedings.

Sunday kicked off with the free kids' screening of the 1960s Dr Who movie DALEKS INVASION EARTH 2150AD. This was followed by a panel on the Birth of the Modern Doctor Who.

Shorts and docs got the grown-up films off to a start, which lead into another Lem adaptation 1 (ONE) that had a lot of buzz afterwards. While we were all worshipping in the temple of film there was a well-attended panel called Faith Wars, and the word was it was one of the most interesting panels we've had to date. Science and religion are certainly hot topics for discussion.

Monday, the final day, started off with a second screening of the Belgian mockumentary VAMPIRES, the only film to get two showings. Our free promotional screening of MINORITY REPORT, to tie in with its Blu-ray release, was a big draw and proved that even old Spielberg movies can still attract crowds, although the film was a marked contrast to the other Dick film we showed.

The documentary PAX AMERICANA AND THE WEAPONISATION OF SPACE nicely segued into the panel They Are Out to Get You (aka Paranoia Panel), where we were treated to sneak preview of clips from Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness's new film THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE, along with a lively, if far too short, discussion of conspiracy theories.

This went straight into the now legendary SFL Pub Quiz, compered by the host with the most, festival director Louis Savy, who brought his own version of Vogon poetry to the proceedings by reading extracts from Gary Lockwood's book 2001 An Actor's Odyssey. With plenty of free beer, courtesy of Perla, it was a convivial affair.

The festival came to an end with two sold-out shows. Firstly DRONES, from Buffy alumni Amber Benson and Adam Busch, which attracted a lot of excited Whedonites, who were treated to a Q&A with the charming star Jonathon Woodward. The festival closed with Swiss movie CARGO, which we are showing again at a special event at the Royal Observatory Greenwich on May 22 at 18:30.

Overall, and apart from a couple of inevitable hiccups, this was one of our best festivals to date. For that we would like to thank all the filmmakers who let us show their fantastic films; our sponsors, especially Blizzard, without whom the festival would not have happened; Apollo Cinema and their fabulous staff for giving us such a great venue; and all the volunteers, not only those who work during the festival, but also the team who work on the festival throughout the year, making it run as smoothly as possible. Time for another Red Bull and to get ready for Oktoberfest.

To see more photos visit Flickr: www.flickr.com/groups/sci-fi-london