Has TikTok accidentally saved experimental cinema? BNU academic’s Kaufman-backed film sells out BFI in minutes
While Hollywood remains terrified of anything non-linear, the TikTok generation has already been “trained" to crave the avant-garde.
Uchronia, a radical feature from Buckinghamshire New University lecturer and filmmaker Fil Ieropoulos, has become a festival sensation, selling out its London debut at BFI Flare, on 20 March, in just 20 minutes.
Executive produced by Oscar-winner Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich), the film’s success suggests “TikTok-era” audiences – accustomed to fragmented, multi-layered storytelling in their feeds – are uniquely prepared for complex, experimental art, the filmmaker suggests.
Dr Ieropoulos says: “If you look at how TikTok operates, you realise there is a whole generation that is already comfortable with complicated, fragmented ways of telling stories.
“The media industry is still largely risk-averse, but audiences are now ahead of the curve. They have a hunger for experimental narratives because that non-linear style is already part of their daily digital lives.”
Uchronia invokes the restless spirit of Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud, using his 19th-century provocations to dismantle modern ideas of identity. By transporting Rimbaud’s ghost into the modern day to encounter queer revolutionaries like Marsha P. Johnson and David Wojnarowicz, the film deliberately avoids the "palatable" tropes of mainstream queer cinema.
““In recent years, a lot of queer cinema has tried to become mass-liked and easily digestible,” Dr Ieropoulos adds.
“But at a time of political regression, we need to remember the avant-garde roots of this movement. We don't need to be less challenging; we need to be more.”
The project, supported by BNU, is an example of the University’s "Untold Stories" research which highlight’s the University’s commitment to filmmaking which prioritises radical creativity above big-budget conformity.
“Because BNU is a small university, we excel at risk-taking,” he explains.
“We are not only training students for technical roles but helping to lead the industry in ideas and creative ideations. Uchronia is proof there is a global stage and appetite for this kind of work.”
Following its world premiere at the Berlinale, Uchronia will screen at the BFI on 20 March. Ahead of this UK debut, Dr Ieropoulos will deliver a special presentation on 11 March at BNU, discussing the “unorthodox path” to cinematic success and how social media is reshaping the future of avant-garde.
Note to editors
- For those wishing to learn more, Fil is delivering a presentation on Uchronia at Buckinghamshire New University on Wednesday 11 March. To attend please sign up for tickets here.
- You can find out more about the screening at the BFI here.
- Dr Fil Ieropoulos is an award-winning filmmaker, researcher, and Senior Lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University, where he has been a core member of the film and media faculty since 2003. His work has been exhibited at world-renowned institutions and festivals, including the Berlinale, BFI Flare, London Film Festival, and the Athens Biennale.
- The Untold Stories research cluster at Buckinghamshire New University is dedicated to exploring narratives that have been marginalised or erased from the cultural mainstream. By combining creative practice with rigorous academic enquiry, the group seeks to challenge status-quo storytelling.