Playing Away, a classic 1986 comedy film featuring a Brixton-based Jamaican cricket team’s trip to the country, is one of the productions on show as the Ritzy hosts the 2025 London Comedy Film Festival (LOCO).
Organisers say LOCO is the largest festival of funny cinema in the world. It is on until Sunday 11 May.
For more than a decade, it has been run by volunteers “simply for the love of hilarity and a belief in the importance of laughter”.
It celebrates the UK’s comic heritage as well as cutting-edge humour from around the world.
“The politics of comedy are central to LOCO’s work,” organisers say.
“LOCO believes that, through programming and training, we can help to bring joy in difficult times, laugh at authority, and support comedy filmmakers from traditionally under-represented backgrounds to share their voices with our audience.”
The opening night film tomorrow (8 May) is the London premier of Hostages by writer-director Jim Owen and producer Ben Gallop. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with cast members, director and producer.
It is a comedy set during an unfolding terrorism situation in London. Charlotte Ritchie plays a wannabe social media influencer live-posting from the incident.
LOCO has also secured the London premiere of Two Big Feet – featuring a fake sasquatch (big foot) sighting which won the jury prize at the Manchester Film Festival.
Playing Away, directed by the acclaimed Horace Ové and written by award-winning author Caryl Phillips., is a rarely seen comic gem about a Black cricket team from Brixton who play a charity match at a rural village’s “Third World Week” celebrations, highlighting issues of race, class, and belonging.
Across the weekend LOCO will feature independent films, comedy shorts, expert panels, highly rated training sessions, workshops and networking events.
Programme
| Date | Time | Event | Length |
| Thursday 8 May | 19.00 | Hostages | 90 |
| Friday9 May | 1.30 | Silver screen: Playing Away | 100 |
| 18.00 | Heavens Above! | 113 | |
| Saturday 10 May | 11.00 | Kids’ Club: Nanny McPhee | 99 |
| 14.00 | Relaxed screening: TheWatermelon Woman | 84 | |
| 15.00 | Daddy’s Super Yacht Retrospective | 90 | |
| 17.00 | Hostages | 90 | |
| 19.00 | Two Big Feet | 82 | |
| Sunday 11 May | 10.00 | Shorts 1 | 100 |
| 12.00 | Shorts 2 | 100 | |
| 15.00 | Shorts 3 | 100 | |
| 17.00 | Shorts 4 | 100 | |
| 19.00 | Awards | 90 |
For the full programme and tickets visit www.locofilmfestival.com
Follow the festival on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/locolondon/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/locofilmfestival
Website: https://locofilmfestival.com
