Archive of films Ali & Ava / Ali & Ava
United Kingdom
2021, 95 min
Section:
Special Screenings
Year: 2021
Ali, a charismatic joker who keeps his sorrow carefully locked away, encounters Ava, a likeable woman bearing her heart on her sleeve and a trauma from her distant past. The sparks fly and a romance is born. An enchanting film full of irresistible humour that doesn’t try to paste over reality as it tells its story of love, the quest for reassurance, and the importance of Bob Dylan. The audience hit of this year’s festival in Cannes.
Synopsis
Ali (Adeel Akhtar, familiar from the cult comedy Four Lions and KVIFF 2017’s opening film The Big Sick) is a charismatic joker who keeps his sorrow carefully locked away. One day he encounters Ava (Claire Rushbrook, Secrets & Lies), a likeable woman who bears her heart on her sleeve and a trauma from her distant past. The sparks fly and a romance is born. An enchanting film full of irresistible humour that doesn’t try to paste over reality as it tells its story of love, the quest for reassurance, and the importance of Bob Dylan. The director behind the audience hit of this year’s festival in Cannes is Clio Barnard, one of Britain’s most respected filmmakers, who travelled to Karlovy Vary eleven years ago to introduce audiences to her remarkable documentary The Arbor.
Karel Och
About the director

Clio Barnard (1965, Otley, England). Filmography: Random Acts of Intimacy (2002, TV short), The Arbor (2010, doc.), The Selfish Giant (2013), Dark River (2017), Ali & Ava (2021).
Contacts
Altitude Film Sales Ltd.
34 Foubert's Place, W1F 7PX, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 478 7612
E-mail: [email protected]
The Festival Agency
Kwerk, 22 Bd Malesherbes, 750 08, Paris
France
Tel: +33 954 904 863
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.thefestivalagency.com
About the film
Color, DCP
Section: | Special Screenings |
---|---|
Director: | Clio Barnard |
Screenplay: | Clio Barnard |
Dir. of Photography: | Ole Bratt Birkeland |
Music: | Harry Escott |
Editor: | Maya Maffioli |
Producer: | Ameenah Ayub Allen, Tracy O'Riordan |
Production: | Moonspun Films |
Cast: | Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook, Ellora Torchia |
Sales: | Altitude Film Sales Ltd. |
Contact: | The Festival Agency |