Presented with the Eurimages New Lab Outreach Award at CineMart (1-4 February) during International Film Festival Rotterdam (29 January-7 February), LFD Hope is a long-gestating British-Hungarian hybrid project exploring male vulnerability in contemporary urban life (see the news). Directed by Joshua Loftin and shaped in close collaboration with its protagonists, the film follows five non-professional performers playing versions of themselves across London. Cineuropa spoke with Loftin and producers Charley Fox and Bálint Révész about the film’s themes, its development journey and how the Eurimages prize will support the next stages of post-production.

Cineuropa: What is LFD Hope about? How would you describe your project and its main themes?
Joshua Loftin: LFD Hope is about male vulnerability and the struggle to find identity in the city, as told through five non-professional actors playing themselves in stories based on their own lives. It portrays men of different ages and backgrounds in London – people I met and felt told an honest story of what it’s really like to live in the city: the violence, isolation, adolescent joy and lost dreams. The film elevates marginalised and often outcast men to show viewers that no one is alone in the universal experience of suffering.

Why do you think it is important to tell this story today?
JL: Men generally don’t talk about how they are feeling — and does anyone really know anyway? Do they even know? Now more than ever, it feels important to share a film that sensitively offers a new look into the inner landscapes of men searching for something, often for salvation from a deep, frightening feeling that they are simply not good enough and never will be. I want to show that there is nothing to be afraid of and that we are all, in some way, connected in this search for personal freedom.

Who are the key creatives involved?
Charley Fox: The core creatives on the project are writer-director Joshua Loftin, and producers Bálint Révész for Gallivant Film, myself for Sea Fox Films and Joshua Brown for Lorenz Films, with Patricia D’Intino for Good Kids as co-producer. We are also working closely with DoP Ruben Woodin Dechamps, who has collaborated with Josh since day one and is also acting as a producer on the project. Other key heads of department include costume designer Olivia Rose Hulme, editor Anna Vághy and assistant editor Dani Zombori.

How are you planning to use the Eurimages prize?
CF: The Eurimages prize will allow us to move forward with the post-production phase, providing much-needed financial support to continue the edit and to begin planning how best to allocate resources across the mix, grade and final delivery.

How would you evaluate, overall, your participation in CineMart and IFFR?
Bálint Révész: I had been planning to approach IFFR for a long time, as I felt the ethos of the festival aligned closely with the film’s approach. It was a great honour to become part of the IFFR ecosystem. The quality of the programme and its organisation were incredible, and through the carefully handpicked meetings, we potentially found future partners.

Speaking of which, what type of partners are you looking for?
BR: We came to IFFR hoping to find co-producers and finishing funds to help finance the final leg of post-production, including editing, grading, composition and sound design. Another key focus during the market was speaking with sales agents about festival strategy and marketing, as well as meeting festival programmers to make them aware of the project.

What are your next steps?
BR: At the moment, we’re returning to an intensive phase of editing. We hope that by around the summer, we will be able to lock picture, and move into the final stages of sound, music and image composition.

Do you have an idea of when the project might be ready for release?
BR: This is a project that has been in development for more than 12 years, so we approach the timeline differently. That said, we are aiming for a release in 2027, either in the winter or in late summer. We don’t want to rush the process.