Canadian Premiere
Having navigated every rite of passage together, five childhood friends now find themselves drifting apart as they approach their thirties: Conor (Daryl Lycurgo) constantly succumbs to his self-destructive tendencies; carefree Oli (Jay Lycurgo) suffers a crisis of conscience over peddling heroin; high-school sweethearts Patrick (Anthony Boyle) and Shiv (Lola Petticrew) have their bond tested when a secret is revealed; and the upwardly mobile Rian (Joe Cole) is routinely drawn back into his friends’ gravitational pull, despite having traded Birmingham for London.
Working from a carefully crafted script by Enda Walsh (Steve McQueen’s Hunger), Clio Barnard (The Arbor) conspires with her ensemble to bring these richly detailed, fascinatingly flawed characters to life. Once again demonstrating an unwavering social conscience, Barnard’s latest has much to say about contemporary economic pressures and how the game is rigged for the working class. However, it’s the electrifying character dynamics that give I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning its most persuasive power.
People’s Choice Audience Award: Director’s Fortnight, Cannes 2026
Showcase Series Supported by
Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole, Jay Lycurgo, Daryl Mccormack, Lola Petticrew
UK
2026
English
At SFU Woodwards
At Fifth Ave
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Clio Barnard, Keiran Goddard, Enda Walsh, Claudia Yusef, Mia Bays, Ali Jazayeri, Keith Kehoe, Louisa Dent, Philip Knatchbull, Carole Baraton, Lucie Desquiens, Jane Moore
Producer
Tracy O’riordan
Screenwriter
Enda Walsh
Cinematography
Simon Tindall
Editor
Maya Maffioli
Production Design
Janey Levick
Original Music
Harry Escott
Clio Barnard
Clio Barnard is a British filmmaker with an acclaimed body of work. Her debut documentary The Arbor (2010) earned a number of awards, including Best British Newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival, Best New Documentary Filmmaker at Tribeca, and The Grierson Award for Best Cinema Documentary. The Selfish Giant (2013) premiered at Cannes and won the Europa Cinemas Label for Best European Film, among other recognitions; Dark River (2017) premiered at TIFF and was awarded a special mention. More recently, Ali & Ava (2021) premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, won two BIFAs, and received two BAFTA nominations.
Filmography: The Selfish Giant (2013); Dark River (2017); Ali & Ava (2021)
Photo by Nick Wall
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