Sci Fi London 8: Double bill festival screening of G.O.R.A and A.R.O.G May 3, 2009

Sci-fi spoof at its very best - that's on a par with Galaxy Quest! Join us for an evening of brilliantly funny film.

Reportedly the highest-budgeted Turkish films ever made, G.O.R.A. and A.R.O.G. tell the tale of Arif, a used-carpet salesman (stand-up comedian Cem Yilmaz), who travels to far-off worlds, and back in time. The movies are full of references to movies from the sci-fi canon (Star Wars, The Fifth Element, Jurassic Park, The Matrix), and Yilmaz has an irresistible flair for playing the mockheroic con-man whose chutzpah keeps the films lively and amusing.

In G.O.R.A, when Arif is not hustling carpets or scamming tourists, he fakes UFO photos, however, on this trip, Arif is abducted by a real UFO and transported to the planet G.O.R.A, which is ruled by the evil Logar. The film is a stranger to political correctness: a midget in red latex sporadically warns of imminent disaster, while the '216 Robot' is a gay android that downloads the latest in intergalactic dance steps, embodying an over-the-top sexual identity that C3PO merely hinted at!

Arif's ability to think on his feet, plus a fan's knowledge of Hollywood sci-fi epics, allows him to save the alien planet, win Logar's beautiful daughter Ceku, and return to Earth with her to live happily ever after.

In the sequel, A.R.O.G., Logar is plotting revenge and tricks Arif who is transported 1,000,000 years into the past, where he must civilise the locals in order to rewrite history and get home to Ceku.

These movies are wickedly funny and full of warmth for classic science fiction films - don't miss out on seeing them on the big screen in this oldfashioned double bill.

Official Website: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2009/programme/