Directed by Julien Temple (Absolute Beginners, The Great Rock n Roll Swindle, Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten), this vibrant love letter to his home town is a wild ride through the history of the great metropolis.

With the coming of celluloid, London was the undeniable jewel in the Empire’s crown. The epicentre of British commerce and culture, the city also reflected and reveled in the spoils of its vast colonies.
Through the tales of ordinary citizens and the abundant resources of the BFI and BBC film archives, Temple weaves a fascinating cine-poem of a capital enriched and defined by immigration, political struggle and diversity. Civil protests from Cable Street to the present day are as entwined in Temple’s London as the Blitz, pea-soup fog and the swinging Sixties.
From top-hats to tenement houses, music hall to punk rock, the film meshes footage and sound with exuberance making London: The Modern Babylon an affecting and hyper-sensory experience.

“A swooning, punch-drunk love letter to one of the world’s greatest cities.”

Variety Magazine

“A very heady experience.”

The Guardian

Director:  Julien Temple

Running Time:  2hrs 5mins, M

London – The Modern Babylon Trailer