Phil Mulloy didn’t do polite animation. From Cowboys and The Ten Commandments to the Intolerance trilogy and The Christies, his films gleefully took aim at religion, politics, sex, violence, hypocrisy and pretty much everything else we like to pretend is normal. Crude, clever, filthy and ferociously funny, Mulloy’s films were unmistakably his own – and following his sad death in 2025, we’re celebrating one of British animation’s great originals.
Step into Mulloy’s wonderfully warped universe, where cowboys misbehave, commandments collapse, aliens invade, families implode and civilisation teeters permanently on the edge of disaster. His deceptively simple drawings pack a vicious punch, turning the everyday absurdities of human behaviour into something hilarious, shocking and occasionally horrifying.
Come for the black humour, stay for the beautiful bad taste. This is animation with its teeth out: anarchic, outrageous and utterly uncompromising – and a rare chance to experience the work of a true independent animation legend on the big screen.
Screening programme curated by Vera Neubauer
After the screening we will be joined by a panel of friends and colleagues for a roundtable discussion about the enduring work of Phil Mulloy.
Chair/moderator: Ivan Bogdanov
Panellists: Phil Davis, Michael Whyte, Lucy Mulloy, Gerben Schermer PLUS a specially recorded video message from composer Alex Balanescu
Eye of the Storm – Phil Mulloy, UK
The story of a child coming to terms with human brutality.
1989 17’00 min
That’s Nothin’ – Phil Mulloy, UK
Made as part of the Cowboy series. A few Cowboys meet in the local saloon and talk about hot sex
1991 3’00 min
The Sound of Music – Phil Mulloy, UK
Wolf cleans windows by day and plays saxophone by night. Events get out of hand at a charity dinner. A world gone undeniably to hell.
1993 10’35 min
Wind of Changes – Phil Mulloy, UK
The life and times of the composer Alex Balanescu.
1996 15’20 min
The Sexlife of a Chair – Phil Mulloy, UK
Drawings from Life – a scientific study based on real life observations.
1998 7’40 min
The Christies – Introduction – Phil Mulloy, UK
Series depicting life, love, trials and tribulations of a typical English Family. ‘And now we can lock you away for the rest of your life.’
2006 3’00 min
Once Upon a Time on Earth – Phil Mulloy, UK
A mother, father and their eight year old son set out from the suburbs of London to cycle to the South Coast. What the child experiences on that journey changes his life forever
2024 15’00 min
Our Funding Partners
With Special Thanks to The Elf Factory, official sponsor of LIAF 2026.
With Special Thanks to the Arts Council England
Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
Venue
The Barbican is Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and education events. For more information about The Barbican and how to get there, find out more.
Barbican
