Ali & Ava’s Claire Rushbrook and Under the Skin actor Adam Pearson are among the guests appearing in on-stage conversations as The Independent marks its 40th anniversary with a festival at ICA London.

The Independent has unveiled the guests and hosts for a series of on-stage Q&As at Celebrating Free Thinkers, a festival marking 40 years of the publication, taking place at ICA London next week.

The newly announced conversations will bring audiences closer to the people behind some of the festival’s featured films, with Ali & Ava star Claire Rushbrook and Under the Skin actor Adam Pearson appearing in conversation with The Independent’s journalists. 

The festival is a specially curated programme of film screenings, conversations and cultural events celebrating independent thought, creative expression and ideas that challenge convention.

Claire Rushbrook to discuss Ali & Ava with The Independent’s Jacob Stolworthy

The screening of Ali & Ava (2021) on 22 October at 8.40pm will open with star Claire Rushbrook in conversation with The Independent’s Jacob Stolworthy. 

Starring Adeel Akhtar and Rushbrook, Ali & Ava is a tender, uplifting and unconventional love story set in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Ali, a warm-hearted landlord, meets Ava, a teaching assistant and devoted mother, through a chance encounter involving a young child they both care for. Bonding over their shared love of music, humour and lively conversation, the pair discover an unexpected connection. As their relationship deepens, they must navigate the complexities of family, past relationships, grief and the expectations of those around them.

Resisting conventional ideas about romance, age, race, class and family, Barnard’s film explores how human connection can bridge cultural and personal differences. Music becomes a shared language between two people whose lives have brought them together unexpectedly, while themes of prejudice, mental health, loneliness and new beginnings lend the story emotional depth.

Rushbrook is an acclaimed English actress whose work spans film, television and theatre. She first gained widespread recognition for her performance in Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies (1996) and has since built an impressive body of work across a range of genres. Her television performances include My Mad Fat Diary, for which she received a BAFTA nomination, and Home Fires, for which she received an RTS nomination.

More recently, she has starred as Lady Monica Baddingham in Rivals, based on the novels by Jilly Cooper, alongside David Tennant. Her film credits include Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Carine Adler’s Under the Skin (1997). Her performance in Ali & Ava earned her a British Independent Film Award nomination. Her other television work includes Doctor Who, Wilderness, Inside No. 9 and Sherwood.

Adam Pearson to appear at Under the Skin screening

On 24 October at 8.30pm, Adam Pearson will join the screening of Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, appearing in an on-stage conversation with Jacob Stolworthy. The Q&A will take place at the start of the screening.

Pearson is an actor, presenter and disability advocate who starred alongside Scarlett Johansson in Glazer’s BAFTA-nominated film. Diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at the age of five, a condition that causes non-cancerous tumours to grow on the body, he has become a prominent advocate for disability representation and inclusion.

Alongside his acting career, Pearson has presented numerous documentaries for the BBC and reported for The One Showand Channel 4’s Tricks of the Restaurant Trade. He received widespread recognition for his supporting role in A24’s A Different Man and is set to portray Joseph Merrick in a new film adaptation of The Elephant Man, scheduled for 2027.

His work in disability advocacy has been recognised through his inclusion on the Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 list, as well as a nomination for Celebrity of the Year at the Sense Awards.

Celebrating Free Thinkers: Festival programme

The Q&As form part of a wider programme of screenings and cultural events exploring distinctive voices, unconventional perspectives and stories that challenge assumptions. Visit https://www.ica.art/films/the-independent for full details and tickets.

• 20 October: Cancelled: The Rise and Fall of Aung San Suu Kyi, followed by a Q&A with The Independent’s Geordie Greig and Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader. The day also features the premiere of Wombs of Debt, a new 25-minute documentary exploring the experiences of female sugarcane cutters in southern India.
• 21 October: Arrows of Desire: Peter Wollen, featuring a screening of Peter Wollen’s Friendship’s Death (1987), followed by a conversation with anthology editors Kodwo Eshun, Oliver Fuke and Nicolas Helm-Grovas.
• 22 October: Ali & Ava with introductory Q&A featuring Claire Rushbrook in conversation with The Independent. Stolen Desire, the debut feature by Japanese filmmaker Shōhei Imamura, will open the ICA’s Long Takes retrospective dedicated to his work.
• 23 October: The off-circuit premiere of The Night Is Fading Away, accompanied by a special Q&A.
• 24 October: Under the Skin, with an on-stage conversation with star of the film, Adam Pearson and The Independent.
• 25 October: Orlando

Tickets and membership offer

Members of The Independent are eligible for a 20% discount on the public festival programme.

The exclusive Bridget Jones’s Diary preview on 19 October is a separate, members-only event and is not included in this discount offer.