KCL Strand Film Festival: Opening Night - Interactive Horror + Q&A

The 9th KCL Strand Film Festival opens with an interactive horror-thriller screening that demonstrates the ever-growing horizons of film genre. Different modes of spectatorship are presented with the videogame-like agency introduced by The Run (2025), whose BAFTA-winning director, Paul Raschid, will join us for a Q+A after the screening.

A famous fitness influencer's morning run turns into a fight for survival when she's hunted by killers, and her fate depends on the viewer's choices that determine if she and a local farmer she meets live or die. Throughout the film, the audience will have to vote between choices which drastically alter the plot and life of the protagonist. This screening investigates the theme of agency – is it a catalyst or a suppressant of fear? How is our viewing experience enhanced by our ability to influence character and plot alike? 

Premiered at Raindance, and screened at Motel/X, Dinard and Imagine Film Festivals, The Run was received with critical acclaim, with Paul Raschid hailed a tour de force due to his bold choices in portraying a journey of redemption. The high production value, 20 unique deaths and 5 possible endings position The Run as an innovative and distinctive experience, which brings live interactivity to the horror genre. 

The programme will commence with a screening of interactive short horror film, The Scarecrow (Adrián Rivera, 2023), followed by The Run, after which we welcome Paul Raschid on stage to take part in an in-person Q+A.

"A fun experience, especially with an audience" – ScreenAnarchy
"A New Dimension In Horror" – Deadline

The KCL Strand Film Festival (25 March - 1 April 2026) is curated by students on the Film Festivals and Film Festival Studies module in the Department of Film Studies at King's College London.