Florid director Billy Lumby on hearing voices and his San Sebastian debut
British director Billy Lumby is bringing his first feature, Florid, to its world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival with a direct challenge to how cinema portrays hearing voices.
Lumby, a BAFTA nominee for his short film Samuel-613, told Variety that misrepresentation of schizophrenia on screen helped inspire the film. He said he prefers to describe his central character as someone who hears voices rather than using schizophrenia as a label.
Florid follows Jamal, a young man living in supported housing in East London — shared accommodation with on-site help for people who need extra support. He is trying to hold together musical ambitions, medication and marijuana use. That balancing act is the spine of the story, according to festival listings.
Jonathan Jules plays Jamal in his first lead role. Jules is best known for Steve McQueen's Small Axe, a series of five films about London's West Indian community. Saskia Chana co-stars as another resident in the housing block and a potential love interest.
Jamal hears three distinct voices. They belong to a little girl, London rapper Unknown T, and his stepdad. Unknown T voices himself in the film.
To capture that experience, Lumby had Jules wear earpieces during filming. Actors in another room spoke into microphones, so Jules heard the voices live in the take. It kept his reactions immediate. No playback. No guessing.
Research shaped the approach. Lumby told Variety he visited psychiatric wards across London and shadowed social workers to understand the U.K. NHS mental health system. He also cited the Hearing Voices Movement, an international network that treats hearing voices as a meaningful human experience rather than only a symptom to erase. Lumby said the film includes autobiographical elements drawn from his own mental health experiences.
What makes this stand out is the casting around Jules. Alongside professional actors, Lumby cast non-actors including real psychiatrists, social workers and people with lived experience of schizophrenia, bipolar and severe mental health difficulties.
Florid will screen in the New Directors section at San Sebastian, a competitive strand for first and second features, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film was earlier selected for the Great 8 showcase for Cannes 2026, a platform run by the BFI and partners to introduce new British films to international buyers, the BFI said. It is also programmed for the BFI London Film Festival 2026.
Lumby wrote and directed the film. It was produced by Rupert Lloyd and Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor. Lumby was a BFI NETWORK@LFF participant in 2018, an early-career development programme for U.K. writers and directors.
