Project Detail

No Ifs or Buts

Name: No Ifs or Buts
Director: Sarah Lewis
Genre: LGBTQIA+, Woman Director
Released: 2018
Duration: 93 min

Synopsis

Filmed over a 22 year period, NO IFS OR BUTS delivers a portrait of Soho barbershop, Cuts, an iconic London hub for street fashion and pop innovators. Guided by freewheeling founders James Lebon and Steve Brooks, who met when one was a rockabilly and the other a New Romantic, the salon moved from early ’80s postpunk roots to become a hip-hop club and communal hub for DJs, photographers and style icons. But the film "is not just about the haircut", delivering an intimate portrait of Steve struggling with a traumatic past that threatens to derail the Cuts universe. The film traces profound and often tragic change in the hairdressers' lives within the wider context of the UK's political and cultural landscape- an anthem to the promise of youth and the friendships that endure over a lifetime.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2018 - World premiere

Details

Year: 2018
Type of project: Features
Running time: 93 min
Format: S16mm, S8mm, 4k, HDV, SD, VHS, iPhone
Director: Sarah Lewis 1st Feature
Producer: Sarah Lewis, Nic Tuft
Co-Producer: Jenny Selden
Executive Producer: Giorgio di Mitri, Michael Kopelman, Tyrone Lebon
Editor: Daniel Goddard, Sarah Lewis, Ken Sallows
Director of Photography: John Hoare, David Williams, Sarah Lewis
Composer: Daniel Goddard
Principal cast: Steve Brooks, James Lebon, Pete Dowland, A. Daniel, Roy Davies, Boy George, Goldie, Neneh Cherry, Leigh Bowery
Additional Cinematography: Jenny Selden, Nic Tuft, Anne Scott Wilson

Genre

LGBTQIA+ Woman Director

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Felt Culture Ltd

Sarah Lewis

sarahlewis@fastmail.fm

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Filmed over a 30-year period, CUTS, MORE THAN A HAIRCUT delivers a vital portrait of the low-key, world-famous London barbershop ‘Cuts’ - not just a place to get your hair styled but a space for street fashion and pop innovators. Guided by freewheeling founders James Lebon and Steve Brooks, who met when one was a Rockerbilly and the other a New Romantic, the salon moved from early '80s post punk roots to become a communal hub for DJs, photographers and style icons, an influencer in the analogue age. Bearing witness to the passing of time brings profound and often tragic personal change in the hairdressers' lives within the wider context of immense shifts in the UK's political and cultural landscape. The film is an anthem to the promise of youth and the friendships that endure over a lifetime.

History LGBTQIA+

Cuts, No Ifs Or Buts [original listing record for reference]

Director: Sarah Lewis

Year: 2025

Filmed over a 25-year period, CUTS, NO IFS OR BUTS delivers a vital portrait of the low-key, yet world-famous London barbershop ‘Cuts’ – not just a place to get your hair styled but a space for street fashion and pop innovators. Guided by freewheeling founders James Lebon and Steve Brooks who met when one was a Rockerbilly and the other a New Romantic, the salon moved from early 80s post punk roots to become a communal hub for DJs, photographers and style icons, an influencer in the analogue age. The film allows us to bear witness to the passing of time and the profound and often tragic personal change in the hairdressers' lives within the wider context of change in the UK's political and cultural landscape. It highlights the themes of family and creativity and is an anthem of the promise of youth and the friendships that endure (or not) over a lifetime.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Director: David Borenstein (director), Pavel Talankin (co-director)

Year: 2025

A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school's transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarization. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection CPH DOX 2025 Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025 BAFTA Awards 2026 - Winner - Best Documentary Academy Awards 2026 - Winner - Best Documentary Feature

History Human Rights War