The BFI London Film Festival has announced its full programme, with 242 feature films lined up for its 61st edition.
As previously announced, the Festival opens with the European Premiere of Breathe, the directorial debut of Andy Serkis, on Wednesday 4 October.
The Festival closes with Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, on Sunday 15 October.
The 242 feature programmes screening at the Festival include: 46 documentaries, 6 animations, 14 archive restorations and 16 artists’ moving image features. The programme also includes 128 short films, and 67 countries are represented across short film and features.
The Festival says a number of ‘talking points’ ripple through this year’s programme, with a range of films exploring subjects such as: LBGT to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales; immigration and social division; and deafness and disability.
This year, the Festival will host 28 World Premieres, nine International Premieres and 34 European premieres.
There are also a series of talks with talent including Julian Rosefeldt and Cate Blanchett, Nitin Sawhney, Ian McEwan, David Fincher and Takashi Miike.
“In these globally tumultuous times, filmmakers around the world have increasingly urgent stories to tell and more reasons than ever to reimagine our reality,” said Clare Stewart, Festival Director. “This year’s BFI London Film Festival programme is rich with opportunity – to stay informed, be challenged, feel the pleasure of escape and see the world differently.”
OPENING FILM
BREATHE, Andy Serkis
CLOSING FILM
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, Martin McDonagh
HEADLINE GALAS
BATTLE OF THE SEXES. dirs Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME , dir Luca Guadagnino
DOWNSIZING, dir Alexander Payne
FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL, dir Paul McGuigan
JOURNEY’S END, dir Saul Dibb
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, Yorgos Lanthimos
LAST FLAG FLYING, Richard Linklater
MUDBOUND, dir Dees Rees
THE SHAPE OF WATER, dir Guillermo del Toro
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, Lynne Ramsay
STRAND AND FESTIVAL GALAS
The Festival Gala, Sean Baker’s THE FLORIDA PROJECT
The Dare Gala, François Ozon’s AMANT DOUBLE
The Family Gala, Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert’s THE BIG BAD FOX AND OTHER TALES
The Thrill Gala, Takashi Miike’s BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL
The Debate Gala, Samuel Maoz’s FOXTROT
The Laugh Gala Noah Baumbach’s THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED)
The Love Gala, Dominic Cooke’s ON CHESIL BEACH
The Create Gala, Michel Hazanavicius’ REDOUBTABLE
The Archive Gala, SHIRAZ: A ROMANCE OF INDIA
The Cult Gala, Joachim Trier’s THELMA
The Journey Gala, Todd Haynes’ WONDERSTRUCK.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
DARK RIVER, Clio Barnard
HAPPY END, Michael Haneke
THE PARTY, Sally Potter
ZAMA, Lucretia Martel
A FANTASTIC WOMAN, Sebastián Lelio
THE FINAL YEAR, Greg Barker
LOOKING FOR OUM KULTHUM, Shirin Neshat
MINDHUNTER, David Fincher
OFFICIAL COMPETITION
Robin Campillo, 120 BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE)
Vivian Qu, ANGELS WEAR WHITE
Majid Majidi, BEYOND THE CLOUDS (World Premiere)
Nora Twomey, THE BREADWINNER (European Premiere)
Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra, GOOD MANNERS
Xavier Beauvois, THE GUARDIANS (European Premiere)
Andrew Haigh, LEAN ON PETE
Andrey Zvyagintsev, LOVELESS
Azazel Jacobs, THE LOVERS (European Premiere)
Warwick Thornton, SWEET COUNTRY
Cory Finley, THOROUGHBRED (International Premiere)
Annemarie Jacir, WAJIB
FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
Daniel Kokotajlo, APOSTASY
Léa Mysius, AVA
Michael Pearce, BEAST (European Premiere)
Ofir Raul Graizer, THE CAKEMAKER
Gilles Coulier, CARGO
Kogonada, COLUMBUS
Rungano Nyoni, I AM NOT A WITCH
Léonor Serraille, JEUNE FEMME
Ana Asensio, MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND
Carla Simón, SUMMER 1993
Hlynur Pálmason, WINTER BROTHERS
John Trengove, THE WOUND
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Maryam Goormaghtigh, BEFORE SUMMER ENDS
Elvira Lind, BOBBI JENE
Arash Kamali Sarvestani, Behrouz Boochani, CHAUKA, PLEASE TELL US THE TIME (International Premiere)
Radu Jude, THE DEAD NATION
Shevaun Mizrahi, DISTANT CONSTELLATION
Frederick Wiseman, EX LIBRIS – THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Agnès Varda, JR, FACES PLACES
Austin Lynch, Matthew Booth, GRAY HOUSE
Brett Morgen, JANE (European Premiere)
Lucy Cohen, KINGDOM OF US (World Premiere)
Emmanuel Gras, MAKALA
Sonia Kronlund, THE PRINCE OF NOTHINGWOOD
SHORT FILM AWARD
Gabriel Abrantes, THE ARTIFICIAL HUMORS
Phil Collins, DELETE BEACH
Billie Pleffer, FYSH (International Premiere)
Anna Cazenave Cambet, GABBER LOVER
Karishma Dube, GODDESS
Aegina Brahim, LAWS OF THE GAME
Jonathan Vinel, MARTIN CRIES
Patrick Bresnan THE RABBIT HUNT
Moin Hussain, REAL GODS REQUIRE BLOOD
Kibwe Tavares, ROBOT & SCARECROW
Kazik Radwanski, SCAFFOLD
Harry Lighton, WREN BOYS (World Premiere)
Staff Reporter
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