The full line-up for this years BFI London Film Festival has just been announced – and it’s packed with new movies from big-name directors, premieres and talks.
On the programme are new films from Danny Boyle, Martin McDonagh, Mike Leigh, Andrew Haigh, Ava DuVernay, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Tony Gilroy, Clio Bernard, Sian Heder, freshly-minted Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu, and a debut for star Ashley Walters.
This year’s fest will boast 251 titles, including a world premiere for Laika animated epic among many
On the slate are Mike Leigh’s likely swan song, ; Danny Boyle’s , starring Jack O’Connell as Rupert Murdoch as he makes the fateful purchase of , Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to The Banshees of Inisherin A Long Winter, starring Kit Connor and Fred Hechinger.
Other big films to look out when booking opens on September 17 include with Pedro Pascal as a composer seeking new purpose in LA; Mungiu’s family drama arrives with a Palme d’Or on its mantlepiece; and Susanna White’s stars Cynthia Erivo in a much-anticipated adaptation of Suzie Miller’s stage play.
Sian Heder, who won Best Picture with at the 2022 Oscars, is back with , a biographical drama starring Years and Years’ Ruth Madeley.
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning – Time Out’s special presentation at the festival – is a state-of-the-nation drama about a group of pals that comes with a stellar cast and a screenplay by Enda Walsh.
Also arriving at the LFF with a tonne of buzz are Jordan Firstman’s New York nightlife crowdpleaser Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s queer epic Alex Gibney’s forensic study of Elon Musk. Look out for a directorial debut from Londoner Ashley Walters with .
Asian cinema fans will be able to get their teeth into Lee Chang-dong’s late-capitalism parable , Takashi Yamazaki’s new kaiju movie All of a Sudden.
– not a breakdancing biopic – and Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun are two sci-fis that should pique the interest of younger festival goers.
Documentary-lovers have John Wilson’s enthralling cement doc (yes) The History of Concrete 14th to look forward to.
Genre fans meanwhile, should look out for the 4K restoration of Ken Russell’s The Devils – a sensation at Cannes this year – and The Face of Horror, a return for Anna Biller.
This year’s BFI London Film Festival will kick off on Wednesday, October 7 with the Andrew Scott-starring Shakespeare drama at the Royal Festival Hall and cinemas across the UK.
From there, the UK’s biggest film festival will be pressing play on 11 days and nights of movies, big and small, at cinemas and venues across London and cities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
It all wraps up on October 18 with Jesse Eisenberg’s as the closing gala.
Tickets go on sale to the general public from September 17. Head to the official festival site for all pricing info.
Everything you need to know about this year’s BFI London Film Festival.