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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 Top Boy star Ashley Walters.
This year’s fest will boast 251 titles, including a world premiere for Laika animated epic Wildwood among many other UK and European premieres, as well as the XR (extended reality) programme, screen talks and other events.
On the slate are Mike Leigh’s likely swan song, Tender Loving Care; Danny Boyle’s Ink, starring Jack O’Connell as Rupert Murdoch as he makes the fateful purchase of The Sun newspaper in 1969; Wild Horse Nine, Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to The Banshees of Inisherin; and Andrew Haigh’s A Long Winter, starring Kit Connor and Fred Hechinger.
Other big films to look out when booking opens on September 17 include Michael Clayton director Gilroy’s musical drama Behemoth! with Pedro Pascal as a composer seeking new purpose in LA; Mungiu’s family drama Fjord arrives with a Palme d’Or on its mantlepiece; and Susanna White’s Prima Facie stars Cynthia Erivo in a much-anticipated adaptation of Suzie Miller’s stage play.
Sian Heder, who won Best Picture with Coda at the 2022 Oscars, is back with Being Heumann, a biographical drama starring Years and Years’ Ruth Madeley.
Clio Barnard’s 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 Club Kid, Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s queer epic La Bola Negra; and Musk, Alex Gibney’s forensic study of Elon Musk. Look out for a directorial debut from Londoner Ashley Walters with Animol.
Asian cinema fans will be able to get their teeth into Lee Chang-dong’s late-capitalism parable Possible Love, Takashi Yamazaki’s new kaiju movie Godzilla Minus Zero, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s acclaimed All of a Sudden.
Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn – 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 and Ava DuVernay’s crusading 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 The Love Witch’s Anna Biller.
This year’s BFI London Film Festival will kick off on Wednesday, October 7 with the Andrew Scott-starring Shakespeare drama Elsinore 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 The Debut 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.