The 68th BFI London Film Festival: A star-studded celebration of cinema
The 68th BFI London Film Festival is set to dazzle audiences with a spectacular lineup for 2024. This year’s festival promises to be a cinematic feast, featuring Angelina Jolie, Elton John, Daniel Craig, Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Saoirse Ronan, and many more. With 39 world premieres and 12 international premieres among its 253 feature, short, series, and immersive works, the festival is a must-attend event for film enthusiasts.
Opening and closing galas: A grand start and finish
The festival kicks off with the world premiere of Steve McQueen’s “Blitz”, starring Saoirse Ronan. This highly anticipated film sets the tone for what promises to be an unforgettable event. The closing night will feature Morgan Neville’s “Piece by Piece”, ensuring the festival ends on a high note.
Gala screenings: A showcase of cinematic excellence
The festival’s gala screenings are a highlight, featuring a range of high-profile films. Some of the standout titles include:
- “Elton John: Never Too Late” by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish
- “Anora” by Sean Baker
- “The Apprentice” by Ali Abbasi, starring Sebastian Stan
- “Bird” by Andrea Arnold
- “Conclave” by Edward Berger, featuring Ralph Fiennes
- “Emilia Pérez” by Jacques Audiard
- “Hard Truths” by Mike Leigh
- “Joy” by Ben Taylor
- “Maria” by Pablo Larraín, featuring Angelina Jolie
- “Nightbitch” by Marielle Heller, starring Amy Adams
- “The Room Next Door” by Pedro Almodóvar, with Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton
- “That Christmas” by Simon Otto
- “We Live in Time” by John Crowley, featuring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield
World premieres: Fresh stories from around the globe
The festival will also host several world premieres, showcasing a diverse array of films. Notable mentions include:
- “Four Mothers” by Darren Thornton, an Irish comedy
- “Endurance” by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, a documentary
- “Tarika” by Milko Lazarov, a Bulgarian drama
- “Thank You for Banking with Us” by Laila Abbas
- “The Shadow Scholars” by Eloise King, a documentary
- “The Way We Talk” by Adam Wong Sau-Ping
- “Treading Water” by Gino Evans
- A restoration of Martin Rosen’s “Watership Down”
International premieres: A global perspective
The festival’s international premieres bring a global perspective to the event. Highlights include:
- “A Nice Indian Boy” by Roshan Sethi, featuring Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff
- “Twiggy”, a documentary by Sadie Frost
- “I’m Your Venus” by Kimberly Reed
- “Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story” by Jane Mingay
Special presentations: Unique voices in cinema
Special presentations at the festival will feature a range of unique voices in cinema. Some of the films to look out for include:
- “All We Imagine as Light” by Payal Kapadia
- “The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire” by Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich
- “Dahomey” by Mati Diop
- “Harvest” by Athina Rachel Tsangari
- “I’m Still Here” by Walter Salles
- “Nickel Boys” by RaMell Ross
- “Queer” by Luca Guadagnino, featuring Daniel Craig
- “A Real Pain” by Jesse Eisenberg
- “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” by Mohammad Rasoulof
First Feature Competition: Celebrating new talent
The festival’s First Feature Competition will showcase debut directors, offering a platform for new talent. Films in this category include:
- “Crocodile Tears” by Tumpal Tampubolon
- “Hanami” by Denise Fernandes
- “Happyend” by Neo Sora
- “Last Swim” by Sasha Nathwani
- “My Eternal Summer” by Sylvia Le Fanu
- “Olivia & The Clouds” by Tomás Pichardo Espaillat
- “On Falling” by Laura Carreira
- “Santosh” by Sandhya Suri
- “September Says” by Ariane Labed
- “To A Land Unknown” by Mahdi Fleifel
- “Who Do I Belong To” by Meryam Joobeur
Screen Talks: Insights from industry leaders
The festival will feature Screen Talks, offering in-depth interviews with leaders in contemporary cinema. This year’s lineup includes:
- Andrea Arnold
- Steve McQueen
- Mike Leigh
- Denis Villeneuve
- Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
- Lupita Nyong’o
- Zoe Saldaña
- Daniel Kaluuya
Thematic strands: A journey through cinema
The festival’s feature film program is organized into thematic strands, encouraging discovery and opening up the festival to new audiences. These strands include:
- Love
- Debate
- Laugh
- Dare
- Thrill
- Cult
- Journey
- Create
- Experimenta
- Family
- Treasures
LFF Expanded: Immersive art and extended reality
LFF Expanded, the festival’s immersive art and extended reality program, returns with installations at various locations, including Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf, BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, and Outernet London. This year’s program features works from leading British and international artists, including:
- Liam Young
- Adrien M & Claire B
- Anagram
- Darkfield
- Memo Akten & Katie Peyton Hofstadter
For the first time, LFF Expanded will also showcase video games in an interactive Games Lounge.
A celebration of diversity and creativity
Running from October 9-20, the festival will screen works from 79 countries in 63 languages, with 44% of the program made by female and non-binary filmmakers. This year’s festival promises to be a celebration of diversity and creativity, offering something for everyone.
Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival director, reflects on the festival’s lineup: “Cinematic ideas materialize in many forms, and this year artists have taken us to some giddy highs and poked at our tender underbellies. Troubled histories linger close to the surface alongside optimistic futures, all explored in unique and creative ways.”
Ben Roberts, chief executive of BFI, adds: “The real joy of LFF for me is seeing the hard work of so many talented filmmakers come to life and given the prominence and noise that they deserve.”
For more information and to explore the trailers of the featured films, visit the BFI London Film Festival website.