The full line-up has been revealed for this year’s BFI London Film Festival, which will be fully virtual for the first time.
The BFI London Film Festival will open with Steve McQueen’s “rousing tale of Black solidarity and resistance,” Mangrove, starring Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes and Malachi Kirby. Also previously announced was Francis Lee’s Ammonite, a lesbian period romance starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, which will be the festival’s closing film.
But now to the new announcements.
As in previous years, the festival films will be categorized into different ‘strands’: Events, Episodic, Expanded, Treasures, Experimenta, Family, Create, Journey, Dare, Laugh, Cult and Debate. A new addition is ‘LFF Expanded,’ featuring a host of innovative, virtual reality films.
Brandon Cronenberg’s sci-fi thriller Possessor, starring Andrea Riseborough, will premiere at the festival, as will Spike Lee’s David Byrne concert film American Utopia. Also announced are Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, starring Francis McDormand, Christian Petzold’s Undine and Harry Macqueen’s Supernova, a romantic drama starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, will premiere.
Joinging them will be Mamma Mia! director Phyllida Lloyd’s new drama Herself, Josephine Decker’s nightmarish biopic Shirley and Pixar’s Soul.
The full line-up can be found at the bottom of this article.
“While they often entertain us, film festivals & independent cinemas throughout the year are also hugely important places of culture.They’re places that artists & filmmakers can witness the power their work has to move people to change what we see & the way we see. A heartfelt thanks to everyone here who has been bold and fearless in adapting and reinventing. Together, we’ve come up with a vision for this Festival that’s not just workable but feels genuinely exciting and innovative.”
Tricia Tuttle, Festival Director
The BFI London Film Festival will run 7-18 October. Keep your eyes peeled for full coverage from The Indiependent’s film team.
Line-Up
180° Rule (Iran) dir. Farnoosh Samadi – Debate
200 Meters (Pal) dir. Ameen Nayfeh – Debate
A Common Crime (Arg-Braz-Switz) dir. Francisco Márquez – Dare
A Day-Off Of Kasumi Arimura (Jap) dir. D. Hirokazu Kore-Eda – Journey (Series)
African Apocalypse (UK) dir Rob Lemkin – Debate
After Love (UK) dir. Aleem Khan – Love
Ammonite (UK) dir. Francis Lee – Closing Film
Another Round (Den) dir. Thomas Vinterberg – Journey
Bad Tales (It) dir. Fabio D’innocenzo, Damiano D’innocenzo – Dare
Bloody Nose, Empty Pocket (US) dir. Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross – Journey
The Cheaters (Aus) dir. Paulette Mcdonagh – Treasures
The Chess Game Of The Wind (Iran) dir. Mohammad Reza Aslani – Treasures
Cicada (US) dir. Matt Fifer, Kieran Mulcare – Love
Days (Tai) dir. Tsai Ming-Liang – Love
David Byrne’s American Utopia (US) dir. Spike Lee – Create
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And Legendary Tapes (UK) dir. Caroline Catz – Create
The Disciple (Ind) dir. Chaitanya Tamhane – Create
Farewell Amor (US) dir. Ekwa Msangi – Love
Friendship’s Death (UK) dir. Peter Wollen – Treasures
Genus Pan (Phi) dir. Lav Diaz – Journey
Gold For Dogs (Fr) dir. Anna Cazenave Cambet – Journey
Herself (UK) dir. Phyllida Lloyd – Love
Honeymood (Isr) dir. Talya Lavie – Laugh
I Am Samuel (Ken) dir. Pete Murimi – Journey
Identifying Features (Mex-Spa) dir. Fernanda Valadez – Journey
If It Were Love (Fr) dir. Patric Chiha – Love
Industry (UK) dir. Lena Dunham, Tinge Krishnan, Ed Lilly – Journey (Series)
The Intruder (Arg-Mex) dir. Natalia Meta – Dare
Kajillionaire (US) dir. Miranda July – Laugh
Limbo (UK) dir. Ben Sharrock – Journey
Mangrove (UK) dir. Steve Mcqueen – Opening Film (Series)
Mogul Mowgli (UK) dir. Bassam Tariq – Dare
Never Gonna Snow Again (Pol-Ger) dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert – Laugh
New Order (Mex) dir. Michel Franco – Dare
Nomadland (US) dir. Chloé Zhao – Journey
Notturno (It-Ger-Fr) dir. Gianfranco Rosi – Journey
One Man And His Shoes (UK) dir. Yemi Bamiro – Debate
The Painter And The Thief (Nor) dir.Benjamin Ree – Create
Possessor (Can-UK) dir.Brandon Cronenberg – Cult
The Reason I Jump (UK) dir. Jerry Rothwell
Relic (Aus-US) dir.Natalie Erika James – Cult
Rose (UK) dir.Jennifer Sheridan – Cult
The Salt In Our Waters (Bang-Fr) dir. Rezwan Shahriar Sumit – Journey
Shadow Country (Cze) dir. Bohdan Sláma – Debate
Shirley (US) dir. Josephine Decker – Dare
Siberia (It-Ger-Mex) dir. Abel Ferrara – Dare
Soul (US) dir. Pete Docter, Kemp Powers – Family
Sound For The Future (UK-China) dir. Matt Hulse – Experimenta
Stray (US) dir. Elizabeth Lo – Journey
Striding Into The Wind (China) dir. Wei Shujun – Create
Supernova (UK) dir. Harry Macqueen – Love
This Is My Desire (Eyimofe) (Nigeria) dir. Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri
Time (US) dir. Garrett Bradley – Debate
Ultraviolence (UK) dir. Ken Fero – Debate
Undine (Ger) dir. Christian Petzold
Wildfire (UK-Ire) dir. Cathy Brady – Dare
Wolfwalkers (Ire-Lux-Fr) dir. Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart – Family
Zanka Contact (Fr-Mor-Bel) dir. Ismaël El Iraki – Create
Words by Steph Green
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