After a number of global film festivals were able to return to fully-fledged physical editions this year, it is now finally the BFI London Film Festival’s turn. The annual event, this year running October 6-17, is aiming to recover the atmosphere of its pre-pandemic outings, after 2020’s hybrid edition. Select virtual premieres will be hosted on the BFI Player platform, but the majority of public premieres, in-person industry events and press screenings will return (to nab the syntax of James Bond). The festival’s main physical hub is also moving from Leicester Square to London’s Southbank, where gala premieres will instead take place at its 2,000 capacity Royal Festival Hall. Concurrent screenings will beam across the UK at 10 LFF partner venues. 

Of the 21 world premieres, one of the most notable is Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine’s Ron’s Gone Wrong [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], a debut feature from the UK-based Locksmith Animation. The opening night film is The Harder They Fall, an American production from Netflix, but directed by the Brit Jeymes Samuel; hopes are high for the American Western, featuring a predominantly Black cast that includes Idris Elba and Regina King. The Closing Night film could be claimed as homegrown, with one William Shakespeare providing the text for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Joel Coen’s first solo-directed film, starring multi-Oscar winners Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington. 

Other notable galas include European co-productions such as Kenneth Branagh’s awards-tipped Belfast [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by arch provocateur Paul Verhoeven, and the aforementioned Ron’s Gone Wrong. Competitive strands, chock full of European titles, are the festival’s Official Competition, First Feature Competition and Documentary Competition. 

“In early 2020, we set out how we would build on the vibrant established film programme at LFF to expand the festival,” said BFI London Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle. “While we had to adapt those ambitions for the pandemic, we are back in full force this year and you’ll really see that vision played out in the model for the Festival this year.” The festival is planning for all screenings to be 100% capacity by the end of the event, although the partner venue exhibitors will have the final say for their venues. Around 80% of the filmmakers selected are planning to attend: “It’s going to be a busy, buzzy festival, with filmmakers here,” Tuttle further said. 

Film London’s two-day Production Finance Market will return to the event, and further international industry executives are confirmed to attend in-person. All further information can be found here. 

The selected competition titles are as follows:

Official Competition
Belle - Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)
Il Buco [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Michelangelo Frammartino
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The Hand of God [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Paolo Sorrentino
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Nitram - Justin Kurzel (Australia)
Hit the Road - Panah Panahi (Iran)
Sundown [+leggi anche:
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Lingui, The Sacred Bonds [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Acho…
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True Things [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Harry Wootliff
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First Feature Competition
The Alleys - Bassel Ghandour (Jordan/Egypt/Saudi Arabia/Qatar)
Azor [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Andreas Fontana
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Costa Brava, Lebanon [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Mounia Akl (Lebanon/France/Spain/Sweden/Denmark/Norway/Qatar)
Prayers for the Stolen [+leggi anche:
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The Feast [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Lee Haven Jones (UK)
Small Body [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Laura Samani
scheda film] - Laura Samani (Italy/France/Slovenia)
Playground [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Laura Wandel
scheda film] - Laura Wandel (Belgium)
White Building [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Kavich Neang (Cambodia/France/China/Qatar)

Documentary Competition
All About My Sisters - Wang Qiong (USA)
Babi Yar. Context [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Sergei Loznitsa
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Becoming Cousteau - Liz Garbus (USA)
The Dance - Pat Collins (Ireland)
A Cop Movie - Alonso Ruizpalacios (Mexico)
Faya Dayi - Jessica Beshir (Ethiopia)
Cow [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Andrea Arnold (UK)
Nascondino [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Victoria Fiore
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