The BFI unveiled today the line-up for the 60th London Film Festival which will take place on 5-16 October in venues across the capital, including the new Embankment Garden Cinema, in the Victoria Embankment Gardens.
Highlights include the Opening Night Gala A United Kingdom by Amma Asante, the Closing Night Gala Free Fire, the new film by Ben Wheatley (High-Rise, Sightseers), eagerly-awaited festival favourites La La Land, Manchester By The Sea, Nocturnal Animals and Snowden. We will definitely hear more about these films come Oscars time.
Other highlights include German tragi-comedy Toni Erdmann that won critical acclaim at Cannes, Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper with another break-out performance from Kristen Stewart, Paul Verhoeven’s Elle with an amazing performance by French icon Isabelle Huppert, Xavier Dolan’s latest Cannes Grand Prix-winner It’s Only the End of the World, Chi-Raq, Spike Lee’s reimagining of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek play Lysistrata and the world premiere of On the Road, Michael Winterbottom’s film following rising British music stars and Grammy-nominees Wolf Alice.
Greece is present at the Festival again however without regulars Yorgos Lanthimos (who is busy filming The Killing of a Sacred Deer with Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell and Alicia Silverstone) and Athina Rachel Tsangari (“Chevalier”). Greek films and co-productions include Voir du pays (with Lanthimos’ muse Ariane Labed), Moderation and Park (about the now desolate Athens Olympic Park).
Finally, we shouldn’t forget to mention the excellent talks and events that take place every year. This year the highlight is definitely the preview of Black Mirror’s new episode Nosedive and screen talks by directors Werner Herzog, Paul Verhoeven and Ben Wheatley.
So, have a look at the programme and let me know which films you are looking forward to:
https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online
Stay tuned for reviews and reactions from the red carpet!
