The official countdown for BFI London Film Festival 2015 in partnership with American Express® has started. Programmed to take place between the 07th and 18th of October, the 59th festival edition will present this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. The programme has been launched at the begining of the month by Festival Director Clare Stewart. BFI London Film Festival is Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals. It introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience. The Festival provides an essential platform for films seeking global success; and promotes the careers of British and international filmmakers through its industry and awards programmes. With this year’s industry programme stronger than ever, offering international filmmakers and leaders a programme of insightful events covering every area of the lm industry LFF positions London as the world’s leading creative city.
During the 12 days, we will be able to enjoy a total of 238 fiction and documentary features, including 16 World Premieres, 8 International Premieres, 40 European Premieres and 11 Archive films including 5 Restoration World Premieres. 1 There will also be screenings of live action and animated shorts, ScreenTalks and Q&As. The official calendar has also been released online and can be found here.
When it comes to location, the BFI Festival is well known for using multiples, from the West End cinemas – Vue West End and the iconic Odeon Leicester Square; central London venues – BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, Picturehouse Central, the ICA, Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Soho, Cineworld Haymarket and Ciné Lumière; to local ones – Ritzy Brixton, Hackney Picturehouse, Curzon Chelsea, Vue Islington and Rich Mix. Additional screenings and events will take place at Tate Modern. The good side of it is the fact that audiences across the UK can enjoy the Festival via simultaneous screenings in their local cinemas.
The Opening and Closing Night Galas will most certainly add a bit of glamour to the festival. Two very awaited films have been selected for these.
The Festival opens with the European Premiere of SUFFRAGETTE, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep. Director Sarah Gavron returns to the Festival for a third time with a film that tells the story of the ordinary British women at the turn of the last century who risked everything in the fight for equality and the right to vote.
The European Premiere of STEVE JOBS will close the Festival, directed by Danny Boyle whose films Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and 127 Hours (2010) previously closed the Festival. Based on Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography, the film takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to create a revealing portrait of the man at its epicentre. The film stars Michael Fassbender in the title role, Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg and Katherine Waterston.
Am impressive number of talent is also expected to attend various festival events. The confirmed names, up to this point, would be: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Meryl Streep, Sarah Gavron, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Danny Boyle, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Todd Haynes, Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Jay Roach, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scott Cooper, Saoirse Ronan, John Crowley, Nick Hornby, Colm Toíbín, Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Nicholas Hytner, Alan Bennett, Tom Hiddleston, Ben Wheatley, Luca Guadagnino, Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ben Foster, Stephen 5 Frears, Ondi Timoner, Randeep Hooda, Deepa Mehta, S. Craig Zahler, Hany Abu-Assad, Guy Maddin and Davis Guggenheim.
As it happens during each festival, we will get to witness a few competitions.
The Official Competition line-up, recognising inspiring, inventive and distinctive filmmaking, includes the following:
- Jerzy Skolimowski, 11 MINUTES
- Cary Fukunaga, BEASTS OF NO NATION
- Apichatpong Weerasethakul, CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR
- Athina Rachel Tsangari, CHEVALIER
- Simon Stone, THE DAUGHTER
- Jonás Cuarón, DESIERTO (European Premiere)
- Lucile Hadžihalilović, EVOLUTION
- Johnnie To, OFFICE (European Premiere)
- Lenny Abrahamson, ROOM
- László Nemes, SON OF SAUL
- Terence Davies, SUNSET SONG
- Sean Baker, TANGERINE
- Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, VERY BIG SHOT (European Premiere)
The Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition recognising an original and imaginative directorial debut are:
- Mai Masri, 3000 NIGHTS (European Premiere)
- Eva Husson, BANG GANG (A MODERN LOVE STORY)
- Magnus von Horn, THE HERE AFTER
- Trey Edward Shults, KRISHA
- Yared Zeleke, LAMB
- Esther May Campbell, LIGHT YEARS
- Ariel Kleiman, PARTISAN
- Eugenio Canevari, PAULA
- Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, TANNA
- Piero Messina, THE WAIT
- Nitzan Gilady, WEDDING DOLL (European Premiere)
- Robert Eggers, THE WITCH
The Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition category recognises cinematic documentaries with integrity, originality, and social or cultural significance. This year the Festival is screening:
- João Pedro Plácido, (BE)LONGING
- Mor Loushy, CENSORED VOICES
- David Sington, THE FEAR OF 13 (World Premiere)
- Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli, FRAME BY FRAME (European Premiere)
- Alexander Sokurov, FRANCOFONIA
- Frederick Wiseman, IN JACKSON HEIGHTS
- Walter Salles, JIA ZHANGKE, A GUY FROM FENYANG
- Tomer Heymann, MR. GAGA (International Premiere)
- Patricio Guzmán, THE PEARL BUTTON
- Sarah Turner, PUBLIC HOUSE (World Premiere)
- Jennifer Peedom, SHERPA (European Premiere)
- Hanna Polak, SOMETHING BETTER TO COME
The Short Film Award recognises short form works with a unique cinematic voice and a confident handling of chosen theme and content. This year the Festival is screening:
- João Paulo Miranda Maria, COMMAND ACTION
- Till Nowak, DISSONANCE
- Nina Gantz, EDMOND
- Peter Tscherkassky, THE EXQUISITE CORPUS
- Mees Peijnenburg, A HOLE IN MY HEART
- An van Dienderen, LILI (International Premiere)
- Maïmouna Doucouré, MOTHER(S)
- Shai Heredia, Shumona Goel, AN OLD DOG’S DIARY (European Premiere)
- Caroline Bartleet, OPERATOR (World Premiere)
- Jörn Threlfall, OVER
- Vivienne Dick, RED MOON RISING (World Premiere)
- Ziya Demirel, TUESDAY
Considering the number of awaited movies on the BFI Film Festival list, I have no doubt it would be, as usual, a very appreciated one. All that we can do now is await for the screenings and enjoy it as much as possible. For those of you unable to attend, hopefully the reviews and updates that I will post will be of help.
