Clare Stewart introduces Manchester by the Sea (29903901240)

The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries.

History

At a dinner party in 1953 at the home of film critic

Dilys Powell Elizabeth Dilys Powell, CBE (20 July 1901 – 3 June 1995) was a British film critic and travel writer who contributed to ''The Sunday Times'' for more than 50 years. Powell was known for her receptiveness to cultural change in the cinema and ...

of '' The Sunday Times'' and at which film administrator James Quinn attended, the notion of a film festival for London was raised. Quinn went on to start the first London Film Festival which took place at the new

National Film Theatre BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

(now renamed BFI Southbank) from 16–26 October 1957. The first festival screened 15–20 films from a selection of directors to show films successful at other festivals, including

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's ''

Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese '' jidaigeki'' film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' from Medieval Scotland to feudal ...

'' (which opened the festival), Satyajit Ray's '' Aparajito'', Andrzej Wajda's '' Kanał'',

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the ...

's ''

White Nights White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to: * White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles * White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held ...

'', Ingmar Bergman's ''

The Seventh Seal ''The Seventh Seal'' ( sv, Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of ch ...

'', Federico Fellini's ''

Nights of Cabiria ''Nights of Cabiria'' ( it, Le notti di Cabiria) is a 1957 drama film co-written and directed by Federico Fellini. It stars Giulietta Masina as Cabiria, a prostitute living in Rome. The cast also features François Périer and Amedeo Nazzari. ...

'' and Elia Kazan's '' A Face in the Crowd''. The first edition was sponsored by ''The Sunday Times''. The second edition was held from 6–14 October 1958 and saw the introduction of the

Sutherland Trophy The Sutherland Trophy was created in 1958 by the British Film Institute as an annual award for "the maker of the most original and imaginative film introduced at the National Film Theatre during the year". History In 1997, the criteria changed to ...

which was awarded to

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...

for '' Tokyo Story''. The third festival featured François Truffaut's '' The 400 Blows'', for which he turned up without a ticket and unable to speak English. The third edition opened 12 October 1959 with the Czech puppet version of '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' directed by

Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is best kn ...

. Richard Roud became festival director in 1960, which was also the first year that a British film was shown at the festival; the world premiere of

Karel Reisz Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are '' Saturday Night and S ...

's ''

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is the first novel by British author Alan Sillitoe and won the Author's Club First Novel Award. It was adapted by Sillitoe into a 1960 film starring Albert Finney, directed by Karel Reisz, and in 1964 was ...

''. The fourth edition also featured Michelangelo Antonioni's '' L'Avventura'' and Truffaut's '' Shoot the Pianist''. The fifth edition opened 17 October 1961 with Jacques Demy's ''

Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lola ...

''. The 1962 festival featured the first midnight matinee,

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director and producer whose career spanned five decades. In 1964, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film ''Tom Jones''. Early ...

's '' The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner''. Roman Polanski's first feature-length film '' Knife in the Water'' and Jean-Luc Godard's ''

Vivre sa vie ''Vivre sa vie'' (french: Vivre sa vie: film en douze tableaux, lit=To Live Her Life: A Film in Twelve Scenes) is a 1962 French New Wave drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The film was released in the United States as ''My Life t ...

'' were also screened. A new strand of the festival was added in 1965 called London Choices, featuring debut and lesser-known features, with one of the first of these being '' Dear John'' directed by Lars-Magnus Lindgren. 1967 saw the first features films directed by women screened -

Shirley Clarke Shirley Clarke (née Brimberg; October 2, 1919 – September 23, 1997) was an American filmmaker. Life Born Shirley Brimberg in New York City, she was the daughter of a Polish-immigrant father who made his fortune in manufacturing. Her mother w ...

's ''

Portrait of Jason ''Portrait of Jason'' is a 1967 documentary film directed, produced and edited by Shirley Clarke and starring Jason Holliday (né Aaron Payne, 1924-1998). In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the ...

'', Agnès Varda's '' Les Créatures'' and Věra Chytilová's '' Daisies''. Jean-Luc Godard's first English language film, '' One Plus One'', was shown under the London Choices strand in 1968 and he punched producer Iain Quarrier in the face, for the changes made to the film.

1970–1983

Ken Wlaschin became festival director in February 1970 and expanded the size and diversity of the festival. His first festival ran 16 November to 2 December 1970 and featured 28 films, opening with Truffaut's ''

L'Enfant sauvage ''The Wild Child'' (french: L'Enfant sauvage, released in the United Kingdom as ''The Wild Boy'') is a 1970 French film by director François Truffaut. Featuring Jean-Pierre Cargol, François Truffaut, Françoise Seigner and Jean Dasté, it te ...

'' and featuring Kurosawa's '' Dodes'ka-den'' and the world premiere of Anthony Friedman's ''

Bartleby "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by the American writer Herman Melville, first serialized anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 issues of '' Putnam's Magazine'' and reprinted with minor tex ...

''. A recently opened second screen at the NFT was also used. David Lynch's short film '' The Grandmother'' was also shown in 1970. The 1971 festival ran 15 November to 1 December and was expanded to include a directors' section, featuring the premiere of Mike Leigh's feature film debut '' Bleak Moments''. 1972 saw 44 films shown between 13 and 29 November. The 1974 festival opened 18 November and featured 60 films starting with the premiere of Peter Hall's '' Akenfield''. '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' was screened in a members-only screening due to it not being classified by the

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of fi ...

. Similar screenings were held for '' The Beast'' in 1975 and '' Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'' in 1977. ''

Newsfront ''Newsfront'' is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, Chris Haywood and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original mu ...

'' directed by

Phillip Noyce Phillip Noyce (born 29 April 1950) is an Australian filmmaker. Since 1977, he has directed over 19 feature films in various genres, including historical drama ('' Newsfront'', '' Rabbit-Proof Fence'', '' The Quiet American''); thrillers (''Dead ...

opened the 1978 festival on 14 November which ended 16 days later with Jack Gold's '' The Sailor's Return''. The 1979 festival ran 15 November to 2 December, opening with ''

Those Wonderful Movie Cranks ''Those Wonderful Movie Cranks'' ( cs, Báječní muži s klikou) is a 1978 Czech language, Czech comedy film directed by Jiří Menzel. The film was selected as the Czech entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign La ...

'' directed by Jiří Menzel. The 1980 festival was held between 13–30 November, opening with Kurosawa's ''

Kagemusha is a 1980 jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is set in the Sengoku period of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate the dying ''daimyō'' Takeda Shingen to dissuade opposing lords fr ...

'' and closing with Martin Scorsese's '' Raging Bull''. The 25th festival opened on 4 November 1981 and featured 127 films and also expanded outside of London with 12 programmes playing around the country. The 1982 festival opened 11 November 1982 with 4 independent British films -

Claude Whatham Claude Whatham (7 December 1927 in Manchester – 4 January 2008 in Anglesey) was an English film and TV director mainly known for his work on dramas. Early life In 1940, Whatham, a teenage evacuee art student, had been commissioned to paint f ...

's '' The Captain's Doll'',

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are th ...

's ''

The Draughtsman's Contract ''The Draughtsman's Contract'' is a 1982 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway – his first conventional feature film (following the feature-length mockumentary '' The Falls''). Originally produced for Channel 4, the ...

'',

Barney Platts-Mills Barney Platts-Mills (15 October 1944 – 5 October 2021) was a British film director, best known for his award-winning films, ''Bronco Bullfrog'' and ''Private Road''. Biography Platts-Mills was born in 1944 in Colchester, England, a son of b ...

' '' Hero'' and Mai Zetterling's '' Scrubbers'' - and closed 28 November.

Expansion

In 1984, Wlaschin's role as program director for the National Film Theatre (NFT) and festival director was split, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' film critic Derek Malcolm taking over as festival director, initially temporarily, and Sheila Whitaker as NFT program director. Malcolm expanded the festival to 8 theatres other than the NFT; introduced Festival on the Square, showing more popular films; added a surprise film each year and increased attendances, trying to change it from a festival for film buffs to one for the public. The 1984 festival opened with ''

Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice ...

'' at the NFT on 14 November and closed on 2 December with a gala presentation at the

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following year ...

of a new print of the 1924 version of '' The Thief of Baghdad'' starring

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

with the score composed and conducted by

Carl Davis Carl Davis, (born October 28, 1936) is an American-born conductor and composer who has lived in the United Kingdom since 1961. He has written music for more than 100 television programmes, but is best known for creating music to accompany si ...

. It was the most popular festival to date with 57,000 tickets sold and Malcolm was retained to organize the festival the following year. The 1985 festival was expanded to feature 161 films and ran from 14 November to 1 December, opening with

's '' Ran'' and closing with

Michael Cimino Michael Antonio Cimino ( ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Cimino achieved fame with ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Bes ...

's '' Year of the Dragon'' and Peter Greenaway's '' A Zed & Two Noughts''. The best films of the festival were to be shown around 15 towns around the country after the event. The films were grouped into regional categories – in 2009 these were; Galas and Special Screenings, Film on the Square, New British Cinema, French Revolutions, Cinema Europa, World Cinema, Experimenta, Treasures from the Archives, Short Cuts and Animation. Since 1986, the festival has been "topped and tailed" by the Opening and Closing galas which have now become major red carpet events in the London calendar and are often world, European or UK premiere screenings, which take place in large venues in central London, attended by the cast and crew of the films, and introduced by the Festival director and the film's directors or producers, and often the actors themselves. The 30th edition of the festival in 1986 opened with

Nicolas Roeg Nicolas Jack Roeg (; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing ''Performance'' (1970), '' Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973), '' The Man Who Fell to Earth'' (1976 ...

's '' Castaway'' and closed with Ken Russell's film '' Gothic (Daily Telegraph, October 10th 1986). The festival had a "post script" the next day on 1 December with a Royal charity performance of '' Labyrinth'' attended by

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

and Diana, Princess of Wales.

1987–1996

Sheila Whitaker, who had been the manager of the National Film Theatre, replaced Malcolm in 1987. The 1987 festival was the first to open at the

Empire, Leicester Square The Empire, Leicester Square is a cinema currently operated by Cineworld on the north side of Leicester Square, London. The Empire was originally built in 1884 as a variety theatre and was rebuilt for films in the 1920s. It is one of several c ...

on 11 November 1987. It was due to open with ''

A Prayer for the Dying ''A Prayer for the Dying'' is a 1987 thriller film about a former IRA member trying to escape his past. The film was directed by Mike Hodges, and stars Mickey Rourke, Liam Neeson, Bob Hoskins, and Alan Bates. The film is based on the 1973 Jack ...

'', a film about an

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

member but was pulled 2 days before the opening following the IRA's

Remembrance Day bombing The Remembrance Day bombing (also known as the Enniskillen bombing or Poppy Day massacre) took place on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. A Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb exploded near the town's ...

in Enniskillen on 8 November. The film was replaced with '' Dark Eyes''. The festival saw most films screened at either the Odeon West End or at

BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

. During her period as director, Whitaker continued to expand the festival. By the end of her tenure as director in 1996, the festival had grown to include screenings of over 200 films from around the world, more venues had been added and more tickets were sold to non-BFI members. She also began the festival's practice of including newly restored films from the National Film Archive and overseas institutions. The 1990 festival was held between 8-25 November and featured 180 films compared to 145 in the previous year. It opened with

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

's '' Texasville'' and closed with

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...

's ''

The Sheltering Sky ''The Sheltering Sky'' is a 1949 novel of alienation and existential despair by American writer and composer Paul Bowles. Plot The story centers on Port Moresby and his wife Kit, a married couple originally from New York who travel to the Nor ...

''. It also featured the world premiere of Mike Leigh's '' Life Is Sweet''. The 1991 festival was held between 6–21 November and was dedicated to David Lean, who had died earlier in the year, opening with the world premiere of Mike Newell's '' Enchanted April'' and closing with the European premiere of Mark Peploe's debut film '' Afraid of the Dark''. The 1994 festival opened on 3 November with the world premiere of '' Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'' directed by

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

and closed 20 November with

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films ''Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

's '' Léon: The Professional''. A 12-film sidebar was added for Arabian and Middle Eastern films, in addition to sidebars for French and Asian films. Due to classification issues, special permission was needed from Westminster City Council to screen Oliver Stone's '' Natural Born Killers'' in 1994 and David Cronenberg's '' Crash'' in 1996. The 1996 festival had opened with ''

The First Wives Club ''The First Wives Club'' is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. The film stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorcées who seek retribution ...

'' and also featured Shane Meadows' debut film '' Small Time''.

1997–2011

Adrian Wooton was appointed festival director and Sandra Hebron as festival programmer in 1997. The 2002 festival was held 6–21 November. Hebron became artistic director of the festival in 2003, replacing Wooton. The same year, the festival's name was changed to the BFI London Film Festival. The 2004 festival ran from 20 October to 4 November, opening with the UK premiere of Mike Leigh's '' Vera Drake'' and closed with David O. Russell's ''

I Heart Huckabees ''I Heart Huckabees'' (stylized as ''I ♥ Huckabees''; also ''I Love Huckabees'') is a 2004 independent black comedy film directed and produced by David O. Russell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Baena. A self-described "existential c ...

''. The 2005 festival was held from 19 October to 3 November and had 180 features, opening with Fernando Meirelles' ''

The Constant Gardener ''The Constant Gardener'' is a 2001 novel by British author John le Carré. The novel tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat whose activist wife is murdered. Believing there is something behind the murder, he seeks to uncover the t ...

'' and closing with the UK premiere of George Clooney's '' Good Night, and Good Luck''. 161 of the 180 screenings were sold out. The fiftieth edition of the festival opened with the European premiere of

Kevin McDonald Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably th ...

's '' The Last King of Scotland''. It also featured the European premieres of Todd Field's '' Little Children'' and

Anthony Minghella Anthony Minghella, (6 January 195418 March 2008) was a British film director, playwright and screenwriter. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He won the Academy Award for Best Directo ...

's ''

Breaking and Entering Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

''. It closed with '' Babel''. The world premiere of '' Frost/Nixon'' on 15 October 2008 was the opening night gala of the 2008 festival and

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...

's ''

Slumdog Millionaire ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Pa ...

'' was the closing film. Previously a number of festival awards were presented at the Closing gala, but in 2009, with the aid of some funding from the

UK Film Council The UK Film Council (UKFC) was a non-departmental public body set up in 2000 to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, owned by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and ...

, a stand-alone awards ceremony was introduced. The

helped fund the festival for three years until it was abolished in 2011. In 2009 the festival, whilst focused around Leicester Square (

Vue West End Vue West End is a nine-screen cinema complex in Leicester Square, London, operated by Vue Cinemas. The multiplex was constructed in 1993 on the site of what was previously the Warner West End cinema. History The site was previously occupied ...

, Odeon West End and Empire) and the BFI Southbank in central London, also screened films across 18 other venues –

Curzon Mayfair Cinema The Curzon Mayfair Cinema is a Grade II listed building at 37–38 Curzon Street, London W1, built in 1963–66 by H. G. Hammond for Sir John Burnet, Tait and Partners, architects. Historic England have described it as "the finest surviving cin ...

, ICA Cinema on The Mall, The

Ritzy ''Ritzy'' is a lost 1927 American comedy silent film directed by Richard Rosson and written by Elinor Glyn, Percy Heath, Robert N. Lee and George Marion, Jr. The film stars Betty Bronson, James Hall, William Austin, Joan Standing, George N ...

in Brixton, Cine Lumière in South Kensington, Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank, David Lean Cinema in Croydon, the Genesis Cinema in Whitechapel, The Greenwich Picturehouse, the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, Rich Mix in Old Street, the Rio Cinema in Dalston, the Tricycle Cinema in Kilburn, the Waterman Art Centre in Brentford and Trafalgar Square for the open air screening of short films from the

BFI National Archive The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became the N ...

. The 2009 Festival featured 15 world premieres including

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...

’s first animated feature, ''

Fantastic Mr. Fox ''Fantastic Mr Fox'' is a children's literature, children's novel written by British author Roald Dahl. It was published in 1970, by Allen & Unwin, George Allen & Unwin in the UK and Alfred A. Knopf in the U.S., with illustrations by Donald Ch ...

'',

Sam Taylor-Wood Samantha Louise Taylor-Johnson OBE ( née Taylor-Wood; 4 March 1967) is a British filmmaker and photographer. Her directorial feature film debut was 2009's '' Nowhere Boy'', a film based on the childhood experiences of The Beatles songwriter ...

’s feature début ''

Nowhere Boy ''Nowhere Boy'' is a 2009 British biographical drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood in her directorial debut. Written by Matt Greenhalgh, it is based on Julia Baird's biography of her half-brother, the musician John Lennon. ''Nowhere Boy'' i ...

'', about the formative years of John Lennon, as well as the Festival's first ever Archive Gala, the BFI's new restoration of

Anthony Asquith Anthony William Landon Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among oth ...

’s ''Underground'', with live music accompaniment by the Prima Vista Social Club. European premieres in 2009 included Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s '' Micmacs'', Scott Hicks’ '' The Boys Are Back'' and Robert Connolly's ''

Balibo Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the subdistrict of Balibo, Bobonaro District. It was estimated by Human Rights Watch that 70 per cent of the town was destroyed during t ...

'', as well as Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni's ''The Well'' and Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson's ''Mugabe and the White African''. In 2009, directors travelling to London to introduce their latest work included Michael Haneke (Cannes Palme d'Or winner, ''The White Ribbon''), Atom Egoyan (''Chloe''), Steven Soderbergh (''The Informant!''),

Lone Scherfig Lone Scherfig (; born 2 May 1959) is a Danish film director and screenwriter who has been involved with the Dogme 95 film movement and who has been widely critically acclaimed for several of her movies, including the Oscar-nominated film '' An ...

(''An Education''),

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...

(''Taking Woodstock''), Jane Campion (''Bright Star''),

Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé (, ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker based in Paris, France. He is the son of Argentine painter, writer, and intellectual Luis Felipe Noé. In the early 1990s, Noé along with his wife Lucile Hadžihalilović were ...

(''Enter The Void''),

Lee Daniels Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter. His first producer credit was ''Monster's Ball'' (2001), for which Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making Daniels ...

(''Precious''),

Grant Heslov Grant Heslov (born May 15, 1963) is an American actor and filmmaker known for his producing and writing collaborations with George Clooney, which have earned him four Oscar nominations. As a co-producer of ''Argo'' (2012), he received the Academ ...

(''The Men Who Stare at Goats''), and Jason Reitman (''Up in the Air''). In addition to ''Fantastic Mr. Fox'' and ''Up in the Air'', George Clooney supported his role in '' The Men Who Stare at Goats''. The Festival also welcomed back previous alumni such as

John Hillcoat John Hillcoat (born 1960) is an Australian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, and music video director. Early life Hillcoat was born in Queensland, Australia, and was raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. As a child, his paintings were featur ...

(''The Road''),

Joe Swanberg Joseph Swanberg (born August 31, 1981) is an American independent film director, producer, writer, and actor. Known for micro-budget films which make extensive use of improvisation, Swanberg is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film mo ...

(''Alexander The Last'') and Harmony Korine (''Trash Humpers''), whilst also screening films from Manoel de Oliveira (''Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl''), Jim Jarmusch (''The Limits Of Control''), Claire Denis (''White Material''), Ho-Yuhang (''At The End Of Daybreak''), Todd Solondz (''Life During Wartime''), and

Joel and Ethan Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

(''A Serious Man''). American Express became the festival's principal sponsor in 2010. Previously it had been sponsored by '' The Times''. The 2011 festival was held from 12–27 October opening with Mereille's '' 360'' and closed with '' The Deep Blue Sea'', both starring

Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970 ) is an English actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a BAFTA Award. Weisz began acting in British stage and television in the ...

2012–2017

Clare Stewart Clare Stewart is an Australian film festival director. She was appointed the festival director of the Sydney Film Festival (SFF) in 2007. In 2008, SFF introduced an international Official Competition for films that are 'courageous, audacious a ...

was appointed as head of exhibition at the BFI in August 2011 replacing Hebron and was the festival's director from the 2012 edition. Under Stewart, a formal competition was organised in 2012, films were organized into strands such as "Love", "Debate", "Dare" and "Thrill" and films started to be screened outside of London. The 2012 festival ran from 10–21 October, opening with Tim Burton's '' Frankenweenie'' and closing with the European premiere of Mike Newell's '' Great Expectations''. The 2013 festival was held between 9–20 October opening with '' Captain Phillips'' and closing with the world premiere of '' Saving Mr. Banks'', both starring Tom Hanks. 248 films were screened in 2014 and the festival saw a record attendance of 163,000. It ran from 8–19 October, opening with the European premiere of ''

The Imitation Game ''The Imitation Game'' is a 2014 American historical drama film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography '' Alan Turing: The Enigma'' by Andrew Hodges. The film's title quotes the name of the game c ...

'' and closing with the European premiere of '' Fury''. Simultaneous screenings of the opening and closing films took place around the UK. The Odeon West End, which accounted for 23% of admissions in 2014, closed 1 January 2015, so more screenings moved to the

as well as moving to the Cineworld Haymarket and Picturehouse Central. Festival attendances fell 4% for the 2015 edition, which ran from 7–18 October. The festival featured 14 world premieres and 40 European premieres, opening with '' Suffragette'' and closing with

's '' Steve Jobs''. The 60th edition of the festival held between 5–16 October 2016 saw the opening of the temporary Embankment Garden Cinema, in Victoria Embankment Gardens. The festival opened with the European premiere of

Amma Asante Amma Asante (born 13 September 1969) is a British filmmaker, screenwriter, former actress, and Chancellor at Norwich University of the Arts, who was born in London to parents from Ghana. Her love for the film industry started when she receive ...

's '' A United Kingdom'' and closed with the European premiere of

Ben Wheatley Benjamin Wheatley (born 7 May 1972) is an English filmmaker and screenwriter. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tel ...

's ''

Free Fire ''Free Fire'' is a 2016 British black comedy- action film directed by Ben Wheatley, from a screenplay by Wheatley and Amy Jump. It stars Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Babou Ceesay, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Ri ...

''. In the first 60 years of the festival, it had shown 27 films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 19 by Satyajit Ray and 18 by Jean-Luc Godard. The 2017 edition was held between 4–15 October. It opened with

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Go ...

' '' Breathe'' and closed with Martin McDonagh's '' Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri''.

BFI London Film Festival today

While the programme still retains the 'festivals' feel, it also now shows new discoveries from "important and exciting talents" in world cinema. Whilst it continues to be first and foremost a public festival, it is also attended by large numbers of film professionals and journalists from all over the world. Importantly, it offers opportunities for people to see films that may not otherwise get a UK screening along with films which will get a release in the near future. Some films are accompanied by Q&A sessions which give the audience unique access to the filmmaker and/or a member of the cast and offer insight into the making of the film and occasionally an opportunity for the audience to engage directly and ask questions. Other than these events the screenings at the Festival are quite informal and similar to the normal cinema experience. Stewart took a sabbatical for the 2018 edition of the festival and her deputy, Tricia Tuttle stood in as interim artistic director. She became artistic director in December 2018. Current film programmers include Kate Taylor (Senior Programmer), Michael Blyth and Laure Bonville. The 2018 festival was held from 10–21 October. It opened with the European premiere of Steve McQueen's '' Widows''. It saw the first film at the festival to premiere outside London with the UK premiere of Mike Leigh's '' Peterloo'' being held at HOME in Manchester on 17 October as well as the world premiere of Peter Jackson's '' They Shall Not Grow Old'', which was also screened simultaneously around the UK. It closed with the world premiere of ''

Stan & Ollie ''Stan & Ollie'' is a 2018 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jon S. Baird. The script, written by Jeff Pope, was inspired by ''Laurel and Hardy: The British Tours'' by A.J. Marriot which chronicled the later years of the comedy double ...

''. The 2019 edition ran from 2–13 October and opened with Armando Iannucci's ''

The Personal History of David Copperfield ''The Personal History of David Copperfield'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the 1850 novel ''David Copperfield'' by Charles Dickens. It stars Dev Patel as the title character, along with Aneurin ...

'' which was shown at the

Odeon Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

and at the Embankment Garden Cinema. It closed with Martin Scorsese's '' The Irishman''. The 2020 festival was held between 7–18 October, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the festival featured up to 50 online films with only 12 films being shown in London and around the United Kingdom. The festival opened with the European premiere of Steve McQueen's ''

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

'' and closed with '' Ammonite'', directed by Francis Lee. The 2021 festival was held from 6 to 17 October 2021, opening with the world premiere of Jeymes Samuel's '' The Harder They Fall'' at Royal Festival Hall. It closed with Joel Coen's ''

The Tragedy of Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those wh ...

'', his first film without brother Ethan also directing. The 2022 festival was held from 5 to 16 October 2022, opening with the world premiere of '' Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical'' at the Royal Festival Hall. It closed with '' Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery''.

Programmes

The Festival is organized in various sections: * Galas ** Opening Night Gala - Film that screened on the opening night. ** Closing Night Gala - Film that screened on the closing night. ** Headline Galas - About 10 films, includes American Express Gala, Mayor of London's Gala, BFI Patrons' Gala, American Airlines Gala and The May Fair Hotel Gala to name a few. ** Festival and Strand Gala - Red carpet galas of themed strands: Cult, Dare, Thrill, Debate, Love, Laugh, Family, Journey, Create, and Treasures. * Special Presentations - Focus on new works from major directors. This section includes Documentary, Experimenta, BFI Flare and other Special Presentations. * Strands - Films were organized according to themes to encourage discovery and to open up the Festival to new audiences. The themes include: ** Love - films that are sweet, passionate and tough, as well as charts the highs and lows of many kind of love from around the globe. ** Debate - features films that are amplify, scrutinize, argue, surprise and thrives on conversation. ** Laugh - celebrates humour in all its form, from laugh-out-loud comedy to dry and understated ** Dare - features in-your-face, up-front and arresting films that take audience out of their comfort zones ** Thrill - features nerve-shredders that get audience on the edge of their seats ** Cult - features films that are mind-altering and classifiable, as well as sci-fi and horror genre ** Journey - focused on the journey or the destination that transport and shift the perspectives of audience ** Create - features films that channel the electricity of creative process and celebrating artistic expression in all its form ** Experimenta - features films and videos by artists that revolutionize and reshape the vision of cinema ** Family - showcases films for the young and the young at heart ** Treasures - brings recently restored cinematic classics from archives around the world ** Expanded - showcases immersive art and extended reality (XR) content * In Competition - celebrate the highest creative achievements of British and international filmmakers. ** Official competition - films are competing for the Best Film Award. ** First Feature Competition - films are competing for the Sutherland Award. ** Documentary Competition - films are competing for the Grierson Award. ** Short Film Award - recognizes short from works with a unique cinematic view.

Surprise film

Derek Malcolm introduced a screening of an unannounced film during the festival each year. Surprise films have included ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...

'' (1985), ''

The Color of Money ''The Color of Money'' is a 1986 American sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film was created from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. Th ...

'' (1986), ''

Sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...

'' (2004), '' Capitalism: A Love Story'' (2009), ''

Silver Linings Playbook ''Silver Linings Playbook'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell. The film was based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel '' The Silver Linings Playbook''. It stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Law ...

'' (2012), '' The Grandmaster'' (2013), '' Birdman'' (2014), ''

Anomalisa ''Anomalisa'' is a 2015 American adult stop motion animated psychological comedy-drama film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, who co-directed with Duke Johnson. It was based on Kaufman's 2005 audio play of the same name under his alias F ...

'' (2015), '' Sully'' (2016), '' Lady Bird'' (2017), '' Green Book'' (2018) '' Uncut Gems'' (2019), and ''C’mon C’mon'' (2021), with the most recent being ''The Menu'' (2022). For the 50th anniversary of the festival, rather than one surprise film, there were 50 screenings of a surprise film around London.

Awards

The categories highlight both emerging and established talent. *The

– for the most original and innovative first feature in the London Film Festival. Named after the BFI's patron, The 5th Duke of Sutherland, this award boasts recipients as noteworthy as Ray, Bertolucci, Fassbinder, Godard and Antonioni. *The Grierson Award – for the best feature-length documentary in the festival. This award is given jointly by the LFF and the Grierson Trust which commemorates the pioneering Scottish documentary-maker John Grierson (1898–1972), famous for '' Drifters'' and ''

Night Mail ''Night Mail'' is a 1936 British documentary film directed and produced by Harry Watt and Basil Wright, and produced by the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit. The 24-minute film documents the nightly postal train operated by the London, ...

''. The Grierson Trust has a long-standing tradition of recognising outstanding films that demonstrate integrity, originality and technical excellence and social or cultural significance. From 2009, a new standalone awards ceremony was launched which included the following awards: *Best Film – celebrates creative, original, imaginative, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking. *Best British Newcomer Award – celebrates new and emerging British film talent and recognises the achievements of a new writer, producer or director who demonstrates real creative flair and imagination with their first feature. *BFI Fellowships – the Festival showcases both the work of new filmmakers and established ones, and presenting two Fellowships provides a fitting contrast to those Awards recognising new talent.

2004

;The

:'' Tarnation'', dir.

Jonathan Caouette Jonathan Caouette (born November 26, 1972) is an American film director, writer, editor and actor. Film career Caouette is the director and editor of '' Tarnation'' (2003), an autobiographical documentary, that premiered at the Sundance and Ca ...

;7th FIPRESCI International Critics Award :'' Aaltra'', dir. Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine ;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award :'' A Way of Life'', dir.

;9th Annual Satyajit Ray Award :'' The Woodsman'', dir.

Nicole Kassell Nicole Kassell (born 1972) is an American film director, film and television director who is noted for her work on films such as ''The Woodsman (2004 film), The Woodsman'' and on TV in series such as ''Vinyl (TV series), Vinyl'', ''The Leftovers ...

;TCM Classic Shorts Award :''Nits'', dir. Harry Wootliff

2005

;The

:''For the Living and the Dead'', dir. Kari Paljakka ;8th FIPRESCI International Critics Award :'' Man Push Cart'', dir.

Ramin Bahrani Ramin Bahrani ( fa, رامین بحرانی; born March 20, 1975) is an American director and screenwriter. Film critic Roger Ebert ranked Bahrani's ''Chop Shop'' (2007) as the sixth-best film of the 2000s, calling him "the new director of the ...

;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award :Producer Gayle Griffiths ;The 10th Annual Satyajit Ray Award :'' Pavee Lackeen'', dir. Perry Ogden ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Workingman's Death'', dir. Michael Glawogger ;TCM Classic Shorts Award :'' Jane Lloyd'', dir. HAPPY (Directing duo Guy Shelmerdine and Richard Farmer (director))

2006

;The

:'' Red Road'', dir. Andrea Arnold ;9th FIPRESCI International Critics Award :''

'', dir. Javier Rebollo ;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award :Producer Mark Herbert ;The 11th Annual Satyajit Ray Award :'' The Lives of Others'', dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Thin'', dir.

Lauren Greenfield Lauren Greenfield (born 1966) is an American artist, documentary photographer, and documentary filmmaker. She has published four photographic monographs, directed four documentary features, produced four traveling exhibitions, and published in ma ...

;TCM Classic Shorts Award :'' Silence Is Golden'', dir. Chris Shepherd

2007

;The

:''

Persepolis , native_name_lang = , alternate_name = , image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis. , map = , map_type ...

'', dir.

Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi (; fa, مرجان ساتراپی ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis'' a ...

and Vincent Paronnaud ;10th FIPRESCI International Critics Award :'' Unrelated'', dir. Joanna Hogg ;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award :

Sarah Gavron Sarah Gavron (born 20 April 1970) is a British film director. She has directed four short films, and three feature films.Garcia, Maria. "Demanding To Be Heard". ''Film Journal International''. 118. Her first film was ''This Little Life'' (2003) ...

, director of '' Brick Lane'' ;The 12th Annual Satyajit Ray Award :''

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 1 ...

'', awarded posthumously to director Cristian Nemescu ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :''

The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories ''The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories'' is a Bulgarian documentary feature film directed by Andrey Paounov and written by professor Lilia Topouzova. It was included in the 46th International Critics' Week of the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. P ...

'', dir. Andrey Paounov ;TCM Classic Shorts Award :''À bout de truffe'', dir. Tom Tagholm

2008

;The

:'' Tulpan'', dir. Sergey Dvortsevoy ;11th FIPRESCI International Critics Award :''Three Blind Mice'', dir.

Matthew Newton Matthew Joseph Newton (born January 22, 1977) is an Australian actor, writer, and director, and son of TV personalities Bert Newton, Bert and Patti Newton. His acting career was interrupted by treatment in a psychiatric unit for bipolar disor ...

;The 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award :'' Mid-August Lunch'', dir. Gianni Gregorio ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :''Victoire Terminus'', dir. Florent de la Tullaye and Renaud Barret ;TCM Classic Shorts Award :''Leaving'', dir. Richard Penfold and Sam Hearn

2009

In 2009, a new annual standalone awards ceremony was launched to showcase the work of imaginative and original filmmakers and to reward distinctive and intriguing work. The Awards took place at the Inner Temple on 28 October 2009 and were hosted by

Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born April 2, 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author in the United Kingdom. He has dual United States and British nationality, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Grea ...

. Winners of the Sutherland Trophy, Best British Newcomer and Best Film received the inaugural Star of London award designed by sculptor Almuth Tebbenhoff. ;Best Film :'' Un prophète'', dir. Jacques Audiard ;The

:''

Ajami ''Ajam'' ( ar, عجم, ʿajam) is an Arabic word meaning mute, which today refers to someone whose mother tongue is not Arabic. During the Arab conquest of Persia, the term became a racial pejorative. In many languages, including Persian, Tu ...

'', dir. Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani ;Best British Newcomer Award :

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', ...

, writer of ''The Scouting Book For Boys'' ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Defamation'', dir.

Yoav Shamir Yoav Shamir ( he, יואב שמיר), is an Israeli documentary filmmaker most noted for the films '' Checkpoint'' and ''Defamation''. Personal life Yoav Shamir was born in Tel Aviv in 1970. A ninth-generation Israeli from Tel Aviv, he is the so ...

;BFI Fellowships :Filmmaker – Souleymane Cissé :Actor –

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

Judges

*Best Film: Anjelica Huston, John Akomfrah, Jarvis Cocker, Mathieu Kassovitz, Charlotte Rampling,

Iain Softley Iain Declan Softley (born 28 October 1956) is an England, English film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films include Backbeat (film), ''Backbeat,'' ''Hackers (film), Hackers, The Wings of the Dove (1997 film), The Wings of the Dove'', ...

*The

Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras. His early film ' ...

David Parfitt David Parfitt (born 8 July 1958) is an English film producer, actor, and co-founder of Trademark Films. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards for ''Shakespeare in Love'' (1998). Early life Parfitt was born in Sunder ...

, Matt Bochenski,

Gillian Wearing Gillian Wearing CBE, RA (born 10 December 1963) is an English conceptual artist, one of the Young British Artists, and winner of the 1997 Turner Prize. In 2007 Wearing was elected as lifetime member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. He ...

, Molly Dineen, Mark Cosgrove,

Kerry Fox Kerry Lauren Fox (born 30 July 1966) is a New Zealand actress. She came to prominence playing author Janet Frame in the movie '' An Angel at My Table'' directed by Jane Campion, which gained her a Best Actress Award from the New Zealand Film and ...

, Sara Frain, Michael Hayden, Sandra Hebron *Best British Newcomer Award: Lenny Crooks,

Christine Langan Christine Langan (born January 1965) is an English film producer who was appointed Head of BBC Films in 2009. In 2016, she left the role to become CEO of comedy television production company Baby Cow Productions. After graduating from Cambridg ...

Tessa Ross Tessa Sarah Ross CBE (born 1961) is an English film producer and executive. She was appointed Head of Film at Channel 4 in 2000 and ran Film4 and Film4 Productions from 2002 to 2014. Ross was appointed to the Board of the Royal National Theatre ...

Tanya Seghatchian Tanya Seghatchian is a British-Armenian film producer. Education Seghatchian attended Cambridge University and was a member of the Footlights. She became joint vice-president in 1989 with Henry Naylor as president. Career Seghatchian previously ...

, Michael Hayden, Sandra Hebron *The Grierson Award: Nick Broomfield, Ellen Fleming, Christopher Hird, Michael Hayden, Sandra Hebron

2010

;Best Film :''

How I Ended This Summer ''How I Ended This Summer'' (russian: Как я провёл этим летом, translit. ''Kak ya provyol etim letom'') is a 2010 Russian drama film directed by Alexei Popogrebski. It was critically acclaimed and garnered several awards ...

'', dir.

Alexei Popogrebski Alexei Petrovich Popogrebski (russian: Алексе́й Петро́вич Попогре́бский; born 7 August 1972) is a Russian film director and screenwriter. His 2010 film '' How I Ended This Summer'' was nominated for the Golden Bear ...

;The

:'' The Arbor'', dir. Clio Barnard ;Best British Newcomer Award :Clio Barnard, director of ''The Arbor'' ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Armadillo'', dir. Janus Metz ;BFI Fellowship :Filmmaker –

2011

;Best Film :'' We Need to Talk About Kevin'', dir.

Lynne Ramsay Lynne Ramsay (born 5 December 1969) is a Scottish film director, writer, producer, and cinematographer best known for the feature films '' Ratcatcher'' (1999), ''Morvern Callar'' (2002), '' We Need to Talk About Kevin'' (2011), and '' You Were N ...

;The

:'' Las Acacias'', dir. Pablo Giorgelli ;Best British Newcomer Award: :Candese Reid, actress in ''Junkhearts'' ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life'', dir. Werner Herzog ;BFI Fellowships :Filmmaker – David Cronenberg :Actor –

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...

2012

2013

Pawel Pawlikowski, best known for his films ''

My Summer of Love ''My Summer of Love'' is a 2004 British drama film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and co-written by Pawlikowski and Michael Wynne. Based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Helen Cross, the film explores the romantic relationship between two ...

'' and '' Last Resort'', won the Best Film award for his black and white social drama '' Ida'', his first film shot in his native Poland. Pawlikowski, at the time, was a visiting tutor at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire and one of his pupils there,

Anthony Chen Anthony Chen (; born 18 April 1984) is a Singaporean film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is known for directing the feature films ''Ilo Ilo'' (2013) and '' Wet Season'' (2019). His debut feature film, ''Ilo Ilo,'' won the Camer ...

, picked up the Best First Feature prize for Ilo Ilo.

2014

Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...

'' was named the Best Film at the London Film Festival Awards on 18 October 2014, at a ceremony where the main prizes went to Russia, Ukraine (Best First Feature, The Tribe) and Syria (Best Documentary, Silvered Water), three countries at the centre of long-running conflicts. The winning film-makers all said they hoped that culture could help to restore peace to their countries.

2015

At a London Film Festival declared by its director Clare Stewart to be promoting strong women in the industry, both in front of and behind the camera, the theme continued into the awards, with the Best Film being named as the Greek comedy ''

Chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d'h ...

'', directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari. The winner of the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature, The Witch, was described by the jury as "a fresh, feminist take on a timeless tale." Another woman was honoured with the Grierson Award for the best documentary; the Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, who was shooting ''

Sherpa Sherpa may refer to: Ethnography * Sherpa people, an ethnic group in north eastern Nepal * Sherpa language Organizations and companies * Sherpa (association), a French network of jurists dedicated to promoting corporate social responsibility * ...

'' as a devastating avalanche struck the Himalayas, in April 2014. And the Oscar-winning Cate Blanchett described how she was "deeply honoured and dumbstruck" at being awarded a BFI Fellowship.

2016

Following the previous year's festival aimed to celebrate strong women in the film industry, 2016 was partly designed to better reflect the diverse audiences in society; the festival opened with a film directed by a black director and the BFI Fellowship was awarded to Steve McQueen. Most of the awards, once again, had strong female themes – either being directed by women, about women or both. Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women won the Official Competition, while Raw, by the French director

Julia Ducournau Julia Ducournau (; born 18 November 1983) is a French film director and screenwriter. She made her feature film debut in 2016 with ''Raw (film), Raw''. At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, she won the Palme d'Or for her film ''Titane'', which made he ...

, won the Sutherland Award for the Best First Feature. Noting that there are still too few opportunities for female directors, Ducournau said, "It's about time that things are starting to change. It's good that doors are now being opened." The Grierson Award for the best documentary went to Starless Dreams, filmed inside a rehabilitation centre for juvenile delinquent women in Iran. For the first time, the London Film Festival ran a competition for the best short film. This went to Issa Touma, Thomas Vroege and Floor van de Muelen for the documentary 9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo. Touma, a Syrian photographer who regularly returns to Aleppo, said it was important for intellectuals, academics and artists not to desert the country. "You can't change anything from far away," he said.

2017

Accepting the prestigious BFI Fellowship at the 2017 London Film Festival Awards, director

acknowledged that it had been a difficult week for the film industry, on the day that

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films includ ...

was expelled from the Academy that hands out the Oscars. He said the industry had to act and words weren't enough. The Best Film on the night went to Russia's '' Loveless'', making

Andrey Zvyagintsev Andrey Petrovich Zvyagintsev (russian: Андре́й Петро́вич Звя́гинцев, p=ˈzvʲæɡʲɪntsɨf; born 6 February 1964) is a Russian film director and screenwriter. His film '' The Return'' (2003) won him a Golden Lion at ...

the second director to have won the honour twice. South Africa's John Trengove won the Best First Film award for '' The Wound''. Lucy Cohen's '' Kingdom of Us'', about the aftermath of a suicide, was named the Best Documentary. And Patrick Bresnan's '' The Rabbit Hunt'' won the third Best Short Film prize.

2018

;Best Film :''

Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...

'', dir. Sudabeh Mortezai :(Special mention: '' Birds of Passage'', dir.

Cristina Gallego Cristina Gallego is a Colombian producer, writer and director. Career Gallego began her career in 2004 producing '' Wandering Shadows'', a film by her then husband Ciro Guerra. In 2009 while producing another Guerra film ''The Wind Journeys'' th ...

and

Ciro Guerra Ciro Guerra (born 6 February 1981) is a Colombian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2015 film ''Embrace of the Serpent'', the film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. Career He made hi ...

) ;The Sutherland Award :''

Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

'', dir.

Lukas Dhont Lukas Dhont (born 1991) () is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. He was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2019. Early life Dhont was born in Gent (in English Ghent), Belgium. His mother, Hilbe is a fashion teacher at an art ...

;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire?'', dir. Roberto Minervini ;Short Film Award :'' Lasting Marks'', dir. Charlie Lyne

2019

;Best Film :''

Monos Monos is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of the "Bocas Islands", which lie in the '' Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragons' Mouth'') between Trinidad and Venezuela. It is so named as the island was once home to noisy red h ...

'', dir. Alejandro Landes :(Special commendations: '' Honey Boy'', dir. Alma Har'el; '' Saint Maud'', dir.

Rose Glass Rose Glass is an English film director and screenwriter. She made her feature film debut with the 2019 psychological horror film '' Saint Maud'', which was nominated for two awards at the 74th British Academy Film Awards. In 2020, Glass was nam ...

) ;The Sutherland Award :'' Atlantics'', dir. Mati Diop :(Special commendation: '' House of Hummingbird'', dir.

Bora Kim Bora Kim (born 15 February 1992), better known as YellOwStaR, is a French professional ''League of Legends'' player and coach. He has played and coached for several teams throughout his career, including Fnatic, SK Gaming, PSG Esports, against ...

) ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' White Riot'', dir. Rubika Shah ;Short Film Award :''

Fault Line In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...

(Gosal)'', dir. Soheil Amirsharifi :(Special commendation: '' If You Knew'', dir. Stroma Cairns)

2020

;Best Film :'' Another Round'', dir.

Thomas Vinterberg Thomas Vinterberg (; born 19 May 1969) is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production. He is best known for the films ''The Celeb ...

;Best Documentary :'' The Painter and the Thief'', dir. Benjamin Ree ;Best Short Film :'' Shuttlecock'', dir. Tommy Gillard ;Best XR/Immersive Art :'' To Miss the Ending'', created by

David Callanan David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and Anna West ;IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award : Cathy Brady

2021

;Best Film :'' Hit the Road'', dir. Panah Panahi ;Best First Feature Film :'' Playground'', dir.

Laura Wandel Laura Wandel is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. She made her feature-length debut in 2021 with ''Playground'', a drama film following the life of a seven-year-old girl dealing with the children's and adult's worlds. ''Playground'' pre ...

;Best Documentary :'' Becoming Cousteau'', dir.

Liz Garbus Elizabeth Freya Garbus (born April 11, 1970) is an American documentary film director and producer. Notable documentaries Garbus has made are '' The Farm: Angola, USA,'' ''Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,'' ''Bobby Fischer Against the World,'' ''Love, Maril ...

;Best XR/Immersive Art :''Only Expansion'', created by Duncan Speakman ;Best Short Film Competition :''Love, Dad'', dir. Diana Cam Van Nguyen ;Audience Award :''

Costa Brava, Lebanon ''Costa Brava, Lebanon'' () is a 2021 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Mounia Akl from a screenplay by Akl and Clara Roquet. It stars Nadine Labaki, Saleh Bakri, Nadia Charbel, Ceana Restom, Geana Restom, Liliane Chacar Khoury ...

'', dir. Mounia Akl

References

External links

BFI London Film Festival HomepageA brief history of the BFI London Film FestivalEvery London Film Festival opening and closing night films
{{Authority control Film festivals in London Annual events in London London Film Festival Film festivals established in 1957 1957 establishments in England

History

1970–1983

Expansion

1987–1996

1997–2011

2012–2017

BFI London Film Festival today

Programmes

Surprise film

Awards

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Judges

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

See also

References

External links