The full programme for the 68th BFI London Film Festival has been announced and it features major premieres, as well as a new programme of immersive experiences
The British Film Institute (BFI) is back with another edition of the London Film Festival – now in its 68th year – meaning film fans in the capital have a big couple of weeks coming up in October. Alongside headline premieres, organisers have also revealed plans to launch a line-up of immersive art and extended reality (XR) events as part of the new LFF Expanded programme.
One of the standout titles on this year’s schedule is a new documentary that retraces Elton John’s 50-year career. Elton John: Never Too Late, directed by R.J. Cutler (who has produced documentaries with Anna Wintour and Billie Eilish, among others) and David Furnish (Elton’s husband), will have its European debut at the festival on the 10th of October.
But before then, Academy Award and BAFTA-winner Steve McQueen’s Blitz will open the festival on the 9th of October. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson and Kathy Burke, the film takes place during World War II and follows 9-year-old George (played by Elliott Heffernan) as he tries to make his way back home after being evacuated to the English countryside.
Among the 255 films playing at this year’s festival, other highlights include Mike Leigh’s London-set Hard Truths, Maria starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh in We Live in Time, Asif Kapadia’s docudrama 2073, the Jessie Eisenberg-penned and directed A Real Pain, and Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language The Room Next Door.
At the festival’s Closing Night Gala, Academy Award-winning documentarian Morgan Neville’s new feature Piece by Piece will have its European premiere. The biopic follows the life of musical legend Pharrell Williams, but there’s a twist: it’s being retold through LEGO animation. Williams is joined by a star-studded, LEGO-animated cast (including Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani, Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg) as he looks back on his journey to becoming one of the world’s most successful artists and producers. If any of those films grab you, tickets to LFF go on sale on 17th September.
As well as catching a screening, movie buffs can get involved in a range of FREE activities too. This year, expect to see talks with the likes of Margie Cohn (President of DreamWorks Animation), the premiere of Alfonso Cuarón’s TV show Disclaimer (featuring Cate Blanchett), DJ nights and more.
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Key Information
Dates | Thurs 9th – Sun 20th October 2024
Address | Various locations
For more information | bfi.org.uk