Here is the rewritten article: Fifteen features will world premiere at the 68th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), including Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Here is the rewritten article:
Fifteen features will world premiere at the 68th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), including Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s documentary Endurance, and previously announced opening title Steve McQueen’s Blitz. The festival takes place from October 9-20.
The festival will feature world premieres such as Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson’s documentary Holloway, about one of the largest women’s prisons in Europe, and Steven Knight’s Victorian boxing series A Thousand Blows, starring Stephen Graham.
Other announced world premieres include Ben Taylor’s Cunard Gala Joy and main competition titles Darren Thornton’s Irish comedy film Four Mothers, Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas’ feature debut Thank You For Banking With Us, and Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s The Extraordinary Miss Flower.
The first feature competition includes three UK-produced features: Sasha Nathwani’s Berlinale premiere Last Swim; Laura Carreira’s Toronto title On Falling; and Cannes premieres Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, Ariane Labed’s September Says, and Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown.
Unannounced headline galas include a selection of Cannes, Toronto, and Venice premieres, including Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, Sean Baker’s Anora, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, Edward Berger’s Conclave, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, and Pablo Larraín’s Maria.
A total of 168 features are set to make up the programme, including two world premieres that are yet to be announced and the surprise film. This is roughly in line with recent editions, with 171 features playing in 2023, including 14 world premieres, and 164 in 2022.
Of the 253 works that make up the programme, including shorts, series, episodic, and immersive pieces, 112 works, or 44%, of the programme are from female and non-binary filmmakers. This is a small increase on last year, when 42% of the programme were from female or non-binary directors, and 2022, where the figure was 41%.
The festival will take place at London’s BFI Southbank and The Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, as well as cinemas and venues across central London, including Curzon Soho and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and nine partner cinemas across the UK.
LFF 2024 Lineup
- denotes world premiere
Headline Galas
- Blitz* (UK) – opening night
- Piece By Piece (US) – closing night
- Elton John: Never Too Late (US)
- Anora (US)
- The Apprentice (Can-Den-Ire)
- Bird (UK)
- Conclave (UK-US)
- Emilia Pérez (Fr)
- Hard Truths (UK-Sp)
- Joy* (UK)
- Maria (It-Ger-US)
- Nightbitch* (US)
- That Christmas (UK)
- The Room Next Door (Sp)
- We Live In Time (UK-Fr)
Special Presentations
- All We Imagine As Light (Fr-India-Neth-Lux)
- The Ballad Of Suzanne Césaire (US)
- Dahomey* (Fr-Senegal-Benin)
- Endurance (UK-US)
- Harvest (UK-Ger-Greece-Fr-US)
- I’m Still Here (Bra-Fr)
- A Nice Indian Boy (US-Can)
- Nickel Boys (US)
- The Piano Lesson (US)
- Queer (It-US)
- A Real Pain (US-Pol)
- The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Iran-Ger-Fr)
- Silent Sherlock (UK)
- The Wild Robot (US)
LFF Awards
Official Competition
- April (Fr-Geo-It)
- Bring Them Down (Ire-UK-Belg)
- The Extraordinary Miss Flower* (UK)
- Four Mothers* (Ire-UK)
- Living In Two Worlds (Japan)
- Memoir Of A Snail (Australia)
- On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (Zambia-UK-Ire)
- Thank You For Banking With Us* (Palestine-Ger)
- The Wolves Always Come At Night (Australia-Mong-Ger)
- Under The Volcano (Pol)
- Vermiglio (It-Fr-Belg)
First Feature Competition
- Crocodile Tears (Indonesia-Fr-Sing-Ger)
- Hanami (Switz-Port-Cape Verde)
- Happyend (Japan-US)
- Last Swim (UK)
- My Eternal Summer (Den)
- A Thousand Blows (UK)
- Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other (UK-Den-US)
Cult
- The Balconettes (Fr)
- Chain Reactions (US)
- Fréwaka (Ire)
- Sister Midnight (UK)
- The Surfer (Australia-Ire)
- The Wailing (Sp-Arg-Fr)
- The Weekend (Nigeria)
Journey
- After The Long Rains (Kenya-Switz)
- Baby (Bra)
- Eephus (US-Fr)
- Flow (Latvia-Fr-Belg)
- Good One (US)
- Layla (UK)
- Look Into My Eyes (US)
- My Everything (Fr)
- Sebastian (UK-Belg-Fin)
- Shambhala (Nepal-Fr-Nor-Turkey-HK-Tai-US-Qat)
- Sujo (Mex-Fr-US)
Create
- Abiding Nowhere (Tai-US)
- Ernest Cole: Lost & Found (Fr-US)
- Grand Theft Hamlet (UK)
- It’s Not Me (Fr)
- One To One: John & Yoko (UK)
- Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story (UK)
- The Stimming Pool (UK)
- Superboys Of Malegaon (India)
- Twiggy (UK)
- Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other (UK-Den-US)
- The Way We Talk* (HK)
Experimenta
- The Treasury Of Human Inheritance (Canada-UK)
- I Don’t Want To Be Just A Memory (Ger)
- Forms Of Circulation #1 (UK)
- The River That Never Ends (Phil)
- Notes: Remembered And Found (UK-Cyprus)
- Two Refusals (Would We Recognize Ourselves Unbroken?) (US)
- File No. 2304 (Can-US)
- At The Verge Of Wordlessness (Neth)
- Avant Seriana (Can-Algeria)
- Nido De Crocodilo (Col-Ger)
- Non/Living (Turkey-Fin)
- Two Stones (NZ)
- Hexham Heads (Belg)
- The Flesh Of Language (Ire)
- Hemel (UK)
Lff Expanded
- Impulse: Playing With Reality (UK)
- Arcade (UK)
- Last Minute (Fr)
- Superradiance. Embodying Earth (US)
- The Great Endeavour (US)
- Mammary Mountain (UK)
- Emperor (Fr)
- Stim Cinema (UK)
- A Highland Song (UK)
- Playing Kafka (Czech)
- Paper Trail (UK)
- Dome King Cabba (US)
Family
- Blink (Canada-US)
- The Colours Within (Japan)
- Savages (Switz-Fr-Belg)
- Watership Down (restoration)* (UK)
Treasures
- The Churning (India)
- Manji (Japan)
- María Candelaria (Mex)
- The Sealed Soil (Iran)
- The Talk Of The Town (US)
Conclusion
The 68th BFI London Film Festival promises to be an exciting and diverse celebration of cinema, with a range of world premieres, special presentations, and restored classics. The festival takes place from October 9-20 and will be held at various venues across London.
FAQs
Q: What is the LFF?
A: The LFF is an annual film festival held in London, showcasing a diverse range of films from around the world.
Q: When does the festival take place?
A: The festival takes place from October 9-20.
Q: Where can I watch the films?
A: The festival will be held at various venues across London, including BFI Southbank, The Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, and cinemas and venues across central London.
Q: How many films are included in the festival?
A: The festival includes a total of 168 features, including world premieres, special presentations, and restored classics.
Q: What is the focus of the festival?
A: The festival celebrates the diversity of world cinema, with a range of films from different countries and genres.
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