The Selfish Giant
The full program for the 57th BFI London Film Festival which runs from October 9-20, 2013, was revealed today. The Festival will screen a total of 234 fiction and documentary features, including 22 World Premieres, 16 International Premieres, 29 European Premieres and 20 Archive films. As previously announced, the Festival opens with the European Premiere of Paul Greengrass’ CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, a high-stakes thriller based on true story of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates with Tom Hanks playing the eponymous lead role; and the European Premiere of Disney’s SAVING MR. BANKS will close the festival, the film which tells the untold story of how Mary Poppins was brought to the big screen stars Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.
Among the other Galas are the previously announced American Express Gala of Stephen Frears’ PHILOMENA, the true story of one woman’s search for her lost son, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. The Accenture Gala is the European Premiere of Steve McQueen’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt. The American Airlines Gala is Alfonso Cuarón’s 3D sci-fi thriller GRAVITY starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The Centerpiece Gala supported by the Mayor of London is the Coen Brothers’ INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake which is set in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s, the film took home the Grand Prix at Cannes earlier in the year. The May Fair Hotel Gala is the European Premiere of Jason Reitman’s literary adaptation LABOR DAY starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. The Festival Gala is the European Premiere of Ralph Fiennes’ second directorial feature THE INVISIBLE WOMAN staring Fiennes as Charles Dickens, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas and Tom Hollander.
The nine program strands are each headlined with a gala, they are: the Love Gala, Abdellatif Kechiche’s BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR; the Debate Gala, Kelly Reichardt’s NIGHT MOVES; the Dare Gala, Alain Guiraudie’s STRANGER BY THE LAKE; the Laugh Gala, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s DON JON; the Thrill Gala, Ivan Sen’s MYSTERY ROAD; the Cult Gala, Jim Jarmusch’s ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE; the Journey Gala, Alexander Payne’s road-trip NEBRASKA; the Sonic Gala, Lukas Moodysson’s WE ARE THE BEST!; and the Family Gala is Juan José Campanella’s FOOSBALL 3D. In addition to which the previously announced Archive Gala is the World Premiere of the BFI National Archive restoration of THE EPIC OF EVEREST.
Official Competition
The sophomore OFFICIAL COMPETITION line-up, recognizing inspiring, inventive and distinctive filmmaking, includes the following:
First Feature Competition
Titles in consideration for the Sutherland Award in the FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION recognizing an original and imaginative directorial debut are:
Documentary Competition
The Grierson Award in the DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION category recognises documentaries with integrity, originality, and social or cultural significance. This year the Festival is screening:
Best British Newcomer
Closing the Awards section is the prize for BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER which highlights new British talent and is presented to an emerging writer, actor, producer or director. This year’s nominees are:
1. Conner Chapman – actor THE SELFISH GIANT
2. Shaun Thomas – actor THE SELFISH GIANT
3. Destiny Ekaragha – director GONE TOO FAR!
4. Rob Brown – director SIXTEEN
5. Jack Fishburn & Muireann Price – producers LOVE ME TILL MONDAY
6. Jonathan Asser – screenwriter STARRED UP