The 63rd BFI London Film Festival revealed the ten films in contention for the Best Film Award in this year’s Official Competition selection. This year’s selection spans a range of genres; from gothic psychodrama and hallucinogenic thriller, to provocative period piece and taut social commentary.
Knives Out, written and directed by Rian Johnson, and starring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Colette, Katherine Langford and Christopher Plummer, will be this year’s American Express Gala of the 63rd BFI London Film Festival. This fresh and modern take on a classic ‘whodunnit’, which comes from Lionsgate and MRC, will receive its European Premiere on Tuesday, October 8 at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square.
The Irishman, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Academy Award winners Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, will be this year’s Closing Night Gala film of the 63rd BFI London Film Festival. The International Premiere of the film from the iconic filmmaker will take place on Sunday October 13 in London, with Martin Scorsese and cast expected to attend.
The Personal History of David Copperfield, directed by the multi-award-winning writer, filmmaker and broadcaster Armando Iannucci and starring BAFTA Award winner Dev Patel as David Copperfield will open the 63rd BFI London Film Festival. This fresh take on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, boasts a stellar British cast, led by Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse and Gwendoline Christie.
The BFI London Film Festival today confirmed the dates for the Festival’s 63rd edition which will take place from October 2nd to 13th, 2019, led by Festival Director Tricia Tuttle in her second year leading the team after serving as Artistic Director in 2018.
JOY directed by Sudabeh Mortezai[/caption]
Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, the award-winning film that that tackles the vicious cycle of sex trafficking in modern Europe is the winner of the Best Film Award at this year’s 62nd BFI London Film Festival. Other winners include Lukas Dhont’s feature debut, Girl won the First Feature Competition – Sutherland Award, and What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? by Roberto Minervini won for Best Documentary.
Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director said: “The 2018 LFF Awards nominations demonstrate the vibrancy of global filmmaking and I’m delighted for the winning filmmakers who have triumphed at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival. After much jury deliberation, our wonderful juries have selected four extraordinary films which encourage dialogue and understanding around issues of race, class, gender and sexuality. I applaud Sudabeh, Lukas, Roberto and Charlie for their boldly distinctive work and hope that our awards can help focus even more attention from UK and global audiences on their truly deserving films. For the first time, we’ve also placed audiences at the very heart of the awards celebration and I’m thrilled to be presenting the winners to packed houses of adventurous filmgoers.”
DESTROYER Starring Nicole Kidman[/caption]
Encompassing a mixture of oddball comedies, genre-bending kaleidoscopic dramas, entertaining crime capers, haunting ghost stories and nail-biting thrillers, the 62nd BFI London Film Festival revealed the ten contenders for the Official Competition, with 50% of the films from a female director or co-director.
The Festival will welcome as Jury President Academy Award-nominated director of ROOM (LFF Official Competition 2015), Lenny Abrahamson, whose long-awaited film adaptation of Sarah Waters’ horror novel THE LITTLE STRANGER will be released this September. For the first time, the winner of the Best Film will receive their Award in front of a public audience at a special screening on Saturday October 20th at Vue Leicester Square.
The 10 films in Official Competition are:
BIRDS OF PASSAGE sees co-directors Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra (Embrace of the Serpent, LFF 2015) return to the Festival with their latest offering – a sprawling, spiritual exploration of family conflict and tribal warfare, laced with heady symbolism and surrealist flashes. Set during the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that saw the origins of drug trafficking in Colombia bear witness to the thrilling rise and fall of the indigenous Wayuu clan in remote Colombia. A mystical meditation on colonialism, tribalism and modernism.
Nicole Kidman is astonishing, and almost unrecognizable, in Karyn Kusama’s (The Invitation, LFF 2015) brooding thriller DESTROYER. Kidman plays Erin, a jaded police detective haunted by her past and still reeling from the trauma of her experience years later, who is forced to confront her demons in order to close the case that almost destroyed her. The film also stars Sebastian Stan, Tatiana Maslany and Toby Kebbell.
Alice Rohrwacher (The Wonders, LFF 2014) returns to the Festival with HAPPY AS LAZZARO. A delightfully singular time and genre-bending rumination on the fate of innocence when faced with corruption and greed. Set in rural Italy, this is the tale of Lazzaro, a beautiful peasant so sweet natured he is often mistaken for simple-minded. A magnificent blend of Italian class struggle, folk tales, biblical allegory and pop culture reference, Rohrwacher deservedly shared the Best Screenplay award at Cannes for this kaleidoscopic work.
The World Premiere of HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLIN BURSTEAD. is Ben Wheatley’s triumphant return to the Festival after Free Fire (LFF 2016). A poignantly funny and razor-sharp observation of English family dysfunction. Colin has rented a stately country home for his extended family’s New Year celebrations. He’s the centre of attention until his estranged brother David unexpectedly arrives, throwing the family dynamic far off orbit. Starring Joe Cole, Charles Dance, Mark Monero, Hayley Squires, Asim Chaudhry, Doon Mackichan, Bill Paterson, Neil Maskell and Sam Riley.
Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy, LFF 2014) returns to the Festival with IN FABRIC, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Gwendoline Christie. A haunting ghost story, laced with lashings of oddball humour and set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period in a strange department store, it follows the life of a cursed dress as it passes from person to person, with devastating consequences.
JOY, directed by Sudabeh Mortezai (whose debut feature Macondo competed for the LFF’s Sutherland Award in 2014), presents a vital and hugely affecting drama that tackles the vicious cycle of sex trafficking in modern Europe. It follows the life of Joy, a young Nigerian woman, who works the streets to pay off debts to her exploiter Madame, while supporting her family in Nigeria and hoping for a better life for her young daughter in Vienna.
Iconic director Zhang Yimou presents SHADOW, set during China’s Three Kingdom’s era (AD 220-280). Blood spills in this visually stunning feature, as a great king and his people will be expelled from their homeland, with jaw-dropping combat scenes. Director Zhang presents mind-blowing visual design that revolutionises the colour palette, using water, calligraphy and graphic interpretations of yin and yang.
Academy Award© winner László Nemes follows up his critically acclaimed debut Son of Saul (Official Competition nominee LFF 2015) with his feverishly ambitious second feature, SUNSET. Set in 1913, nearing the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and on the eve of the First World War. Írisz Leiter is a hat maker who returns to Budapest years after her parents, respected milliners, sent her to be fostered under mysterious circumstances. A fugue-like meditation on the end of an empire; the brilliantly willful Írisz is our witness to the flickering innocence of a Europe about to be plunged into hell.
THE OLD MAN & THE GUN, directed by David Lowery, stars Robert Redford, in what will be his final big screen performance after recently announcing retirement. A brilliantly entertaining crime caper, based on the true story of Forrest Tucker, the self-styled ‘Houdini’ whose many audacious prison breaks included an Alcatraz flight in a homemade kayak, and whose last robbery was committed when he was 79. Offering bittersweet reflections on time and age, THE OLD MAN & THE GUN is a testament to a free-spirit who steadfastly refused to go quietly. The film also stars Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck
TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG is a woozily gorgeous evocation of life on the fringe of society. Set during the summer of 1990, after Pinochet’s fall, democracy has returned to Chile. Three youngsters drive up to a woodland commune below the Andes, where they idle the summer away while their parents debate the future. In their isolated community, Sofia, Lucas and Clara face their first loves and fears while building up for New Year’s Eve. Youthful desire, ennui and mischief have rarely felt so tangible. The film is directed by Dominga Sotomayor.
Award-winning director Matteo Garrone’s critically acclaimed DOGMAN, will receive its UK Premiere on European Art Cinema Day, October 14th, at 62nd BFI London Film Festival. Curzon Artificial Eye and BFI LFF will host simultaneous live previews taking place across approximately 40 cinemas UK-wide, including the BFI Film Audience Network (FAN).
Matteo Garrone, director of the Golden Globe-nominated Gomorrah (winner of the Cannes Jury Prize) presents the true story of one of Italy’s most notorious crimes. Dubbed an ‘urban Western’, DOGMAN takes place in an Italian suburb somewhere between metropolis and wild nature. Marcello (Marcello Fonte; Best Actor, 2018 Cannes Film Festival), a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello will submit to an unexpected act of vengeance.
The BFI London Film Festival premiere of DOGMAN, and UK wide previews, are taking place on European Art Cinema Day on 1October 14th, ahead of the theatrical and On Demand release on October 19th, 2018. Growing year-on-year, the third European Art Cinema Day is a global initiative, with events taking place all over the world, across more than 600 venues. It is organized by CICAE in partnership with Europa Cinemas.
The 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express takes place from Wednesday October 10 – Sunday October 21, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI2JE_xjAaY
They Shall Not Grow Old[/caption]
Peter Jackson’s First World War film They Shall Not Grow Old, will be given its World Premiere as the Documentary Special Presentation at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival on October 16th. The film will be simultaneously screened, in 2D and 3D to cinemas and special venues across the UK by Trafalgar Releasing and BFI LFF.
Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts program for the First World War centenary, and Imperial War Museums, They Shall Not Grow Old has been created exclusively with original footage from Imperial War Museums’ film archive and audio from BBC archives. Presenting his new work to mark the centenary of the First World War, the internationally renowned director Peter Jackson (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings) combined his personal fascination with the period and his Academy Award winning directorial skills to bring the First World War to life in a way never seen before. They Shall Not Grow Old uses the voices of the veterans combined with original archival footage to bring to life the reality of war on the front line for a whole new generation. Footage has been colorised, converted to 3D and transformed with modern production techniques to present never before seen detail.
Peter Jackson, Director of They Shall Not Grow Old comments: “I wanted to reach through the fog of time and pull these men into the modern world, so they can regain their humanity once more – rather than be seen only as Charlie Chaplin-type figures in the vintage archive film. By using our computing power to erase the technical limitations of 100 year cinema, we can see and hear the Great War as they experienced it.”
Mike Leigh’s Peterloo will premiere in UK at 62nd BFI London Film Festival, live from HOME in Manchester, on Wednesday October 17 – the first time the BFI London Film Festival has premiered a film outside of the capital.
Peterloo tells the story of the Peterloo massacre, which took place 199 years ago today, on August 16, 1819, and stars Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell, Philip Jackson, Vincent Franklin, Karl Johnson and Tim McInnerny.
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, Peterloo is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reform and protest against rising levels of poverty. Many protestors were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression. The Peterloo Massacre was a defining moment in British democracy.
Peterloo reunites Mike Leigh with his regular team of Oscar® and BAFTA winners and nominees, including Dick Pope (cinematography), Suzie Davies (production design), Jacqueline Durran (costumes), Christine Blundell (hair and make-up), Jon Gregory (editing) and Gary Yershon (music). Georgina Lowe produces for Thin Man Films, with Gail Egan serving as executive producer.
Mike Leigh, Director of Peterloo says: “It’s always an honor to be included in the glorious London Film Festival, but how inspired and generous of the Festival to screen Peterloo in Manchester, where it all happened! I’m truly delighted!”
eOne will release Peterloo in cinemas across the UK on November 2nd, 2018.
The 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express takes place from Wednesday October 10 to Sunday October 21 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj5h1kKjVYc
The Favourite, directed by Academy Award nominee Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, will receive its UK premiere as this year’s American Express Gala at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival on Thursday October 18.
It’s the early 18th century and England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving at court. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to both Sarah and the queen, and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become intense, so too does intrigue at the palace. Abigail is determined to fulfil her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.
The Favourite, a film by Academy Award nominated Yorgos Lanthimos, starring BAFTA and Golden Globe winner Olivia Colman, Academy Award winner Emma Stone and Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz. The Favourite also stars BAFTA nominee Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith, Primetime Emmy winner Mark Gatiss and Jenny Rainsford.
The Favourite will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on January 1, 2019. The 62nd BFI London Film Festival takes place from Wednesday October 10 to Sunday October 21, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ1cQqkdiqo
The world premiere of Stan & Ollie directed by Jon S. Baird and starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, as the legendary movie comedy duo, will be this year’s Closing Night gala film of the 62nd BFI London Film Festival on October 21 at the Cineworld, Leicester Square.
Stan & Ollie is the true story of Hollywood’s greatest comedy double act, Laurel and Hardy. Brought to the big screen for the first time and starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as the legendary movie icons, Stan & Ollie is the heart-warming story of their journey around the UK and Ireland in what would become the pair’s triumphant farewell tour. Despite the pressure of a hectic schedule, with the support of their wives Lucille (Shirley Henderson) and Ida (Nina Arianda) – a formidable double act in their own right – the pair’s love of performing, as well as love for each other, endures as they secure their place in the hearts of their adoring public.
BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director, Tricia Tuttle says: “We’re delighted to be closing the BFI London Film Festival with this beautiful tribute to cinema’s early comedy odd couple, Laurel & Hardy. A truly funny and touching story about a tender life-long friendship, Jon Baird’s film is also a must for movie fans, exploring the twilight years of two megawatt performers who had a meteoric rise to fame. These two prove that true comic timing is eternal, and it’s a perfect end to the Festival as the BFI looks ahead to our major UK-wide Comedy Genius season this autumn, as well as a month-long Laurel & Hardy season at BFI Southbank in January.”
Stan & Ollie director Jon S. Baird comments: “I’m really proud to be able to give the film its world premiere in London; a city that’s so dear to myself and I know was to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Stan & Ollie, at its heart, is a love story between old friends, who just happen to be two of the most iconic comedic characters in Hollywood’s history. I’m really excited to have the Closing Night film and to bring the movie to a Festival audience.”
Stan & Ollie will be released in the UK and Ireland by Entertainment One on January 11, 2019.
The 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® takes place from Wednesday October 10 -Sunday October 21, 2018.