From a whodunit set in Greece to Guillermo del Toro’s take on Pinocchio, here’s what to watch at Britain’s biggest cinematic celebration.
(Bloomberg) — The BFI London Film Festival is back next month, bringing some of the most-anticipated movies and awards-season anticipation to London and across the UK. It’s Britain’s biggest and most prestigious movie festival, with 11 days of screenings, events, red-carpet galas, and talks that kick off on Oct. 5.
Unlike Cannes, the festival is for everyone. You don’t need to be in the film industry or be a member of the press to catch a movie—just a fan down for seeing something new. And with 160 feature films set to play, there’s plenty of gems to choose from. BFI Chief Executive Officer Ben Roberts calls it a “formidable showcase of the diversity of screen culture.” Booking for the general public starts Sept. 13, and the biggest movies usually sell out.
From a whodunit on a Greek island to a romance set in the 1980s by the director of Skyfall, here is the Bloomberg Pursuits guide to the 12 must-see films at the London Film Festival:
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc is back, this time swapping knitwear-kitted-out Massachusetts for the Greek islands. Director Rian Johnson described casting the film as “throwing a dinner party,” and with players including Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Ethan Hawke, and Kathryn Hahn, it’s a dinner party I’d love to crash. This is the London Film Festival’s closing gala, and it’s sure to be one hot ticket.
“Empire of Light”Sam Mendes and legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins reunite for this film set in a cinema in an English seaside town in the 1980s, starring British national treasures Olivia Colman and Colin Firth, as well as Michael Ward and Toby Jones. It promises to be “a powerful and poignant story and the magic of cinema”—and what’s more meta than watching a movie about the movies?
“Pinocchio”Guillermo del Toro brings his own distinct spin to the classic fairytale about a puppet who comes to life and dreams of becoming a real boy. I love the director’s imagination and his previous takes on fairytales and horror. With Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket, del Toro’s animated version of the story is sure to be visually stunning.
“Corsage”Director Marie Kreutzer is back with a period drama, this time about the later years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, which won its lead Vicky Kreps the best actress award in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in a star-making turn. The Guardian calls the theme “royalty and the pedestal-prison of womanhood,” in the vein of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette.
“Saint Omer”This French film by writer-director Alice Diop follows Rama, a novelist who’s forced to confront her personal trauma as she observes the trial of a woman accused of murdering her child. The film is one of “ the most important debuts in some time,” according to the Toronto International Film Festival, and takes a look at the violence forced up on Black women in French society.
“The Estate”Director Dean Craig’s comedy starring Toni Collette and Anna Faris as sisters who are wooing a wealthy aunt (Kathleen Turner) to win an inheritance has its world premiere at the London Film Festival. The ensemble also features David Duchovny, Ron Livingston, and Rosemarie DeWitt.
“The Whale”Brendan Fraser is back on the big screen in this film directed by Darren Aronofsky about a middle-aged man trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink from Stranger Things). Aronofsky told Vanity Fair that this film was a journey 10 years in the making for him, having seen the namesake play in 2012.
“Causeway”Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry star in this psychological drama directed by Lila Neugebauer. The film tells the story of an American soldier struggling to adjust to civilian life after returning home to New Orleans. Although it’s much too early to say if Lawrence will land her second Oscar from her performance, you can say you saw her in the film long before almost everyone else if she does.
“Decision to Leave”Park Chan-wook won the best director award at Cannes this year for this thriller starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. The Hollywood Reporter called Park Chan-wook “a world-class artist at the top of his game” in its review. As a fan of Oldboy and The Handmaiden, I’m looking forward to having my senses (and sensibilities) shocked.
“She Said”Based on the book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, this film chronicles their work uncovering and exposing film producer Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse against women. Directed by Maria Schrader and starring Carey Mulligan as Twohey and Zoe Kazan as Kantor, it’s a story that shows the power of female solidarity and the importance of journalism.
“The Swimmers”Welsh-Egyptian director Sally El Hosaini returns to the London Film Festival 10 years after her debut movie, My Brother the Devil, won her the Best British Newcomer Award. This time, she’s taking a look at the true story of a Syrian teenager who wants to swim at the Olympics.
“The Inspection”Director Elegance Bratton’s film features Jeremy Pope, who’s targeted for his sexuality under the US armed forces’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy while training to be a Marine. Pope recently made a fantastic London stage debut as Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Young Vic’s The Collaboration, cementing him as one of today’s most promising young actors. I’m eager to watch whatever he does next.
The BFI London Film Festival takes place Oct. 5–16. Roll on, October! See you on the Southbank!
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