The 67th

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

is a film festival took place from 4–15 October 2023. The competition films were announced on 29 August 2023 while the films for the galas and the strands were revealed on 31 August 2023. The juries for the various sections of the festival were announced on 19 September 2023. The festival opened with ''

Saltburn Saltburn-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Saltburn, is a seaside town in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England, around south-east of Hartlepool and southeast of Redcar. It lies within the historic boundaries of the North Rid ...

'', directed by

Emerald Fennell Emerald Lilly Fennell (; born 1 October 1985) is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and nomination ...

, and closed with ''

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founde ...

'', directed by Kibwe Tavares and

Daniel Kaluuya Daniel Kaluuya (; born 24 February 1989) is a British actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nomin ...

Juries

Main Competition

Amat Escalante Amat Escalante (born 28 February 1979) is a Mexican film director, producer and screenwriter. He is most well known for directing the controversial Mexican crime thriller ''Heli'' for which he was awarded the best director prize award at the 201 ...

, Mexican film director, producer and screenwriter * Kate Taylor, programme director of the 2023 Edinburgh International Film Festival *

Niven Govinden Niven Govinden (born 1973) is an English novelist. He was born in East Sussex and then educated at Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University ...

, British novelist

First Feature Competition ( Sutherland Award)

Raine Allen-Miller Raine Allen-Miller (born September 1989) is a British film director and writer. Her first feature film, '' Rye Lane'', was released in 2023. Early life Born in Manchester, Allen-Miller spent her early childhood in Moss Side, a southern inner-cit ...

, British film director * Vanja Kaludjercic, festival director of

International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958) Discography Studio Albums Compilation Albums EPs Singles Soundtracks References External links * Adamson's art-house
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Barry 1958 births Living people People from ...

, British musician, composer, filmmaker and photographer

Documentary Competition

* Rubika Shah, British writer and director *

Jeanie Finlay Jeanie Finlay is a British artist and filmmaker from Stockton-on-Tees. Early life Finlay was born to an English mother and a Scottish father, who worked in life insurance. Her mother encouraged her artistic, creative side. Finlay was prescribe ...

, British documentary filmmaker * Paul Tonta, general manager theatrical acquisitions and film festivals at

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatri ...

Short Film Competition

Charlotte Regan Charlotte Regan is a British film director. She has directed many music videos, and her short films have been shown at major international film festivals. In 2023, her debut feature film ''Scrapper (2023 film), Scrapper'' won the Grand Jury Prize ...

, British writer and director * Francesca Tomlinson, BFI Film Academy Young Programmer * Rina Yang, cinematographer

Venues

The partner venues for the festival included:

London cinemas

BFI Southbank BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

* Curzon Soho * Curzon Mayfair *

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...

Vue West End Vue West End is a nine-screen cinema complex in Leicester Square, London, operated by Vue Cinemas. The multiplex was constructed in 1993 on the site of what was previously the Warner West End cinema. History The site was previously occupied b ...

Prince Charles Cinema The Prince Charles Cinema (PCC) is a repertory cinema located in Leicester Place, 50 yards north of Leicester Square in the West End of London. It shows a rotating programme of cult, arthouse, and classic films alongside recent Hollywood releas ...

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

Odeon Luxe Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

- Press and industry screenings * Picturehouse Central - Press and industry screenings

Expanded venues

* Bargehouse at

Oxo Tower Wharf The Oxo Tower is a building with a prominent tower on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The building has mixed use as Oxo Tower Wharf containing a set of design, arts and crafts shops on the ground and first floors with two galler ...

UK-wide cinemas

HOME A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Glasgow Film Theatre The Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) is an independent cinema in the city centre of Glasgow. GFT is a registered charity. It occupies a purpose-built cinema building, first opened in 1939, and now protected as a category B listed building. History a ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Broadway Cinema Broadway Cinema is an independent cinema in the city of Nottingham, England in the United Kingdom. It is located in the Hockley area. In 2009, it was rated as one of the best cinemas in the world by Total Film magazine. History The site now ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

Showroom Cinema The Showroom Cinema is an independent cinema, café bar and creative workspace contributing to the culture in Sheffield, England. In 2002, the cinema was voted the favourite independent cinema of '' Guardian'' readers. In November 2007, Showro ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Queen's Film Theatre The Queen's Film Theatre or QFT is an independent cinema at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland founded in 1968. When first opened, the Queen’s Film Theatre focused mainly on art house, indie and world cinema, playing an important role ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

* Chapter,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Tyneside Cinema The Tyneside Cinema is an independent cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the city's only full-time independent cultural cinema, specialising in the screening of independent and world cinema from across the globe. The last remaining Newsreel t ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

* Midlands Arts Centre (MAC),

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Official Selection

Galas

The following films were selected for the Galas section, which screens world, European, and British premieres of the most anticipated films.

Special Presentations

The following films were selected for the Special Presentations section.

In Competition

There were five competition sections, each with a different selection of films and different juries.

Official Competition

The following films competed for the Best Film Award.

First Feature Competition

The following films competed for the Sutherland Award, which is awarded to a directorial debut.

Documentary Competition

The following films competed for the Grierson Award, which is awarded to a feature-length documentary.

Short Film Competition

The following films competed for the Short Film Award.

Strands

Most of the out-of-competition films have been organised into strands, each based on a different mood or emotion.

Love

Debate

Laugh

Dare

Thrill

Cult

Journey

Create

Experimenta

Family

Treasures

Shorts

The short film programme was divided into the following nine sections.

Dialogues Between Past, Present and Future

Stories We Tell

What Makes Us

Right Here, Right Now

For the Haunted and Possessed

The Creeps

No Place Called Home

The Land is the Living Witness

Animated Shorts for Young Audiences

LFF for Free: Shorts

The following films were screened during the LFF for Free programme.

Big Little Lives

Star Imagine UK

London Calling: Brave Faces

London Calling: Being Seen

Network@LFF Shorts

For 2023 the Network@LFF short films were split into three programmes.

4Love

Surprise Film

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

'', dir.

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...

Awards

Competition

Source: * Best Film Award: ''

Evil Does Not Exist is a 2023 Japanese drama film written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Award from the Int ...

'', dir.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. An alumnus of the University of Tokyo and the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, he started getting attention in his home country with the graduate film ''Passion'' (2008). Hamaguch ...

* Sutherland Award (First Feature): '' Paradise Is Burning'', dir. Mika Gustafson * Grierson Award (Documentary): '' Bye Bye Tiberias'', dir. Lina Soualem * Short Film Award: ''The Archive: Queer Nigerians'', dir. Simisolaoluwa Akande

Audience Awards

Source: * Best Feature: '' Gassed Up'', dir.

George Amponsah George Amponsah (born 1968 in Roehampton) is a British director of documentary films. His 2015 feature-length documentary about the death of Mark Duggan, ''The Hard Stop'', won him a 2017 BAFTA nomination for the Award for Outstanding Debut by a B ...

* Best Documentary: ''The Taste of Mango'', dir. Chloe Abrahams * Best British Film or Work: ''Festival of Slaps'', dir. Abdou Cisse * Best Immersive/XR: ''Murals'', Lead artists. Alex Topaller, Daniel Shapiro and Artem Ivanenko

References

{{reflist

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

2023 in British cinema 2023 festivals in Europe 2023 in London October 2023 events in the United Kingdom