The BFI London Film Festival is an annual

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

held in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, in collaboration with the

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

. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 feature films and 150 short films from more than 70 countries are screened at the festival each year.

History

At a dinner party in 1953, at the home of film critic Dilys Powell of ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'', attended by film administrator James Quinn, guests discussed the lack of a film festival in London. Quinn went on to start the first London Film Festival, which took place at the new National Film Theatre (now renamed BFI Southbank) from 16 to 26 October 1957. The first festival screened 15–20 films that were already successful at other festivals, including

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

's ''

Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese epic ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of English dramatist William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' (1606) fr ...

'' (which opened the festival),

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

's '' Aparajito'',

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the "P ...

's ''

Kanał ''Kanał'' (, ''Sewer'') is a 1957 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It was the first film made about the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, telling the story of a company of Home Army resistance fighters escaping the Nazi onslaught through the city's ...

'',

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...

's '' White Nights'',

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

's '' The Seventh Seal'',

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

's '' Nights of Cabiria'' and

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

's '' A Face in the Crowd''. The first edition was sponsored by ''The Sunday Times''. The second festival saw the introduction of the Sutherland Trophy, an annual award for "the maker of the most original and imaginative film introduced at the National Film Theatre during the year", which was awarded to

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese filmmaker. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in the 1930s. The most pr ...

for ''

Tokyo Story is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Yasujirō Ozu and starring Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama, about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their grown children. Upon release, it did not immediately gain international reco ...

''. The third festival featured

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French filmmaker, actor, and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. He came under the tutelage of film critic Andre Bazin as a ...

's '' The 400 Blows'', for which he famously turned up to the festival without a ticket and unable to speak English. Richard Roud became festival director in 1960, the first year that a British film was shown at the festival; the world premiere of Karel Reisz's '' Saturday Night and Sunday Morning''. The fourth edition contained films from 14 other countries shown at seven other festivals, including

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

's '' L'Avventura'' and

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

's '' The Young One'', plus five films not shown at other festivals, including Truffaut's '' Shoot the Pianist'' and '' Studs Lonigan''. The 1962 festival featured the first midnight matinee,

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director, producer and screenwriter, whose career spanned five decades. He was identified with the "angry young men" group of British directors and play ...

's '' The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner''.

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

's first feature-length film '' Knife in the Water'' and

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

's '' Vivre sa vie'' were also screened. A new strand of the festival called London Choices was added in 1965 which featured debut and lesser-known features. One of the first London Choices features was '' Dear John,'' directed by Lars-Magnus Lindgren. 1967 saw the first features films directed by women screened - Shirley Clarke's '' Portrait of Jason'', Agnès Varda's '' Les Créatures'' and Věra Chytilová's '' Daisies''. Jean-Luc Godard's first English language film, '' One Plus One'', was shown under the London Choices strand in 1968. After the screening, Godard punched producer Iain Quarrier in the face on stage for changes Quarrier made to the film's ending. The world premiere of Lindsay Anderson's '' If....'' closed the festival.

1970–1983

Ken Wlaschin became the festival director in February 1970 and expanded the size and diversity of the festival. His first festival featured 28 films, opening with Truffaut's '' L'Enfant sauvage'' and featuring Kurosawa's '' Dodes'ka-den'' and the world premiere of Anthony Friedman's '' Bartleby''. A recently opened second screen at the NFT was also used.

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

's short film '' The Grandmother'' was also shown in 1970. The 1971 festival was expanded to include a directors' section, featuring the premiere of

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin In ...

's feature film debut '' Bleak Moments''. Between 13 and 29 November 1972, 44 films were screened in two categories; one for established directors and one for younger directors. The 1974 festival opened 18 November and featured 60 films starting with the premiere of Peter Hall's '' Akenfield''. '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' was screened in a members-only screening due to it not being classified by the

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works (su ...

. Similar screenings were held for '' The Beast'' in 1975 and '' Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'' in 1977. Due to financial restrictions, the 1978 festival was shortened from 21 to 16 days and there was hardly any publicity. It opened with a spotlight on new Australian cinema, starting with Phillip Noyce's '' Newsfront'' and films by

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director, opera director, screenwriter, and producer. He began his career during the Australian New Wave, and has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally ...

and

Donald Crombie Donald Charles Crombie (5 July 1942 – 25 March 2025) was an Australian film and television director. He is known for the films ''Caddie (film), Caddie'' (1976), ''The Irishman (1978 film), The Irishman'' (1978), ''Cathy's Child'' (1979), '' ...

. The festival made a special concession to allow six of the films selected for the festival to also be screened at Time Out's 10th Anniversary Film Festival in September 1978 without changing the regulation stating that LFF films must be British premieres. The 25th festival opened on 4 November 1981 with a gala presentation of ''

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

'' attended by

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

, the BFI patron, and

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

. It was the largest ever to date, featuring 127 films. It also expanded outside of London for the first time with 12 programmes playing in eight cinemas around the country. It closed on 22 November with the British film '' Priest of Love'' directed by Christopher Miles. The 1982 festival opened 11 November 1982 with 4 independent British films - Claude Whatham's '' The Captain's Doll'',

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a British film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Mannerist painting in particular. Common traits in his films a ...

's '' The Draughtsman's Contract'', Barney Platts-Mills' ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

'' and Mai Zetterling's '' Scrubbers'' - and closed 28 November.

Expansion

In 1984, Wlaschin's role as program director for the National Film Theatre (NFT) and festival director was split, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' film critic

Derek Malcolm Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm (12 May 1932 – 15 July 2023) was an English film critic and historian. Early life Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm was born on 12 May 1932. He was the son of Douglas Malcolm (died 1967) and Dorothy Vera (died 196 ...

taking over as festival director, initially temporarily, and Sheila Whitaker as NFT program director. Malcolm expanded the festival to 7 theatres other than the NFT ( Dominion Theatre; Odeon Leicester Square;

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts European classical music, classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by ...

; the ICA Cinema; The Lumiere; The Premiere and London Film-Makers' Co-op); introduced Festival on the Square, which showed more popular films; added a surprise film each year; and increased attendances, trying to change it from a festival for film buffs to one for the public. The 1984 festival opened with '' Gremlins'' at the NFT on 14 November and closed on 2 December with a gala presentation at the Dominion of a new print of the 1924 version of '' The Thief of Baghdad'' starring

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...

with the score composed and conducted by Carl Davis. It was the most popular festival to date with 57,000 tickets sold, and Malcolm was retained to organize the festival the following year. The 1985 festival was expanded to feature 161 films and ran from 14 November to 1 December, opening with

's '' Ran'' and closing with

Michael Cimino Michael Antonio Cimino ( , ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. He achieved fame as the director of ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Picture and ...

's '' Year of the Dragon'' and Peter Greenaway's '' A Zed & Two Noughts''. The best films of the festival were to be shown around 15 towns around the country after the event. The films were grouped into regional categories. In 2009, these were: Galas and Special Screenings, Film on the Square, New British Cinema, French Revolutions, Cinema Europa, World Cinema, Experimenta, Treasures from the Archives, Short Cuts, and Animation. Since 1986, the festival has been "topped and tailed" by the opening and closing galas which have become major red carpet events in the London calendar. The opening and closing galas are often world, European, or UK premiere screenings, which take place in large venues in central London. They are attended by the cast and crew of the films and introduced by the festival director, the film's director or producers, and often the actors themselves. The 30th edition of the festival in 1986 opened with

Nicolas Roeg Nicolas Jack Roeg ( ; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing ''Performance (film), Performance'' (1970), ''Walkabout (film), Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973) ...

's '' Castaway'' on 13 November and closed with

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

's film '' Gothic'' on 30 November. The festival had a "post script" the next day on 1 December with a Royal charity performance of ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

'' attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

1987–1996

Sheila Whitaker, who had been the manager of the National Film Theatre, replaced Malcolm in 1987. The 1987 festival was the first to open at the Empire, Leicester Square on 11 November 1987. It was due to open with '' A Prayer for the Dying'', a film about an IRA member but was pulled 2 days before the opening following the IRA's

Remembrance Day bombing The Remembrance Day bombing (also known as the Enniskillen bombing or Poppy Day massacre) took place on 8 November 1987 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. A Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb exploded near County Ferm ...

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...

on 8 November. The film was replaced with '' Dark Eyes''. The closing gala was held on 29 November featuring

Stephen Frears Sir Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is a British director and producer of film and television, often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply-drawn characters. He has received numerous a ...

' '' Sammy and Rosie Get Laid''. During her period as director, Whitaker continued to expand the festival. By the end of her tenure as director in 1996, the festival had grown to include screenings of over 200 films from around the world, more venues had been added, and more tickets were sold to non-BFI members. She also began the festival's practice of including newly restored films from the National Film Archive and overseas institutions. The 1989 festival expanded the number of venues, with the festival showing films in South London for the first time with the addition of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and the Brixton Village Cultural Centre. The Screen on the Green in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

and the Rio Cinema, Dalston were also added as venues. It featured Max Ophüls '' La signora di tutti'' (1934) in tribute to former festival director Richard Roud who had died in February 1989. The junior section of the festival was separated out into a Junior London Film Festival which ran from 21 to 29 October over the half term holiday featuring ten feature films, starting with '' The Wolves of Willoughby Chase''. The 1990 festival featured 180 films compared to 145 in the previous year. It included a section Focus on Hong Kong which featured the world premiere of

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

's '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor''. The festival also featured the world premieres of

's '' Life Is Sweet'' and

Anthony Minghella Anthony Minghella (6 January 195418 March 2008) was a British film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He directed ''Truly, Madly, Deeply (film), ...

's '' Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (under the title ''Cello''). The 1991 festival was dedicated to

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

, who had died earlier in the year. The festival opened with the world premiere of Mike Newell's '' Enchanted April'' and closed with the European premiere of Mark Peploe's debut film '' Afraid of the Dark''. In 1993, the Children's London Film Festival was re-incorporated into the main festival. The opening night film was the European premiere of James Ivory's '' The Remains of the Day''. The 1994 festival opened with the world premiere of '' Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'' directed by

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

. The festival featured an expanded programme at the Odeon West End in Leicester Square, with the festival taking over the cinema for its duration. A 12-film sidebar was added for Arabian and Middle Eastern films, in addition to sidebars for French and Asian films. Due to classification issues, special permission was needed from

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings ...

to screen

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

's '' Natural Born Killers'' in 1994 and David Cronenberg's '' Crash'' in 1996. The 1996 festival featured Shane Meadows' debut film '' Small Time''.

1997–2011

Adrian Wooton was appointed festival director and Sandra Hebron as festival programmer in 1997. From 2000, the festival was sponsored by Regus and became known as the ''Regus London Film Festival''. The first festival under Regus opened with Cameron Crowe's '' Almost Famous'' on 1 November 2000 and closed on 16 November with '' Born Romantic''. The 2001 festival opened with the premiere of

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

's '' Gosford Park'' on 7 November and closed on 22 November with

Iain Softley Iain Declan Softley (born 30 November 1956) is an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films include Backbeat (film), ''Backbeat,'' ''Hackers (film), Hackers, The Wings of the Dove (1997 film), The Wings of the Dove'', ''K-PAX ...

's '' K-PAX''. The 2002 festival was held 6–21 November, attracting a then record 110,000 visitors, opening with

' ''Dirty Pretty Things'' and closing with Thaddeus O'Sullivan's '' The Heart of Me''. Hebron became artistic director of the festival in 2003, replacing Wooton. The same year, the festival's sponsor was changed to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' and became known as ''The Times BFI London Film Festival''. The festival was held between October 222 and November 6, opening with

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and ''The Power of the Dog (film), The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for ...

's '' In the Cut'' and closing with Christine Jeffs' '' Sylvia''. The 2004 festival opened with the UK premiere of

's ''

Vera Drake ''Vera Drake'' is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal ...

''. The fiftieth edition of the festival opened 18 October 2006 with the European premiere of Kevin McDonald's '' The Last King of Scotland''. It also featured the European premieres of Todd Field's '' Little Children'' and

's '' Breaking and Entering''. It closed on 2 November with '' Babel''. The world premiere of '' Frost/Nixon'' was the opening night gala of the 2008 festival. Previously a number of festival awards were presented at the Closing gala, but in 2009, with the aid of some funding from the

UK Film Council The UK Film Council (UKFC) was a non-departmental public body set up in 2000 to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, owned by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and ...

, a stand-alone awards ceremony was introduced. The

helped fund the festival for three years until it was abolished in 2011. In 2009 the festival, whilst focused around Leicester Square ( Vue West End, Odeon West End and Empire) and the BFI Southbank in central London, also screened films across 18 other venues – Curzon Mayfair Cinema, ICA Cinema on The Mall, The Ritzy in Brixton, Cine Lumière in South Kensington,

on the South Bank, David Lean Cinema in Croydon, the Genesis Cinema in Whitechapel, The Greenwich Picturehouse, the

Phoenix Cinema The Phoenix Cinema is an independent single-screen community cinema in East Finchley, London, England. It was built in 1910 and opened in 1912 as the East Finchley Picturedrome. It is one of the oldest continuously-running cinemas in the ...

in East Finchley, Rich Mix in Old Street, the Rio Cinema in Dalston, the Tricycle Cinema in Kilburn, the Waterman Art Centre in Brentford and Trafalgar Square for the open air screening of short films from the BFI National Archive. The 2009 Festival featured 15 world premieres including

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...

's first animated feature, '' Fantastic Mr. Fox'',

Sam Taylor-Wood Samantha Louise Taylor-Johnson ( Taylor-Wood; born 1967) is a British filmmaker. Her directorial feature film debut was 2009's '' Nowhere Boy'', a film based on the childhood experiences of the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock ...

's feature début ''

Nowhere Boy ''Nowhere Boy'' is a 2009 British biographical drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson in her directorial debut. Written by Matt Greenhalgh, it is based on Julia Baird's biography of her half-brother, the musician John Lennon. ''Nowhere ...

'', about the formative years of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

, as well as the Festival's first ever Archive Gala, the BFI's new restoration of Anthony Asquith's ''Underground'', with live music accompaniment by the Prima Vista Social Club. European premieres in 2009 included

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (; born 3 September 1953) is a French film director and screenwriter. His films combine fantasy, realism, and science fiction to create idealized realities or to give relevance to mundane situations. Jeunet debuted as a direc ...

's '' Micmacs'', Scott Hicks' '' The Boys Are Back'' and Robert Connolly's '' Balibo'', as well as Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni's ''The Well'' and Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson's ''Mugabe and the White African''. In 2009, directors travelling to London to introduce their latest work included

Michael Haneke Michael Haneke (; born 23 March 1942) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, Ge ...

(Cannes Palme d'Or winner, ''The White Ribbon''),

Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; ; born July 19, 1960) is an Armenian Canadians, Armenian-Canadian filmmaker. One of the most preeminent directors of the Toronto New Wave, he emerged during the 1980s and made his career breakthrough with ''Exotica (film), Exotica ...

(''Chloe''),

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...

(''The Informant!''), Lone Scherfig (''An Education''),

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...

(''Taking Woodstock''),

(''Bright Star''), Gaspar Noé (''Enter The Void''),

Lee Daniels Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He made his directorial film debut with ''Shadowboxer'' (2005), followed by ''Precious (film), Precious'' (2009) which earned him Academy Award nomin ...

(''Precious''), Grant Heslov (''The Men Who Stare at Goats''), and

Jason Reitman Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian–American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films ''Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), ''Juno (film), Juno'' (2007), ''Up in the Air (2009 film), Up in the Air'' (2009), ''Young ...

(''Up in the Air''). In addition to ''Fantastic Mr. Fox'' and ''Up in the Air'',

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...

supported his role in '' The Men Who Stare at Goats''. The Festival also welcomed back previous alumni such as John Hillcoat (''The Road''), Joe Swanberg (''Alexander The Last'') and Harmony Korine (''Trash Humpers''), whilst also screening films from

Manoel de Oliveira Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wor ...

(''Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl''),

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...

(''The Limits Of Control''), Claire Denis (''White Material''), Ho-Yuhang (''At The End Of Daybreak''), Todd Solondz (''Life During Wartime''), and Joel and Ethan Coen (''A Serious Man'').

American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...

became the festival's principal sponsor in 2010 and the name changed to the ''BFI London Film Festival''. The 2011 festival opened with

Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film ''City of God (2002 film), City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the Un ...

' ''

360 360 may refer to: * 360 (number) * 360 AD, a year * 360 BC, a year * 360 degrees, a turn Businesses and organizations * 360 Architecture, an American architectural design firm * Ngong Ping 360, a tourism project in Lantau Island, Hong Kong ...

'' and closed with '' The Deep Blue Sea'', both starring

Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...

2012–2017

Clare Stewart was appointed as head of exhibition at the BFI in August 2011 replacing Hebron and was the festival's director from the 2012 edition. Under Stewart, a formal competition was organised in 2012; films were organized into strands such as "Love", "Debate", "Dare" and "Thrill" and films started to be screened outside of London. The 2013 festival opened with '' Captain Phillips'' and closed with the world premiere of '' Saving Mr. Banks'', both starring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

. 248 films were screened in 2014 and the festival saw a record attendance of 163,000. Simultaneous screenings of the opening and closing films (''

The Imitation Game ''The Imitation Game'' is a 2014 American biographical film, biographical thriller film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore (writer), Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography ''Alan Turing: The Enigma'' by Andrew Hodges. The ...

'' and '' Fury'') took place around the UK. The Odeon West End, which accounted for 23% of admissions in 2014, closed 1 January 2015, so more screenings moved to the Vue West End as well as moving to the Cineworld Haymarket and Picturehouse Central. Festival attendances fell 4% for the 2015 edition. The festival featured 14 world premieres and 40 European premieres. The 60th edition of the festival saw the opening of the temporary Embankment Garden Cinema, in Victoria Embankment Gardens. In the first 60 years of the festival, it had shown 27 films by

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

, 19 by Satyajit Ray and 18 by Jean-Luc Godard.

BFI London Film Festival today

While the programme still retains the 'festivals' feel, it also now shows new discoveries from "important and exciting talents" in world cinema. Whilst it continues to be first and foremost a public festival, it is also attended by large numbers of film professionals and journalists from all over the world. Importantly, it offers opportunities for people to see films that may not otherwise get a UK screening along with films that will get a release in the near future. Some films are accompanied by Q&A sessions which give the audience unique access to the filmmaker and/or a member of the cast and offer insight into the making of the film and occasionally an opportunity for the audience to engage directly and ask questions. Other than these events, the screenings at the Festival are quite informal and similar to the normal cinema experience. Stewart took a sabbatical for the 2018 edition of the festival and her deputy, Tricia Tuttle stood in as interim artistic director. She became artistic director in December 2018. Current film programmers include Kate Taylor (Senior Programmer), Michael Blyth and Laure Bonville. The 2018 festival opened with the European premiere of Steve McQueen's ''

Widows A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

''. It saw the first film at the festival to premiere outside London with the UK premiere of

's '' Peterloo'' being held at

HOME A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

in Manchester on 17 October as well as the world premiere of

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

's '' They Shall Not Grow Old'', which was also screened simultaneously around the UK. It closed with the world premiere of '' Stan & Ollie''. The 2019 edition opened with

Armando Iannucci Armando Giovanni Iannucci (; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer and performer. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of Oxford. St ...

's '' The Personal History of David Copperfield'' which was shown at the Odeon Leicester Square and at the Embankment Garden Cinema. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

, the 2020 festival featured up to 50 online films with only 12 films being shown in London and around the United Kingdom. The festival opened with the European premiere of Steve McQueen's ''

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

'' and closed with ''

Ammonite Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...

'', directed by Francis Lee. The 2021 festival opened with the world premiere of Jeymes Samuel's '' The Harder They Fall'' at

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. 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 G ...

. The 2022 festival opened with the world premiere of '' Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical'' at the Royal Festival Hall. Tuttle stepped down as festival director after the festival and was replaced by Kristy Matheson. The 2023 festival opened with the European premiere of '' Saltburn''. It closed with the world premiere of '' The Kitchen''.

Programmes

The Festival is organized in various sections: * Galas ** Opening Night Gala - Film that screened on the opening night. ** Closing Night Gala - Film that screened on the closing night. ** Headline Galas - About 10 films, including American Express Gala, Mayor of London's Gala and BFI Patrons' Gala, to name a few. ** Festival and Strand Gala - Red carpet galas of themed strands: Cult, Dare, Thrill, Debate, Love, Laugh, Family, Journey, Create, and Treasures. * Special Presentations - Focus on new works from major directors. This section includes Documentary, Experimenta, BFI Flare and other Special Presentations. * Strands - Films were organized according to themes to encourage discovery and to open up the Festival to new audiences. The themes include: ** Love - films that are sweet, passionate and tough, as well as charts the highs and lows of many kind of love from around the globe. ** Debate - features films that are amplify, scrutinize, argue, surprise and thrives on conversation. ** Laugh - celebrates humour in all its form, from laugh-out-loud comedy to dry and understated ** Dare - features in-your-face, up-front and arresting films that take audience out of their comfort zones ** Thrill - features nerve-shredders that get audience on the edge of their seats ** Cult - features films that are mind-altering and classifiable, as well as sci-fi and horror genre ** Journey - focused on the journey or the destination that transport and shift the perspectives of audience ** Create - features films that channel the electricity of creative process and celebrating artistic expression in all its form ** Experimenta - features films and videos by artists that revolutionize and reshape the vision of cinema ** Family - showcases films for the young and the young at heart ** Treasures - brings recently restored cinematic classics from archives around the world ** Expanded - showcases immersive art and extended reality (XR) content * In Competition - celebrate the highest creative achievements of British and international filmmakers. ** Official competition - films are competing for the Best Film Award. ** First Feature Competition - films are competing for the Sutherland Award. ** Documentary Competition - films are competing for the Grierson Award. ** Audience Awards ** Short Film Award - recognizes short from works with a unique cinematic view.

Surprise film

Derek Malcolm introduced a screening of an unannounced film during the festival each year known as the Surprise Film. For the 50th anniversary of the festival, rather than one surprise film, there were 50 screenings of a surprise film around London.

List of festivals

List of festival directors

Awards

The categories highlight both emerging and established talent. *The Sutherland Trophy – for the most original and innovative first feature in the London Film Festival. Named after the BFI's patron, The 5th Duke of Sutherland, this award boasts recipients as noteworthy as Ray, Bertolucci, Fassbinder, Godard and Antonioni. *The Grierson Award – for the best feature-length documentary in the festival. This award is given jointly by the LFF and the Grierson Trust which commemorates the pioneering Scottish documentary-maker

John Grierson John Grierson (26 April 1898 – 19 February 1972) was a Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. In 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in a review of Robert J. Flaherty's '' ...

(1898–1972), famous for '' Drifters'' and '' Night Mail''. The Grierson Trust has a long-standing tradition of recognising outstanding films that demonstrate integrity, originality and technical excellence and social or cultural significance. From 2009, a new standalone awards ceremony was launched which included the following awards: *Best Film – celebrates creative, original, imaginative, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking. *Best British Newcomer Award – celebrates new and emerging British film talent and recognises the achievements of a new writer, producer or director who demonstrates real creative flair and imagination with their first feature. *BFI Fellowships – the Festival showcases both the work of new filmmakers and established ones, and presenting two Fellowships provides a fitting contrast to those Awards recognising new talent.

2004

;The Sutherland Trophy :'' Tarnation'', dir. Jonathan Caouette ;7th

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the wor ...

International Critics Award :'' Aaltra'', dir. Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine ;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award :'' A Way of Life'', dir. Amma Asante ;9th Annual

Award :'' The Woodsman'', dir.

Nicole Kassell Nicole Kassell (born 1972) is an American filmmaker. She made her film debut with the drama film ''The Woodsman (film), The Woodsman'' (2004), for which she was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Kassell has al ...

;TCM Classic Shorts Award :''Nits'', dir. Harry Wootliff

2005

;The Sutherland Trophy :''For the Living and the Dead'', dir. Kari Paljakka ;8th

International Critics Award :'' Man Push Cart'', dir. Ramin Bahrani ;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award :Producer Gayle Griffiths ;The 10th Annual

Award :'' Pavee Lackeen'', dir. Perry Ogden ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Workingman's Death'', dir. Michael Glawogger ;TCM Classic Shorts Award :'' Jane Lloyd'', dir. HAPPY (Directing duo Guy Shelmerdine and Richard Farmer (director))

2006

;The Sutherland Trophy :'' Red Road'', dir. Andrea Arnold ;9th

International Critics Award :'' Lola'', dir. Javier Rebollo ;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award :Producer Mark Herbert ;The 11th Annual

Award :''

The Lives of Others ''The Lives of Others'' (, ) is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film directorial debut. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berlin residents by agents of the Stasi, Ea ...

'', dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Thin'', dir. Lauren Greenfield ;TCM Classic Shorts Award :'' Silence Is Golden'', dir. Chris Shepherd

2007

;The Sutherland Trophy :''

Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...

'', dir.

Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi (; ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis (comics), Persepolis'' and Persepo ...

and Vincent Paronnaud ;10th

International Critics Award :'' Unrelated'', dir. Joanna Hogg ;The Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award : Sarah Gavron, director of ''

Brick Lane Brick Lane () is a street in the East End of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, borough of Tower Hamlets. It runs from Swanfield Street in Bethnal Green in the north, crosses the Bethnal Green Road before reaching the busiest, mo ...

'' ;The 12th Annual

Award :'' California Dreamin''', awarded posthumously to director Cristian Nemescu ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories'', dir. Andrey Paounov ;TCM Classic Shorts Award :''À bout de truffe'', dir. Tom Tagholm

2008

;The Sutherland Trophy :'' Tulpan'', dir. Sergey Dvortsevoy ;11th

International Critics Award :''Three Blind Mice'', dir. Matthew Newton ;The 13th Annual

Award :'' Mid-August Lunch'', dir. Gianni Gregorio ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :''Victoire Terminus'', dir. Florent de la Tullaye and Renaud Barret ;TCM Classic Shorts Award :''Leaving'', dir. Richard Penfold and Sam Hearn

2009

In 2009, a new annual standalone awards ceremony was launched to showcase the work of imaginative and original filmmakers and to reward distinctive and intriguing work. The Awards took place at the Inner Temple on 28 October 2009 and were hosted by Paul Gambaccini. Winners of the Sutherland Trophy, Best British Newcomer and Best Film received the inaugural Star of London award designed by sculptor Almuth Tebbenhoff. ;Best Film :'' Un prophète'', dir.

Jacques Audiard Jacques Audiard (; born 30 April 1952) is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. One of the most awarded French filmmakers in history, his international accolades include an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, and three ...

;The Sutherland Trophy :'' Ajami'', dir. Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani ;Best British Newcomer Award :

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. A massive fan of hard science fiction, he is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the fil ...

, writer of ''The Scouting Book For Boys'' ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :''

Defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

'', dir. Yoav Shamir ;BFI Fellowships :Filmmaker – Souleymane Cissé :Actor –

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

Judges

*Best Film: Anjelica Huston, John Akomfrah,

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp (band), Pulp, he became a reluctant figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Cocker h ...

, Mathieu Kassovitz, Charlotte Rampling,

*The Sutherland Trophy: Paul Greengrass, David Parfitt, Matt Bochenski, Gillian Wearing, Molly Dineen, Mark Cosgrove, Kerry Fox, Sara Frain, Michael Hayden, Sandra Hebron *Best British Newcomer Award: Lenny Crooks,

Christine Langan Christine Langan (born January 1965) is an English film producer who was appointed Head of BBC Films in 2009. In 2016, she left the role to become CEO of comedy television production company Baby Cow Productions. After graduating from Cambri ...

, Tessa Ross, Tanya Seghatchian, Michael Hayden, Sandra Hebron *The Grierson Award: Nick Broomfield, Ellen Fleming, Christopher Hird, Michael Hayden, Sandra Hebron

2010

;Best Film :'' How I Ended This Summer'', dir. Alexei Popogrebski ;The Sutherland Trophy :'' The Arbor'', dir. Clio Barnard ;Best British Newcomer Award :Clio Barnard, director of ''The Arbor'' ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :''

Armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

'', dir. Janus Metz ;BFI Fellowship :Filmmaker –

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

2011

;Best Film :'' We Need to Talk About Kevin'', dir. Lynne Ramsay ;The Sutherland Trophy :'' Las Acacias'', dir. Pablo Giorgelli ;Best British Newcomer Award: :Candese Reid, actress in ''Junkhearts'' ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life'', dir.

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusu ...

;BFI Fellowships :Filmmaker – David Cronenberg :Actor –

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ralph Fiennes, various accolades, including a British Academy Film ...

2012

2013

Pawel Pawlikowski, best known for his films '' My Summer of Love'' and '' Last Resort'', won the Best Film award for his black and white social drama '' Ida'', his first film shot in his native Poland. Pawlikowski, at the time, was a visiting tutor at the National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire and one of his pupils there, Anthony Chen, picked up the Best First Feature prize for '' Ilo Ilo''.

2014

Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...

'' was named the Best Film at the London Film Festival Awards on 18 October 2014, at a ceremony where the main prizes went to Russia, Ukraine (Best First Feature, '' The Tribe'') and Syria (Best Documentary, '' Silvered Water''), three countries at the centre of long-running conflicts. The winning film-makers all said they hoped that culture could help to restore peace to their countries.

2015

At a London Film Festival declared by its director Clare Stewart to be promoting strong women in the industry, both in front of and behind the camera, the theme continued into the awards, with the Best Film being named as the Greek comedy '' Chevalier'', directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari. The winner of the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature, '' The Witch'', was described by the jury as "a fresh, feminist take on a timeless tale." Another woman was honoured with the Grierson Award for the best documentary; the Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, who was shooting '' Sherpa'' as a devastating avalanche struck the Himalayas, in April 2014. And the Oscar-winning

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

described how she was "deeply honoured and dumbstruck" at being awarded a BFI Fellowship.

2016

Following the previous year's festival aimed to celebrate strong women in the film industry, 2016 was partly designed to better reflect the diverse audiences in society; the festival opened with a film directed by a black director and the BFI Fellowship was awarded to Steve McQueen. Most of the awards, once again, had strong female themes – either being directed by women, about women or both.

Kelly Reichardt Kelly Reichardt (; born March 3, 1964) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for her minimalism, minimalist films closely associated with slow cinema, many of which deal with working class, working-class characters in small ...

's '' Certain Women'' won the Official Competition, while '' Raw'', by the French director

Julia Ducournau Julia Ducournau (; born 18 November 1983) is a French film director and screenwriter. She made her feature film debut in 2016 with '' Raw''. At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, she won the Palme d'Or for her film '' Titane'', which made her the sec ...

, won the Sutherland Award for the Best First Feature. Noting that there are still too few opportunities for female directors, Ducournau said, "It's about time that things are starting to change. It's good that doors are now being opened." The Grierson Award for the best documentary went to '' Starless Dreams'', filmed inside a rehabilitation centre for juvenile delinquent women in Iran. For the first time, the London Film Festival ran a competition for the best short film. This went to Issa Touma, Thomas Vroege and Floor Van Der Meulen for the documentary ''9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo''. Touma, a Syrian photographer who regularly returns to Aleppo, said it was important for intellectuals, academics and artists not to desert the country. "You can't change anything from far away," he said.

2017

Accepting the prestigious BFI Fellowship at the 2017 London Film Festival Awards, director Paul Greengrass acknowledged that it had been a difficult week for the film industry, on the day that

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...

was expelled from the Academy that hands out the Oscars. He said the industry had to act and words weren't enough. The Best Film on the night went to Russia's ''

Loveless Loveless may refer to: Comics and literature * Loveless (comics), ''Loveless'' (comics), a comic book series by Brian Azzarello, Marcelo Frusin, Danijel Zezelj, and Werther Dell'Edera * Loveless (manga), ''Loveless'' (manga), a manga series by Y ...

'', making Andrey Zvyagintsev the second director to have won the honour twice. South Africa's John Trengove won the Best First Film award for '' The Wound''. Lucy Cohen's '' Kingdom of Us'', about the aftermath of a suicide, was named the Best Documentary. And Patrick Bresnan's '' The Rabbit Hunt'' won the third Best Short Film prize.

2018

;Best Film :'' Joy'', dir. Sudabeh Mortezai :(Special mention: '' Birds of Passage'', dir. Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra) ;The Sutherland Award :''

Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. '' daughter'' or '' girlfriend'' regardless of age ...

'', dir. Lukas Dhont ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire?'', dir. Roberto Minervini ;Short Film Award :'' Lasting Marks'', dir. Charlie Lyne

2019

;Best Film :''

Monos Monos is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of the "Bocas Islands", which lie in the '' Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragons' Mouth'') between Trinidad and Venezuela. It is so named as the island was once home to noisy red h ...

'', dir.

Alejandro Landes Alejandro Landes Echavarría (born in 1980, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Colombian people, Colombian-Ecuadorian people, Ecuadorian film director, producer, screenwriter, and journalist. He is mainly known for directing Spanish-language films such as ...

:(Special commendations: '' Honey Boy'', dir.

Alma Har'el Alma Har'el (; born July 2, 1975) is an Israeli-American music video and film director. She is best known for her 2019 feature film debut '' Honey Boy'', for which she won a Directors Guild of America Award. Her 2011 documentary '' Bombay Beach ...

; '' Saint Maud'', dir. Rose Glass) ;The Sutherland Award :'' Atlantics'', dir. Mati Diop :(Special commendation: '' House of Hummingbird'', dir. Bora Kim) ;The Grierson Award for Best Documentary :'' White Riot'', dir. Rubika Shah ;Short Film Award :'' Fault Line (Gosal)'', dir. Soheil Amirsharifi :(Special commendation: '' If You Knew'', dir. Stroma Cairns)

2020

;Best Film :'' Another Round'', dir. Thomas Vinterberg ;Best Documentary :'' The Painter and the Thief'', dir. Benjamin Ree ;Best Short Film :''

Shuttlecock A shuttlecock (also called a birdie or shuttle, or ball) is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape formed by feathers or plastic (or a synthetic alternative) embedded into a rounded cork (or ru ...

'', dir. Tommy Gillard ;Best XR/Immersive Art :'' To Miss the Ending'', created by David Callanan and Anna West ;IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award : Cathy Brady

2021

;Best Film :'' Hit the Road'', dir. Panah Panahi ;Best First Feature Film :''

Playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

'', dir. Laura Wandel ;Best Documentary :'' Becoming Cousteau'', dir. Liz Garbus ;Best XR/Immersive Art :''Only Expansion'', created by Duncan Speakman ;Best Short Film Competition :'' Love, Dad'', dir. Diana Cam Van Nguyen ;Audience Award :'' Costa Brava, Lebanon'', dir. Mounia Akl

2022

Sources: ;Best Film :'' Corsage'', dir. Marie Kreutzer ;Best First Feature Film (Sutherland Award) :''

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

'', dir. Manuela Martelli ;Best Documentary (Grierson Award) :'' All That Breathes'', dir. Shaunak Sen ;Best XR/Immersive Art :''As Mine Exactly'', created by Charlie Shackleton ; :''I Have No Legs, and I Must Run'', dir. Yue Li ;Audience Award – Feature :''Blue Bag Life'', dir. Lisa Selby, Rebecca Hirsch Lloyd-Evans, Alex Fry ;Audience Award – Short :''Drop Out'' - Ade Femzo

2023

Sources: ;Best Film :'' Evil Does Not Exist'', dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi ;Best First Feature Film (Sutherland Award) : Paradise Is Burning, dir. Mika Gustafson ;Best Documentary (Grierson Award) :'' Bye Bye Tiberias'', dir. Lina Soualem ;Best Short Film Competition :''The Archive: Queer Nigerians'', dir. Simisolaoluwa Akande

2024

Sources: ;Best Film : '' Memoir of a Snail'', dir. Adam Elliot ;Best First Feature Film (Sutherland Award) : '' On Falling'', dir. Laura Carreira ;Best Documentary (Grierson Award) : Mother Vera, dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson ;Best Short Film Competition : '' Vibrations from Gaza'', dir. Rehab Nazzal

References

External links

Official website

Old siteA brief history of the BFI London Film FestivalEvery London Film Festival opening and closing night filmList of first to 52nd festival dates and lists of films at each festival
{{Authority control Film festivals in London Annual events in London

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

Film festivals established in 1957 1957 establishments in England

History

1970–1983

Expansion

1987–1996

1997–2011

2012–2017

BFI London Film Festival today

Programmes

Surprise film

List of festivals

List of festival directors

Awards

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Judges

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

See also

References

External links