Jane Campions The Power Of The Dog To Get London Film Festival Premiere

The BFI London Film Festival has announced that award winning winning filmmaker Jane Campion’s new The film The Power Of The Dog will receive its UK Premiere on Monday 11th October at LFF Gala venue the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall.

The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch alongside Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Adapted for the screen by Campion and based on the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, developed with BBC Film, and will debut on Netflix later in the year following a theatrical release in UK cinemas.

The Power Of The Dog is the story of Phil Burbank, played by Cumberbatch, a charismatic rancher who inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother (played by Plemons) brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.

Jane Campion is one of the world’s great directorial talents. Her work in film has also paved the way for many women in the industry.  1994 as a pivotal year for the filmmaker, winning at 1994 Academy Awards®, for Best Original Screenplay and was the second woman to be nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Director for The Piano. Campion was also the first female filmmaker to receive a Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival for the same film .

Campion commented: “I am thrilled to share THE POWER OF THE DOG at the LFF. It will be an honour to be there along with so many of my British team members, large amongst them the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch who is the broken heart and dark soul of this story.”

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director said: “Jane Campion is one of the world’s great filmmakers. An artist with the ability to get under your skin, make you see things in people and situations you would otherwise miss. And that is so true of THE POWER OF THE DOG. It’s a sumptuous new work with many delicately revealed surprises, not least a deliciously dark performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. It’s such a pleasure to have Campion return to the LFF with our American Express Gala.”

The 65th BFI London Film Festival will take place from Wednesday 6th October until Sunday 17th October. The 2021 Programme Launch will take place on Tuesday 7th September, keep an eye posted for the those details.