Strippers, Dogs and Donald Trump BFI unveil London Film Festival 2024 Line up

The BFI have unveiled the 2024 Line up for 68th BFI London Film Festival. 12 Days of delight for cinephiles with award winning strippers, Mothers who think there dogs and Donald Trump!

Just as summer says goodbye, Autumn heats up with the tease of what to expect from the UK’s premiere international film festival. A celebration of all things film with features / series to be shown for the first time in the UK. Including 39 World Premieres, 12 International Premieres and 21 European Premieres . Showcased in 67 different languages from 79 countries and in total 253 titles!

In 2023 the festival was all about new and establish filmmakers sharing a stage. In 2024 it will be same again, a diverse range including 112 works made by female and non-binary filmmakers – 44% of the programme. Asif Kapida, Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Luca Guadagnino, Marielle Heller, Hong Sang Soo, Justin Kurzel, Alfonso Cuarón, Sam Mendes. They are just a few of the festival alumni, joining them are also Ariane Labed, Ben Taylor, Carson Lund, some of the new faces to the festival.

The BFI London Film Festival will also welcome back some of their local heroes such as Steve McQueen. Back in July BFI announced McQueen‘s Blitz will open the festival with it’s World Premiere on 9th October. A World War II set drama starring Saoirse Ronan and Harris Dickinson about a young boy going missing during the Nazi bombing of London. The festival will close on 20th October with Morgan Neville‘s Pharrell Williams Biopic Documentary Piece By Piece. The whole film tells the story Williams life as animated Lego, a metaphor of the singer sees his life.

The festival will be once again split up into strands to help you discover what the fest has to offer. Those strands are Love, Debate, Laugh , Dare, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Create, Experimenta , Family, Shorts and Treasures.

Some of the highlights include Marielle Heller‘s Nightbitch starring Amy Adams who thinks she’s becoming a dog! Ben Taylor‘s Joy starring Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton and Bill Nighy. Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner Anora about a stripper who starts a relationship with a Russian Oligarch. Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice will get people talking may will Edward Berger‘s Vatican based thriller Conclave with Ralph Fiennes.

HEADLINE GALAS
Opening Night Gala – BLITZ (Director-Screenwriter Steve McQueen, UK)
Closing Night Gala – PIECE BY PIECE (Director Morgan Neville, USA)
American Express Gala – ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE (Directors R.J. Cutler, David Furnish, USA)
ANORA (Director-Screenwriter Sean Baker, USA)
THE APPRENTICE (Director Ali Abbasi, Canada-Denmark-Ireland)
BIRD (Director-Screenwriter Andrea Arnold, UK)
CONCLAVE (Director Edward Berger, UK-USA)
EMILIA PÉREZ (Director-Screenwriter Jacques Audiard, France)
BFI Patrons’ Gala – HARD TRUTHS (Director-Screenwriter Mike Leigh, UK-Spain)
Cunard Gala – JOY (Director Ben Taylor, UK)
MARIA (Director Pablo Larraín, Italy-Germany-USA)
NIGHTBITCH (Director-Screenwriter Marielle Heller, USA)
Family Gala – THAT CHRISTMAS (Director Simon Otto, UK)
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (Director-Screenwriter Pedro Almodóvar, Spain)
The Mayor of London’s Gala – WE LIVE IN TIME (Director John Crowley, UK-France)

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT (Director-Screenwriter Payal Kapadia, France-India-Netherlands-Luxembourg)
Experimenta Special Presentation – THE BALLAD OF SUZANNE CÉSAIRE (Director Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, USA)
Documentary Special Presentation – DAHOMEY (Director-Screenwriter Mati Diop, France-Senegal-Benin)
ENDURANCE (Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Natalie Hewit, UK-USA)
HARVEST (Director Athina Rachel Tsangari, UK-Germany-Greece-France-USA)
I’M STILL HERE (Director Walter Salles, Brazil-France 2024)
BFI Flare Special Presentation – A NICE INDIAN BOY (Director Roshan Sethi, USA-Canada)
NICKEL BOYS (Director RaMell Ross, USA)
THE PIANO LESSON (Director Malcolm Washington, USA)
QUEER (Director Luca Guadagnino, Italy-USA)
A REAL PAIN (Director-Screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg, USA-Poland)
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (Director-Screenwriter Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran-Germany-France)
Treasures Special Presentation – SILENT SHERLOCK (Directors Maurice Elvey, George Ridgwell, UK)
THE WILD ROBOT (Director-Screenwriter Chris Sanders, USA)

LFF AWARDS
OFFICIAL COMPETITION
APRIL (Director-Screenwriter Dea Kulumbegashvili, France-Italy-Georgia)
BRING THEM DOWN (Director-Screenwriter Christopher Andrews, Ireland-UK-Belgium)
THE EXTRAORDINARY MISS FLOWER (Directors Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard, UK)
FOUR MOTHERS (Director Darren Thornton, Ireland-UK)
LIVING IN TWO WORLDS (Director Mipo O, Japan)
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (Director-Screenwriter Adam Elliot, Australia)
ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL (Director-Screenwriter Rungano Nyoni, Zambia-UK-Ireland)
THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US (Director-Screenwriter Laila Abbas, Palestine-Germany)
UNDER THE VOLCANO (Director Damian Kocur, Poland)
VERMIGLIO (Director-Screenwriter Maura Delpero, Italy-France-Belgium)
THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT (Director Gabrielle Brady, Australia-Mongolia-Germany)

The Festival director, Kristy Matheson commented on the launch “ Cinematic ideas materialise in many forms, and this year artists have taken us to some giddy highs and poked at our tender underbellies. Troubled histories linger close to the surface alongside optimistic futures, all explored in unique and creative ways. As the seasons change and we head into the Autumn, we invite everyone to come to the BFI London Film Festival to discover and enjoy the whole spectrum of moving image.”

For full details of the 68th BFI London Film Festival line up head over to the BFI website.

Tickets go on sale 17th September. BFI Members book early from 10th September and American Express Cardmembers can access presale from 13th – 17th September.

The 68th BFI London Film Festival will take place between Wednesday 9th October and Sunday 20th October.