The 70th BFI London Film Festival opens Wednesday with more than 250 films from around the world, and artistic director Kristy Matheson says the lineup was built without a master plan — even as she admits she and her team spend plenty of time engineering the program.
“We really try to stay as open as we can,” Matheson told THR. “We look at each work as its own unique work of art.”
Opening With Elsinore
Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman, opens the festival on Oct. 7. Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut closes it on Oct. 18.
Ray Gunn, directed by Brad Bird, and Wildwood, directed by Travis Knight, both debut at the festival. Matheson says animation remains a priority despite last year’s lighter haul.
“As a team, we really do love animation,” she said. “Audiences will be treated to such a tremendous depth of animated films this year.”
The Competition Lineup
The official competition includes 10 films from directors including Hirokazu Kore-eda, Sergei Loznitsa, Lili Horvát and May el-Toukhy. Carol Morley’s new feature is the world premiere in the program.
Matheson says the competition is meant to offer a snapshot of where cinema stands. She points to The Idiot(s) by Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert as a film that skewers the idea of the male genius through humor.
She also highlights Act 3 by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, which examines a creative life and the politics of making art. The Golden Lion winner Woman Unknown, by May el-Toukhy, is in the lineup.
Kore-eda’s Look Back is also in the competition. Benjamín Naishtat’s Glaxo is part of the lineup, alongside Sergei Loznitsa’s Imperium.
Politics Nested Under the Surface
Matheson says a theme emerged as the program took shape: community, compassion and care.
“That’s very much present in both our opening and closing night selections, but also across the whole program,” she said.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden touches on organizing. Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters is a wild, inventive ride with radical politics beneath its surface.
“It’s got these really radical politics nested into this wild fun,” Matheson said.
A Festival Built on Patterns
Matheson admits the program is engineered, but she insists themes emerge organically.
“But over time, as the program is starting to take shape, themes do emerge and patterns start to emerge, but we really try not to preempt what we want the festival to be,” she said.
The 70th edition runs Oct. 7–18.
Key Facts Box
- 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival
- More than 250 films screening
- Oct. 7–18: festival dates
- 10 films in the official competition
- High-profile world premieres: Ray Gunn (Brad Bird), Wildwood (Travis Knight)
The festival’s 70th anniversary is a big round number, and Matheson wants the lineup to honor the history of the event.
“It was really always set up to be a showcase, a best-of-the-festivals model,” she said. “For 70 years, the festival has brought really the best of the year in cinema to audiences.”
Source material: “Movies With “Real Political Messages” Underneath the Surface, Animation and More: What Not to Miss at London Film Fest,” The Hollywood Reporter.
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