London Film Festival
London Film Festival Closes With ‘The Kitchen’ World Premiere and (Another) Protest by U.K. Crew
The 2023 BFI London Film Festival came to a close on Sunday night in the British capital with the world premiere of The Kitchen, Netflix’s dystopian thriller co-directed by Kibwe Taveras and Daniel Kaluuya in the actor’s feature debut behind the camera. The film, set in a rundown housing project in a near-future London and […]
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‘Rings of Power’ Star Morfydd Clark on Returning to Horror With ‘Starve Acre’: “It’s Nice to Be Seen as Spooky and Creepy”
It’s a been quite a life-changing few years for Morfydd Clark. After breaking out as a troubled and God-fearing palliative care nurse in A24’s wonderfully unsettling and critically lauded psychological horror Saint Maud, which was finally released in 2021 after several pandemic delays, the fast-rising Welsh actress headed straight to Middle-earth, fronting The Rings of […]
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Jeymes Samuel on His Bold, All-Black Biblical Epic ‘The Book of Clarence,’ Wanting People to Think “Wow, I Haven’t Seen That Before”
Back in 2021, the BFI London Film Festival opened in the most audacious and A-list manner seen in many years. With the curtain-raising slot usually reserved for more somber, prestige dramas, Netflix’s all-star, all-Black rootin’ tootin’ Western The Harder They Fall — with an ensemble cast including Regina King, Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Jonathan Majors, Delroy Lindo and Zazie Beets — brought the house down, with […]
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Greta Gerwig Says She Hid in the Back of ‘Barbie’ Screenings During Its Opening Weekend, Teases New Project
Greta Gerwig says the reception to her monster hit Barbie has been “the most thrilling thing” to experience. Speaking at a special screen talk Sunday at the BFI London Film Festival, where she received a rockstar welcome (as did her interviewee, Succession creator Jesse Armstrong), she said the film’s set had been “the most joyful” […]
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Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Jennifer Lee Talks ‘Frozen 3,’ ‘Wish’ and Relying on ‘Cinderella’ as an Escape When She Was Bullied in School
The latest on Frozen 3, thoughts on the upcoming Wish and her memories of how watching Cinderella helped her when she used to get bullied in school where among the topics Jennifer Lee, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ chief creative officer and writer and director on the Frozen films, discussed in London on Thursday. In a BFI London Film […]
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Do Awards Ceremonies Still Matter? Film Academy and BAFTA Heads Discuss Their “Important Place in the Ecosystem”
With viewing figures for awards shows largely in decline and less than half of what they were at their peak, the importance of such ceremonies has been called into question in recent years. Perhaps understandably, the heads of the two organizations who put on the biggest award shows in the film world have put up […]
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London Film Festival Opens With ‘Saltburn’ Premiere as U.K. Crew Stages Protest Outside
The actors strike made its presence known at opening night of the BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday night in the British capital and not simply through the lack of star power in attendance. Ahead of the European premiere of Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn at the Royal Albert Hall, a small demonstration by U.K. crew was […]
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London Film Festival Director Kristy Matheson on Her “First Rodeo” and Landing World Premieres From Aardman, Daniel Kaluuya and Jeymes Samuel
The 2023 London Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday (Oct. 4) with the European premiere of Emerald Fennell’s sophomore feature Saltburn. While the ongoing actors strike means that the films lead cast — including Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike — won’t be in attendance at Royal Festival Hall, there will be a new face o […]
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‘Chicken Run 2’ Director on Reuniting the Flock After 23 Years and Why Mel Gibson Didn’t Return
Back in the summer of 2000, a small group of diminutive, handcrafted clay chickens broke out of a coop and made cinema history. British stop-motion animation pioneers Aardman were already renowned for their Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit short films, but Chicken Run was their first feature. It was such an ambitious project that it required […]
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AMPAS, BAFTA Heads, See-Saw Films, Disney Animation Exec Jennifer Lee Headline London Film Festival Industry Talks
The 2023 BFI London Film Festival has unveiled its industry program, featuring a wide array of conversations and panel discussions with leading figures from across the international film and TV worlds. Among those taking part in LFF Spotlight conversations are Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative office Jennifer Lee, who co-directed the Frozen films, Emile […]
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London Film Festival: Cannes-Winning ‘Heli’ Director Amat Escalante to Lead Main Competition Jury
With the 67th BFI London Film Festival gearing up to start on Oct. 4, the juries for the various competitions have been named. Leading the official competition jury is acclaimed Mexican director, producer and screenwriter Amat Escalante, who won the best director honor at the 2013 edition of the Cannes Film Festival for Heli and […]
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Bradley Cooper, Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese Movies Join London Film Festival Lineup
The London Film Festival on Thursday completed its lineup, unveiling its full slate of headline galas and special presentations after previously setting its competition program. Among the movies getting new headline galas are the world premiere of Jeymes Samuel’s The Book of Clarence and Bradley Cooper’s Maestro. The special presentations include the likes of The Boy […]
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