BFI Film Festival reveals full 70th anniversary line-up

The BFI London Film Festival has unveiled the full programme for this year’s 70th edition, with films from Danny Boyle , Taika Waititi , and Jesse Eisenberg all part of the lineup.

The festival runs from October 7-18 and is the highlight of the British cinema calendar.

This year’s edition features 251 titles, comprising of short films, features, series and immersive works from 88 countries.

The robust line-up is led by star-studded galas, which this year feature some of the biggest names in the industry making their return.

The opening night gala is Elsinore , a drama based on the true story of Ian Charleston ( Andrew Scott ), an actor who faces a personal and professional challenge performing Hamlet while seriously ill from AIDS.

Olivia Colman also stars in the film, which is directed by Simon Stone ( The Dig ).

The closing night gala is The Debut , Jesse Eisenberg’s follow up to the Oscar winning A Real Pain , which is a comedy set in the world of community theatre, starring Julianne Moore and Halle Berry .

Danny Boyle, who debuted his Oscar winning drama Slumdog Millionaire at the LFF, is back with Ink , starring Jack O’Connell ( Sinners ) as media mogul Rupert Murdoch in the story of how he acquired tabloid newspaper The Sun.

Elsewhere, Marvel director Taika Waititi adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling novel Klara And The Sun , starring Jenna Ortega as an artificial life form who comes into the life of a troubled young girl.

Two animated giants step into the spotlight, as Incredibles director Brad Bird debuts his futuristic detective film Ray Gunn , while celebrated studio Laika returns with magical fantasy Wildwood .

Other highlights include Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! , a star-studded musical drama led by Pedro Pascal , activist biopic Being Heumann , Cynthia Erivo in the big-screen adaptation of the play Prima Face , Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to Banshees Of Inisherin , Wild Horse Nine , and Boots Riley’s satire I Love Boosters starring Keke Palmer and Demi Moore .

The full programme and ticket information can be found here .

“When this festival first sprung to life 70 years ago, little more than a decade after the end of the Second World War, British society was in a period of rapid social change,” Kristy Matheson, Artistic Director of BFI Festivals, said in a statement.

“Like now, we turn to artists to synthesise our times.