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The BFI London Film Festival sponsored by American Express is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world along with alongside the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlinale, Venice International Film Festival. It is held in the UK capital in October.
History of the London Film Festival
The festival dates back to 1957 with a screening of Throne of Blood by Akira Kurosawa In 1960 Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Karel Reisz) became the first UK film to be screened at the festival.
It has grown into one of the major film festivals and events in the world, with regular galas and screen talks from giants in the world of film, as well as plenty of red carpet and Champagne.
BFI Film Festival 2024
To see the full list of events for the 2024 festival, go to our sister website London Begins at 40 which will have an extensive preview of the UK film festival.
There is also a video of the festival which you can view by clicking below:
Festival Awards and Competitions
Naturally, there are also a number of awards and accolades handed out at the film festival. You can see details of these here. These include the prestigious Official Competition.
The 11 films in Official Competition are:
• APRIL (France-Georgia-Italy, dir-scr. Dea Kulumbegashvili)
• BRING THEM DOWN (Ireland-UK-Belgium, dir-scr. Christopher Andrews)
• THE EXTRAORDINARY MISS FLOWER (UK, dir. Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard)
• FOUR MOTHERS (Ireland-UK, dir. Darren Thornton)
• LIVING IN TWO WORLDS (Japan, dir. Mipo O)
• MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (Australia, dir-scr. Adam Elliot)
• ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL (Zambia-UK-Ireland, dir-scr. Rungano Nyoni)
• THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US (State of Palestine-Germany, dir-scr. Laila Abbas)
• THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT (Australia-Mongolia-Germany, dir. Gabrielle Brady)
• UNDER THE VOLCANO (Poland, dir. Damian Kocur)
• VERMIGLIO (Italy-France-Belgium, dir-scr. Maura Delpero)
If you are looking to enter the LFF the deadlines are 24 May 5pm for UK and Ireland shorts, mid-length and feature films.
For a more indie film festival in London try the Raindance Film Festival.
Festival Venues?
A list of venues can be found here. These include BFI Southbank, BFI Southbank IMAX; Curzon Soho; Curzon Mayfair; Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA); and the Prince Charles Cinema.
Tickets for the BFI London Film Festival Tickets
Ticket prices are here. You can also purchase your tickets via that link.
When is it?
The film festival will be held from 9 to 20 October, 2024 in venues across London.
Cover image: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton and Mia Goth attend Premiere of Suspiria at BFI London Film Festival 2018. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI).
