The London Film Festival returns for its 70th year, showcasing a lineup that spans the best of the year’s festival circuit. Positioned after Venice, Telluride, and Toronto, London’s place in the calendar—though not traditionally a bellwether for awards success—allows it to cherry-pick from an array of heavyweight films and attract cinema’s biggest stars and auteurs to the capital.
Continuing its rich tradition as a public festival, with opportunities for audiences across the UK to watch films, this year will also see its prestigious Screen Talks expand beyond London for the first time. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle will participate at HOME Manchester.
Boyle is bringing his new film, INK, to the festival for the Mayor of London’s Gala Screening. Adapted by James Graham from his play of the same name, the film explores Rupert Murdoch’s Fleet Street career and the origins of The Sun newspaper.
INK is just one of a dozen buzzy films hoping to generate additional momentum for the awards campaigns that will dominate early 2027.
Other highlights among the Gala screenings include Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott, which opens the festival; Jessie Eisenberg’s The Debut, his follow-up to his Oscar-winning A Real Pain; and Palme d’Or winner Fjord, starring Sebastian Stan. Additional key Gala screenings include I Love Boosters, La Bola Negra, Club Kid, Prima Facie, Ray Gunn, and The Beloved.
While over 40% of the films in the programme are directed by women, only two of the Gala films are female-directed—a point festival director Kristy Matheson acknowledged at the programme’s launch.
Despite this, the lineup remains diverse, exploring a variety of issues through films from around the globe. Political themes, creativity, community, labour, and care emerge as consistent motifs across genres.
The health of British film has been a subject of much debate, but the festival serves it well across multiple strands. Ashley Walters’ feature directorial debut, Animol, starring Stephen Graham, stands out, as does Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother, an inventive action thriller directed by Bassam Tariq and starring Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, who flexes the skills he honed while training for the ill-fated Blade movie. Meanwhile, Mike Leigh’s return—and rumoured final film—Tender Loving Care, is sure to spark discussion.
Continuing its tradition of embracing new forms of filmmaking, the festival’s Expanded strand will showcase innovative films made with technology, including XR and VR installations, with a new hub at St Martin-in-the-Fields. It will also feature Screen Talks with Andrew Scott, Ava DuVernay, Cynthia Erivo, Jesse Eisenberg, John Malkovich, Sofia Coppola, Brad Bird, James Gray, Mahershala Ali, and Naomi Ackie.
Tickets go on general sale at 10:00 AM on September 17th. £6 tickets for those 25 and under are available by signing up for a free BFI 25 and Under account. Check out the full programme, here.
Recommendations to Watch:
- Fjord
- Once Upon a Time in Harlem
- Wildwood
- Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother
- La Bola Negra
- I Love Boosters
- Prima Facie
- Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing
- Chronicles from the Siege
- Our Share of Sand (British)
- The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
- Paper Tiger
- Ray Gunn
- Animol (British)
- I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning (British)
