BFI London Film Festival 2023
In the midst of yet another turbulent and disruptive year for the film industry, cinema once again took over “The Big Smoke” and UK cinemas beyond, courtesy of the the British Film Institute (BFI), as the 67th edition of the London Film Festival (LFF)—one of the world’s most accessible major film festivals—gathered global cinema players in the British capital once again.
In what is becoming a new tradition, once a again a mix of physical and virtual online events both in the capital and other UK cities brought nearly 200 features, upcoming TV series episodes and XR programmes to UK audiences in London’s South Bank as well as the West End and beyond, but with decidedly less glitz & glamour than in previous years.
The big story this year of course was the same one which rocked the movie industry and has been troubling film premieres and festivals since mid-summer, the Hollywood writers & actors strikes. And with the industrial action solidarity between the WGA (whose strike ended just before the festival) and SAG-AFTRA (whose strike endures) threatening to define the future of the film and TV industries—for better or worse—thus far it has resulted in interrupted productions, delayed releases, and film festivals with a deficit of film stars, and the London Film Festival was no exception. But with fewer faces and less focus on the galas and red carpets this year, there was more space to shine for the real stars of the festival, the films themselves.
Once again the major studios and their indie labels were back with much anticipated titles competing for our attention against major streaming players like Netflix, Apple and Amazon, but happily the LFF managed to again retain some focus on the smaller global indie cinema which needs more attention, as usual all divided into thematic strands and gala screenings, plus of course a small selection of films in the festival’s official competition. You can see the full schedule of this year’s LFF feature films and much more on the official BFI site here, and all of our LFF reviews so far here . . . but stay tuned for many more to come.
Screenings
Week 1
Wednesday the 4th
Saltburn
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
In what has now become an established tradition at the LFF, the BFI chose another British filmmaker to open the festival proceedings as English actress-turned-writer/director Emerald Fennell follows up her American-set 2020 directorial debut ‘Promising Young Woman’ by heading back home across the pond for a gala UK premiere of her moody and twisting British ensemble character dramedy/thriller ‘Saltburn’.
A contemporary British class meditation revolving around a young outsider from humble origins at Oxford University who becomes drawn into high society when he befriends a charming aristocratic fellow student, and is invited to spend a fateful summer at his eccentric family’s lavish rural estate and manor, only for a dangerous game to unfold and threaten to unravel their privileged existence. The film’s stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan and Richard E. Grant were conspicuous in their absence but writer/director/producer Fennell was on hand, ‘Saltburn’ is out on the 17th of November in UK cinemas and the 24th of November in the US, you can check out our review here.
Saltburn at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
Monster (Kaibutsu)
Image Source: Picturehouse
The pick of the rest from day 1 was a Japanese drama/thriller affair which saw European film festival favourite and one of the most respected voices in modern Japanese cinema Hirokazu Kore-eda return to the LFF, bringing a ‘Love’ strand screening of his coming-of-age tale and latest sober meditation on the human condition ‘Monster’. A generational tale of secrets and social expectations centred on a young boy whose mother takes matters into her own hands when he begins to behave disturbingly oddly, as she takes on his school and confronts his teachers only to unravel a web of uncomfortable truths for all which force them to open their hearts. ‘Monster’ stars Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama and Soya Kurokawa and is out now in Japan, and on the 29th of March 2024 in the UK, you can see our review here.
Monster Trailer (courtesy of TIFF)
You Can Call Me Bill
Image Source: Exhibit A Pictures
The opening day at the LFF this year also brought some unconventional documentary fare in the ‘Dare’ strand of screenings when adept documentarian dissector of pop culture Alexandre O. Philippe brought his William Shatner life chronicle ‘You Can Call Me Bill’ to the festival. A hybrid account of the singular Canadian screen legend and 20th century entrainment icon’s life, partially from his own mouth combined with archived footage and multiple interviews, woven together seamlessly and creatively by cinephile and film historian O. Phillippe to strip away the many layers and reveal the man behind the myth. ‘You Can Call Me Bill’ has no confirmed dates yet.
You Can Call Me Bill trailer (courtesy of Kinetic Strix)
Thursday the 5th
The Killer
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Thursday’s big gala screening brought psychological thriller master and one of the most precise, daring and respected Hollywood directors to London for his LFF debut, as David Fincher brought along a headline gala screening of his visceral assassin crime/thriller with neo-noir vibes ‘The Killer’.
An adaptation of the Matz & Jacamon graphic novel following the fate of a skilled and meticulous assassin who can’t stick to the plan and is forced into retirement when an assignment goes wrong, only to be drawn into a globe-trotting manhunt and become a target as his carefully-cultivated psyche begins to slip when he undertakes a fateful personal mission. ‘The Killer’ stars Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton and Arliss Howard among others and is out on Netflix on the 10th of November, you can see our review here.
The Killer trailer (courtesy of Netflix)
The Bikeriders
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The second big gala screening of the day signalled a welcome and long-awaited return to the festival for celebrated American writer/director Jeff Nichols, who brought with him a period slice of rebellious Americana with the European premiere of ‘The Bikeriders’.
A crime character drama loosely based on the Chicago Outlaws true story, charting the rise of a biker club in the 60s and 70s with their story told though the perspective of a young woman who becomes involved with the gang’s wild young would-be captain and their grisled leader, as they struggle with the evolution of the group from a haven for outsiders to a hardened criminal syndicate. ‘The Bikeriders’ stars Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy among others and is out on the 1st of December in UK and US cinemas.
The Bikeriders trailer (courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
I Am Sirat
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The official competition this year also kicked off on Thursday and brought Indian cinema to the LFF in the form of a timely character drama and trans representation story from writer/director Deepa Mehta, for the European premiere of ‘I Am Sirat’. The unconventionally shot story of a New Delhi trans woman forced to live part of her life as her widowed mother’s son Aman, and the other part as what she feels her true self enjoying her days working at the Ministry of Social Defence as the flamboyant Sirat, struggling to find her place in a traditionalist Indian society. ‘I Am Sirat’ has no confirmed dates yet.
I am Sirat clip (courtesy of BFI)
Kidnapped (Rapito)
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The pick of the first Wednesday’s thematic strands screenings came in the ‘Debate’ strand and brought Italian cinema and writer/director Marco Bellocchio back to the LFF for a UK premiere of his true story period costume drama ‘Kidnapped’.
A mid-19th century Italian chronicle of a young boy and his Jewish family in Bologna, who are torn apart when the secret baptism of their son by a nurse soon snowballs into a political and legal struggle against the wavering but still powerful Catholic church, after they claim ownership of the boy’s destiny and forcibly take him to be raised as a Christian. ‘Kidnapped’ stars Leonardo Maltese, Fausto Russo Alesi and Barbara Ronchi and is out now in Italy, with no UK date yet.
Kidnapped trailer (courtesy of PalaceFilms)
Friday the 6th
May December
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The first Friday’s proceedings this year culminated with a return of American melodrama master and LFF regular Todd Haynes for a headline gala screening of his exploration of age and modern relationships in the glare of the media ‘May December’.
A contemporary American tabloid tale following the fate of a controversial couple whose tentatively reconstructed family life after a public scandal strains under the pressure of a visiting actress doing research on them for a film, as the pain of their past and its consequences are revisited and take on a new dimension. ‘May December’ stars Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton and is out in UK cinemas on the 17th of November, and streams on Sky Cinema from the 1st December.
May December trailer (courtesy of Sky Cinema)
Hit Man
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Friday’s special presentation screening brought another celebrated American writer/director to the festival when Richard Linklater brought along a UK premiere of his screwball crime/comedy ‘Hit Man’ to the LFF. A silver-tongued and unconventional loose adaptation of a bizarre true story centred on an amiable and charming cop who goes deep undercover as a notorious hitman to catch those who order killings, discovering an extraordinary aptitude for creating different personalities only for everything to unravel when he falls in love on the job. ‘Hit Man’ stars Glen Powell, Adria Arjona and Austin Amelio and has no confirmed dates yet, you can check out our review here.
Memory
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The day’s second special presentation screening saw the return of another LFF regular to London as daring Mexican director Michel Franco underlined his transition to English language film with a UK premiere of his wistful American relationship drama ‘Memory’.
A tense character drama meditation on trauma and redemption centred on a recovering alcoholic single mother, whose life is nudged off the tracks by an uncomfortable high school reunion with a fellow former student with his own struggles and from whom she initially recoils, but with whom she then forms an unlikely healing bond when forced to face the ghosts of her past. ‘Memory’ stars Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard and Merritt Wever and has no confirmed dates yet.
Baltimore
Image Source: Bankside Films
The official competition also got some play on Friday and brought Irish cinema to the LFF when writer/director duo Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor returned to the festival with their tense dramatisation of the Rose Dugdale story ‘Baltimore’. The chronicle of a curious figure, a wealthy English heiress who rebels against her family by becoming a radical socialist revolutionary and volunteering as a militant in the Provisional IRA, then taking part in hijackings, an infamous art heist, and activities to further the violent Irish republican cause. ‘Baltimore’ stars Imogen Poots, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Lewis Brophy and has no confirmed dates yet.
Saturday the 7th
Killers of the Flower Moon
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The gala screening on Friday number one at the festival this year brought one of the greats in cinema history back to the LFF after his 2019 closing night gala visit for ‘The Irishman’, as the great Martin Scorsese brought along a UK premier of his sweeping and masterful meditation on greed, indigenous exploitation and America’s recent colonialist past ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.
A soulful and epic true story adaptation of David Grann’s historical book set in Oklahoma of the 1920s, where a series of unexplained murders and exploitation of the oil-rich Osage Nation sparks an FBI investigation which uncovers a sobering conspiracy, triggering the breakdown of communities and forcing a man caught between to worlds to fatefully choose a side. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons among others and is out in cinemas on the 20th of October, you can see our review here.
Killers of the Flower Moon at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet Lehdet)
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The first special presentation screening of the day brought Scandinavian and veteran writer/director Aki Kaurismäki to the LFF for a UK premiere of his latest working-class melancholy human drama meditation on modern Finland and the human condition ‘Fallen Leaves’. A bittersweet contemporary Helsinki dramedy following two lonely locals whose random meetings turn into a first shot at true love for both, which will inevitably be tested by their personal demons, awkward interactions and the obstacles thrown at them by life. ‘Fallen Leaves’ stars Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen and Janne Hyytiäinen among others and is out on the 17th of November in the US, and on the 1st of December in the UK.
Fallen Leaves trailer (courtesy of The Match Factory)
Housekeeping for Beginners (Domakinstvo za Pocetnici)
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Friday’s second special presentation screening brought some Balkan participation and North Macedonian-Aussie writer/director Goran Stolevski back to the festival for the UK premiere of his LGBTQ+ unconventional family drama ‘Housekeeping for Beginners’. The story of a gay Macedonian woman who becomes a reluctant mother to her partner’s child, then finds herself a matriarch to a non-traditional family and struggles to keep them together in a less than understanding traditionalist society. ‘Housekeeping for Beginners’ stars Anamaria Marinca, Alina Serban and Samson Selim among others and has no confirmed dates yet.
Last Summer (L’Été Dernier)
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The pick of the day’s thematic strand screenings was a French affair which brought writer/director Catherine Breillat back to the festival along with her confronting and adulterous family drama ‘Last Summer’. A contemporary and understandably controversial domestic drama and romantic thriller, centred on a successful middle-aged child protection lawyer who puts her career and personal life in jeopardy after she begins an affair with her husband’s teenage son from a previous marriage. ‘Last Summer’ stars Léa Drucker, Samuel Kircher and Olivier Rabourdin among others and is out now in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
Last Summer trailer (courtesy of Unifrance)
Sunday the 8th
All of Us Strangers
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The end of week 1 at the LFF this year culminated in a homegrown headline gala screening and a return to the festival for British writer/director Andrew Haigh, as he brought a UK premiere of his English-language adaptation of a wistful and unsettling Taichi Yamada novel in ‘All of Us Strangers’.
A heightened reality unconventional human drama and love story following a lonely gay screenwriter who develops a relationship with an enigmatic neighbour in London, while some visits back to his childhood home spark an unexpected reunion with his long-deceased parents, as both bizarre developing relationships open unhealed wounds but offer a chance at emotional closure, before a dark and unforeseen yet cathartic twist. ‘All of Us Strangers’ stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell and Claire Foy among others and is out on the 22nd of December in the US, 24th of January 2024 in the UK. You can check out our review here.
All of Us Strangers at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka)
Image Source: Studio Ghibli
The first Sunday at the festival also saw a long-awaited return to the LFF for an iconic studio, and an even longer-awaited return to feature film for a legendary animator and filmmaker when Hayao Miyazaki provided a special presentation screening of a striking new Studio Ghibli fantasy animation study of the human condition ‘The Boy and the Heron’.
A highly personal Miyazaki fantasy mediation on life & death, love & loss, set during World War II and centred on a young boy pining for his departed mother and sent to live in an isolated country estate with his father and aunt, only to be transported by a magical but shady heron to a mystical parallel world where death ends and life begins anew, as he embarks on adventure to save his aunt and unlock a family destiny which could shape the world. ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is out now in Japan and on the 8th of December in the US, and the 26th of December in the UK.
The Boy and the Heron trailer (courtesy of GKIDS Films)
Dear Jassi
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Sunday also saw some action in the official competition and a return for Indian cinema to the LFF when director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar brought a European premier of his modern Punjabi take on the classic forbidden love tale ‘Dear Jassi’. A sweeping culture-straddling romance with epic traditional love story undertones, following a wealthy Canadian-Punjabi girl on a trip back to India who falls for a working-class young man and irks her family in the process, as they fight to protect their love in the face of family honour and societal expectations. ‘Dear Jassi’ stars Pavia Sidhu and Yugam Sood and has no release dates yet.
Eileen
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The pick of Sunday’s other screenings was in the ‘Dare’ strand and saw a long-awaited return to the LFF for hometown director William Oldroyd—after his memorable feature 2016 debut ‘Lady Macbeth’—treating LFF audiences to the UK premiere of his shophomore effort and adaptation of the Ottessa Moshfegh period psychosexual thriller novel ‘Eileen’.
A dark and daring 1960’s American character drama following a mild-mannered employee at a youth prison, whose unhappy and repressed days in small-town Massachusetts daydreaming and fantasizing about an edgier existence take a turn towards dark reality, after she is swept up by the arrival of an alluring new psychiatrist at their facility. ‘Eileen’ stars Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway and Shea Whigham and is out on the 1st of December in the UK, 8th of December in the US.
Week 2 & Awards—->
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