BFI London Film Festival 2023
Monday the 9th
Maestro
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Week 2 at the LFF this year kicked off in melodic style and underlined a Hollywood superstar’s transition into an accomplished filmmaker when absent writer/director/star Bradley Cooper, represented on the red carpet by his crew, brought a headline gala screening of his cinematic portrait of the great Leonard Bernstein ‘Maestro’.
A soulful and passionate biopic and love story focused on the acclaimed larger-than-life conductor-composer and cultural icon, told through the prism of his complex marriage to wife and fellow artist Felicia Montealegre, as the stresses of his professional rise and the pressures of a growing family life clash with a fluid sexuality and a dual personality which pull him in opposite directions, until a fateful turn for the family causes him to re-asses his life. ‘Maestro’ stars Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman among others and is out in select cinemas on the 22nd of November, then streams on Netflix from the 20th of December, you can check out our review here.
Maestro trailer (courtesy of Netflix)
Fingernails
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Monday’s official competition slate saw an English-language debut for Greek writer/director Christos Nikou who brought a UK premiere of his daring pseudo sci-fi romance ‘Fingernails’ to the LFF.
A near-future set relationship drama with a darkly quirky yet empathetic core following the fate of a young woman who starts to question the love credentials of her long term relationship, taking to her work at a research institute which claims to test and measure the romance levels between couples . . . with unexpected consequences. ‘Fingernails’ stars Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed and Jeremy Allen White among others and streams on Apple TV+ from the 3rd of November.
Fingernails (courtesy of Apple TV+)
Priscilla
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Monday also saw a return 20 years in-the-making to the LFF for Sofia Coppola—in spirit rather than body—when the writer/director (represented by her producer and star) brought along a special presentation screening of her personalised portrait of the King of Rock and Roll’s Queen, with a UK premiere of her biographical period drama (and a de facto companion piece to last year’s Elvis) ‘Priscilla’. A chronicle of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley based on her own memoir, focusing the lens on a teenager who becomes involved with the biggest star on the planet, as she transitions to young womanhood and motherhood at the side of a complex cultural icon while quietly evolving behind the scenes end keeping up appearances. ‘Priscilla’ stars Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi and Dagmara Dominczyk among others and is out on the 3rd of November in the US, and on the 5th of January 2024 in the UK.
Priscilla teaser trailer (courtesy of A24)
Hoard
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The festival’s First Feature Competition also saw some participation on Monday in the form of a bold homegrown affair, as writer/director Luna Carmoon brought a UK premiere of her psychological coming-of-age and sexual awakening drama ‘Hoard’ to the LFF. A contemporary British social drama and character tale following a troubled teen girl with the scars of trauma and haunted by the mental illness suffered by her estranged mother, who develops an intense and troubling bond with a young man at her foster home in the 1990s. ‘Hoard’ stars Saura Lightfoot Leon, Joseph Quinn and Hayley Squires and has no confirmed dates yet.
Hoard clip (courtesy of CamFilmFest)
Tuesday the 10th
NYAD
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Tuesday’s big headline gala screening was an inspirational mid-life biographical sporting tale of determination and perseverance which turned Oscar-winning documentarians Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) into feature film dramatists, as they brought a UK premiere of their take on the true Diana Nyad story ‘NYAD’.
A character drama biopic centred on New Yorker-turned-Floridian Nyad, who after years of long-distance swimming and impressive open water feats embarks on her most daring voyage yet in her mid-60s—a 110-mile swim from Cuba to Key West in Florida without a shark cage—bidding to be the first person to do so and conquering inner and outer demons along the way. ‘NYAD’ stars Annette Bening, Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans among others, and streams on Netflix from the 3rd of November.
NYAD trailer (courtesy of Netflix)
Evil Does Not Exist (Aku wa Sonzai Shinai)
Image Source: Modern Films
The day’s official competition screening—and eventual winner of the big award—was a Japanese cinema affair which brought writer/director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) back to the LFF for a UK premiere of his communal conservation character drama ‘Evil Does Not Exist’. A modern tale of the struggle to maintain tradition and integrity in the face of a changing world, revolving around a man an his daughter in a quiet village near Tokyo who galvanise the locals against investors and developers looking to build a glamping site in their community, targeting urban visitors and potentially transforming the rural area. ‘Evil Does Not Exist‘ stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa and Ryuji Kosaka and has no confirmed UK or US dates yet.
Evil Does Not Exist trailer (courtesy of Screen International)
How to Have Sex
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Tuesday’s thematic strand screenings also threw up some daring fare and emerging homegrown talent when British writer/director Molly Manning Walker brought her feature debut for a ‘Journey’ strand UK premiere of unflinching coming-of-age sexual awakening drama and consent study ‘How to Have Sex’. The frank tale of a British teenager whose dream Greek island summer holiday of hedonism and sowing her wild oats alongside her friends turns into a nightmare after a night of partying turns dark, as a sexual encounter and its aftermath plunges her into an early existential crisis which threatens not only her trip but her outlook on a young life. ‘How to Have Sex’ stars Mia McKenna-Bruce, Shaun Thomas and Lara Peake and is out on the 3rd of November in the UK.
How to Have Sex trailer at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
The Book of Solutions (Le Livre des Solutions)
Image Source: XYZ Films
The pick of the day’s other screenings came in the ‘Laugh’ strand and brought both droll French cinema and inventive idiosyncratic writer/director Michel Gondry to the festival for his LFF debut, and the UK premiere of his semi-autobiographical comedic ode to the creative process ‘The Book of Solutions’.
A contemporary French comedy that hits close to home about an eccentric filmmaker under threat from an unhappy studio expecting an overdue latest film, who takes matters into his own hands and resorts to drastic measures when the threat of his vision being taken over by someone else becomes a reality . . . with hilarious consequences. ‘The Book of Solutions’ stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin and Françoise Lebrun among others and is out in now in France, with no UK date yet.
The Book of Solutions trailer (courtesy of Royal Trailers)
Wednesday the 11th
The Book of Clarence
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
After dazzling LFF audiences by revising the gun-toting western from an African-American perspective with 2021’s ‘The Harder They Fall’, writer/director Jeymes Samuel returned to the festival to take on the bible, inspired in equal parts by ‘Ben-Hur’ and ‘Life of Brian’ to create a black-centred alternative gospel commentary on celebrity culture and redemption, treating us to a headline gala screening and world premiere of ‘The Book of Clarence’.
An adventure/comedy period romp counterbalanced by poignancy and set in Jerusalem of 33 AD, where an aimless highfalutin hustler sees an opportunity in the rise of Jesus Christ where others see salvation, as he carves out a piece of the worship and adulation pie by shaping himself into a self-made Messiah, only to incur the wrath of the true faithful and the ruling Romans, but unexpectedly finding his own divine path along the way. ‘The Book of Clarence’ stars LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, James McAvoy, Anna Diop and David Oyelowo among others and is out on the 12th of January 2024 in the US, 19th of January 2024 in the UK, you can check out our review here.
The Book of Clarence at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
The Holdovers
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The second Wednesday’s other big gala screening was a life-affirming, seasonal comedy ode to outsiders which saw director and LFF regular Alexander Payne return to the festival for a European premiere of ‘The Holdovers’. The quirky and droll but poignant and touching tale of an acerbic and disliked teacher, a troublesome teen, and a grieving headstrong head cook, all with nowhere to go for the holidays who bond over their own brand of Christmas at a swanky New England boarding school in the 1970s. ‘The Holdovers’ stars Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa among others and is out on the 10th of November in the US, and on the 19th of January 2024 in the UK.
The Holdovers trailer (courtesy of Focus Features)
Together 99 (Tillsammans 99)
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Wednesday also brought the rare spectacle of a sequel to the festival when Swedish writer/director Lukas Moodysson treated LFF audiences to an official competition screening of his feelgood period hippy commune dramedy follow-up ‘Together 99’. Taking place 24 years after the 1970s events of the previous film—2000’s ‘Together’—now at the turn of the millennium when the only two remaining members of the quixotic commune of are feeling lonely and decide to reunite the group of disparate characters while adding some new faces, as they grapple with many of the same issues plus new ones which come with ageing, whilst remembering why they formed the commune in the first place. ‘Together 99’ stars Gustaf Hammarsten, Anja Lundqvist and Shanti Roney among others and is out now in Sweden, with no UK date yet.
Together 99 trailer (courtesy of TIFF Trailers)
Tuesday
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The day’s First Feature Competition screening was a semi-homegrown affair which brought London-based Croatian writer/director Daina Oniunas-Pusic to the LFF for the UK premiere of her magical realist mother-daughter drama feature debut ‘Tuesday’. A modern fairy-tale revolving around a mother and her terminally ill teenage daughter, who form a new and unforeseen bond when a series of unpredictable events send them on a wild and unexpected adventure. ‘Tuesday’ stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lola Petticrew and Arinzé Kene and has no confirmed dates yet.
Thursday the 12th
One Life
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The power of human compassion and determination was on full show on Thursday for the big American Express Gala screening, as TV director James Hawes transitioned to the big screen with the story of the man they called the “British Schindler” and treated LFF audiences to a European premiere of his era-spanning Sir Nicholas Winton drama ‘One Life’.
A biographical tale of courage and generosity which blends the events of the “Czech Kindertransport” in the late 1930s with a British TV show 50 years later, following the exploits of a young London stockbroker-turned-humanitarian who formed a small group of bold volunteers to rescue hundreds of Jewish and displaced children from soon-to-be Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia just before the outbreak of World War II, coming face-to-face with the emotional legacy of his empathy many years later. ‘One Life’ stars Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn and Helena Bonham Carter among others and is out in the UK on the 1st of January 2024.
One Life trailer (courtesy of Warner Bros.)
Starve Acre
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Thursday also saw British writer/director Daniel Kokotajlo return to the LFF after his 2017 debut ‘Apostasy’, this time in official competition contention with a world premiere of his creepy folk horror adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel ‘Starve Acre’. A frightening and unsettling study on the divisive effects of loss and grief centred around a couple who relocate to the husband’s isolated family estate and are torn apart by events involving their young son, as they turn to questionable figures for help and delve into the dark history of their stately new home for answers. ‘Starve Acre’ stars Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark and Erin Richards among others and has no confirmed dates yet.
The Zone of Interest
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
After a decade-long absence from feature filmmaking and the LFF, British writer/director Jonathan Glazer returned to his home festival with a bold domestic drama take on the Holocaust and study on the banality of evil, treating audiences to a special presentation screening of ‘The Zone of Interest’.
A historically-grounded dramatic adaptation the Martin Amis novel set in the middle of War War II and focused on the house and garden next to Auschwitz, where the camp commandant tries to build a normal family life in the shadow of the horror he oversees, only to be complicated by the reality of what is being masked and the complications brought by Nazi bureaucracy and a possible promotion. ‘The Zone of Interest’ stars Sandra Hüller, Christian Friedel and Freya Kreutzkam and is out on the 15th of December in the US, with no UK date yet, you can check out our review here.
The Zone of Interest at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne animal)
Image Source: StudioCanal
The pick of the day’s other screenings came in the ‘Thrill’ strand and was a French post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy in the form of writer/director Thomas Cailley’s ‘The Animal Kingdom’. A nightmarish fable set in a not-too-distant dystopian world where some people suffer with a mutation which gradually transforms them into animals, where a man and his teenage son embark on an odyssey to help his afflicted wife and deal with their trauma, delving deep into this new animal kingdom to unravel its secrets. ‘The Animal Kingdom’ stars Romain Duris, Paul Kircher and Adèle Exarchopoulos and is out now in France, with no UK date yet.
The Animal Kingdom trailer (UniFrance)
Friday the 13th
Europa
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The second Friday’s Official Competition screening this year was a modern Pan-European affair which brought Austrian-German-Iranian writer/director Sudabeh Mortezai back to the LFF, for the UK premiere of her latest tense dramatic dissection of modern immigrant Europe and cinematic treatise on unchecked capitalism ‘Europa’.
The contemporary tale of an ambitious young German executive at a mysterious corporation with plans for a Balkan expansion, whose determination and commitment to her are challenged when she’s assigned to an Albanian project but confronted by a proud traditional local community threatened by her job and her company’s seemingly unchallenged intentions towards their home. ‘Europa’ stars Lilith Stangenberg, Jetnor Gorezi and Steljona Kadillari and has no confirmed dates yet.
Europa trailer (Courtesy of Memento International)
Cobweb (Geomijip)
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
South Korean cinema made its presence felt on Friday for one of the day’s Special Presentation screenings, which brought writer/director Kim Jee-woon back to the festival for a UK premiere of his madcap film-within-a-film ode to filmmaking and its process ‘Cobweb’. A personal and experimental concoction comedy/drama centred on an eccentric Korean director of “trashy” cinema and his struggles in the 1970s to complete a chaotic shoot, after changing the ending of his film to make it his masterpiece and dealing with the fallout of his artistic decisions in a conservative era. ‘Cobweb’ stars Song Kang-ho, Lim Soo-jung and Oh Jung-se and is out now in South Korea, with no UK date yet.
Cobweb trailer (courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment)
The End We Start From
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
Friday’s second special presentation came courtesy of the BFI Patrons and was a bleakly prescient homegrown affair in the form of director Mahalia Belo’s adaptation of the 2017 Megan Hunter dystopian novel ‘The End We Start From’. A post-apocalyptic, eco disaster survival road drama set in a Britain submerged by catastrophic flooding and left with a dangerous and crumbing society, where a young mother and her newborn baby try to defy the odds by fleeing the devastated capital and heading north to survive, only to be pulled back by the past they left behind. ‘The End We Start From’ stars Jodie Comer, Joel Fry, Katherine Waterston and Benedict Cumberbatch among others and is out on the 19th of January 2024 in the UK.
The End We Start From trailer (courtesy of Signature Entertainment)
The Taste of Things (The Pot au Feu) (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant)
Image Source: Picturehouse Entertainment
The pick of Friday’s other screenings came in the ‘Create’ strand and in the form of French cinema—by way of Vietnam—as writer/director Trần Anh Hùng explored his adoptive country’s past by adding a romantic flavour with the UK premiere of French period culinary costume drama ‘The Taste of Things’. A late 19th century tale which brings together a celebrated chef and his fellow cook/protege, whose 20 year professional relationship slowly turns into something more romantic, as they eschew a traditional courtship and potential marriage for something more meaningful to them—finally cooking for each other. ‘The Taste of Things’ stars Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel and Jan Hammenecker among others and is out on the 8th of November in France, and on the 29th of December in the UK.
The Taste of Things trailer (courtesy of IFC Films)
Saturday the 14th
Poor Things
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The penultimate day at the festival this year culminated with the return of visionary deadpan filmmaker, master of the “Greek Weird Wave” and LFF regular Yorgos Lanthimos to London for a Headline Gala screening of his latest odd black comedy concoction and second period piece collaboration with screenwriter Tony McNamara in a row, an adaptation of the Alasdair Gray novel ‘Poor Things’.
A darkly comedic and occasionally macabre period-set surrealist sci-fi and distinctly adult fairy tale about a tragically deceased young woman in Victorian Britain, who is re-born and given a second shot at life when she’s re-animated by an eccentric mad scientist, as her childlike blooming takes an impulsive and sexual path driven by desire and curiosity when she embarks on a journey of discovery and emancipation in the company of a lecherous Lothario. ‘Poor Things’ stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef and is out on the 8th of December in the US, 12th of January 2024 in the UK, you can see our review here.
Poor Things trailer (courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The second Saturday’s other big event was a Mayor of London’s Gala screening which this year was an animated family affair which brought back a beloved British icon to global audiences, as they were treated to the world premiere of ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’.
A sequel 23 years in-the-making to the popular stop-motion and claymation Aardman creation, set in a blissful chicken utopia settled by Ginger, Rocky and their friends after their escape from Tweedys’ farm, who are dragged back into a dangerous mission against a familiar foe by the curiosity of their young daughter Molly, after she wanders from the safety of their home to into the big outside world. ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’ features the voice talents of Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton and Miranda Richardson among others and is out in UK cinemas on the 8th of December, and streams on Netflix from the 15th of December.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget trailer (courtesy of Aardman Animations)
Self-Portrait: 47 KM 2020
Image Source: Caochangdi Workstation
Saturday’s Official Competition screening was a Chinese non-fiction affair which brought the 11th instalment of filmmaker Mengqi Zhang’s ’47 KM’ series documenting the minutiae of everyday life in provincial China for a UK premiere of ‘Self-Portrait: 47 KM 2020’. This time focusing her lens on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on her home village, Zhang chronicles the legacy of the pandemic and its origins through the experiences of her hometown and its people, exploring how this devastating globalised event might contribute to defining the country as a whole and its complicated and evolving history. ‘Self-Portrait: 47 KM 2020’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Self-Portrait: 47 KM 2020 trailer (courtesy of YAMAGATA International Documentary Film Festival)
Les Indésirables (Bâtiment5)
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The day’s Special Presentation screening was a fiery and socially-prescient drama affair which could easily seem ripped from the French headlines of the day, as French-Malian writer/director Ladj Ly brings a spiritual follow-up to 2019’s incendiary ‘Les Misérables’ and treats the LFF faithful to a UK premiere of ‘Les Indésirables’. His latest meditation on immigration, inequality and socio-political unrest in modern France, centred on a a multi-racial suburb/urban outskirts about to ignite after a new mayor’s actions stokes existing tensions, and a young local activist challenges the systems of power. ‘Les Indésirables’ stars Anta Diaw, Alexis Manenti and Aristote Luyindula and is out on the 6th of December in France, with no UK date yet.
Les Indésirables trailer (courtesy of Screen International)
Sunday the 15th
The Kitchen
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
The final day at the LFF this year saw the festival bookended by British film when the Closing Night Gala brought London screen star Daniel Kaluuya stepping behind the camera alongside his co-director Kibwe Tavares and bringing a world premiere of their dystopian near-future sci-fi adventure/drama meditation on inequality and gentrification ‘The Kitchen’.
A character piece set in a near-future London marred by inequality and a crumbling society, where a funeral home worker dreams of swapping the estate in which grew up for a swanky luxury penthouse in another part of town, only to have his ambitions upended when he becomes an unwitting guardian to the young son of a recently-deceased ex-girlfriend, and is moved to joining the local community he hoped to abandon in their fight against ambitious circling developers. ‘The Kitchen’ stars Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jr, Teija Kabs and Demmy Ladipo and has no confirmed dates yet.
The Kitchen at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
Co-writer and director Daniel Kaluuya arrives for the world premiere of his debut feature, The Kitchen!#LFF pic.twitter.com/0iKG32jNTE
— BFI (@BFI) October 15, 2023
Awards
This year’s LFF’s awards—something which unlike other festivals has always been a small part of the overall event—saw Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ take the official competition’s ‘Best Film’ award. You can check out all the winners below.
The 67th BFI London Film Festival 2023 LFF Award Winners
Official Competition (Best Film):
‘Evil Does Not Exist’ by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Documentary Competition (Grierson Award):
‘Bye Bye Tiberias’ by Lina Soualem
First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award):
‘Paradise Is Burning’ by Mika Gustafson
Short Film Competition (Short Film Award):
‘The Archive: Queer Nigerians’ by Simisolaoluwa Akande
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