Artistic director Sandra Hebron has announced the line-up this morning where they will screen "a total of 204 fiction and documentary features, including 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres and 22 European Premieres" plus "110 live action and animated shorts".
Artistic director Sandra Hebron has announced the line-up for the 55th BFI London Film Festival this morning where they will screen "a total of 204 fiction and documentary features, including 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres and 22 European Premieres" plus "110 live action and animated shorts". We are already knew Fernando Meirelles' adaptation of Arthur Schnitzlers erotic drama play 360 written by Peter Morgan and starring Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz would open the festival and that The Deep Blue Sea, which incidentally is another adaptation of a play (Terence Rattigan's) and also stars Rachel Weisz, will close it. Of Time and City's Terrence Davies directed that movie which also stars Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale. Now we know the in-between stuff from the Gala & Special Screenings and there's a wide selection of extremely interesting films; George Clooney is bringing his political thriller The Ides of March that screened at Venice (our first review here) and stars Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti... plus his starring vehicle The Descendants, the long-awaited next movie from Alexander Payne also screens. We Need To Talk About Kevin, Lynne Ramsey's emotional and harrowing tale of a suffering woman trying to put her life together after an unthinkable tragedy and which MUST hold Oscar nominations for Tilda Swinton, will make it's U.K. premiere. John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller also give good turns. You can read my review of the film here. Michael Winterbottom's Trishna, his intriguing re-working of Thomas Hardys Tess of the DUrbervilles (yes another literary classic we've seen a thousand times before) get it's first screening. Roland Emmerich brings his 'did Shakespeare really write it or not?' thriller Anonymous starring Rhys Ifans, Joely Richardson and David Thewlis. A few more films make the trek over Europe from the Venice Film Festival via the two Michael Fassbender starring films Shame (we reviewed HERE) and David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method (we reviewed HERE) with Madonna's W.E. (we reviewed HERE) also playing. Ralph Fiennes' directorial debut and contemporary re-imagining of Coriolanus where he takes the leading role alongside Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave is also screening, a movie which Rob Beames loved and gave five stars to in Berlin. Foreign language movies include the Cannes Grand Prix winner The Kid With A Bike from the Dardenne Brothers, Nanni Moretti's King Speech esque movie about a pope and a therapist titled We Have a Pope (though it's nowhere near as good as it could have been, going for laughs instead of poignancy at every turn) and the utterly amazing Michel Hazanavicius film The Artist, a love letter to the silent era also screens. My review HERE. In the "Film on the Square" section there is a number of acclaimed directors showcasing movies such as; Roman Polanski's Carnage (Our Venice review HERE), Gus Van Sant's Restless, Werner Herzog's new work Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life, Todd Solondz's drama Dark Horse starring Selma Blaire and Justin Bartha, Jonathan Demme's documentary I'm Carolyn Parker, Richard Linklater's off-beat black comedy Bernie about a local mortician (Jack Black) who kills a wealthy widow he has befriended and then tries to convince the small-town Texas community that she is still alive, The Messenger director Oren Moverman's follow-up Rampart starring Woody Harrelson and excitedly developed from a script by James Ellroy, Paolo Sorrentino's terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible film This Must Be The Place starring Sean Penn as a cross-dressing ex-rocker who hunts out the Nazi war criminal who persecuted his father in World War II and is HORRENDOUS. Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Seth Rogen's cancer comedy 50/50. Plus another literary adaptation with Andrea Arnolds "bold retelling" of Wuthering Heights with a black actor in the starring role which we reviewed from Venice yesterday. The 55th BFI London Film Festival will run from 12-27 October and the full press release is below; GALAS & SPECIAL SCREENINGS: Opening the festival is Fernando Meirelles 360, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz. Weisz is also the star of Terence Davies closing night film, THE DEEP BLUE SEA, alongside a cast which includes Simon Russell Beale and Tom Hiddleston. Key talent will be in attendance for both films. George Clooney features in two Gala presentations - the political thriller THE IDES OF MARCH which he directs and stars in alongside Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti, and THE DESCENDANTS, Alexander Paynes latest feature. Among several literary adaptations are Lynne Ramsays WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN with Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller; TRISHNA, Michael Winterbottoms reworking of Thomas Hardys Tess of the DUrbervilles, with Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed; and CORIOLANUS with Ralph Fiennes directing as well as taking the lead role alongside Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave. Redgrave is also cast in Roland Emmerichs ANONYMOUS with Rhys Ifans, Joely Richardson and David Thewlis. Madonna directs romantic drama W.E. which stars Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough and James DArcy whilst Steve McQueens second feature SHAME has a cast that includes Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender. Fassbender can also be seen alongside Viggo Mortensen and Keira Knightley in David Cronenbergs A DANGEROUS METHOD. Foreign language cinema is represented by THE KID WITH A BIKE, the Cannes Grand Prix winner from the Dardenne brothers; Nanni Morettis WE HAVE A POPE; and Michel Ocelots enchanting animation TALES OF THE NIGHT. Hollywoods silent era is celebrated in Michel Hazanavicius THE ARTIST whilst this years Archive Gala is the BFI National Archives restoration of Miles Manders THE FIRST BORN with a new score by Stephen Horne. FILM ON THE SQUARE: Showcasing some of this years most anticipated and acclaimed films, the selection includes work from renowned directors such as Roman Polanski (CARNAGE), Gus Van Sant (RESTLESS), Werner Herzog (INTO THE ABYSS: A TALE OF DEATH, A TALE OF LIFE), Todd Solondz (DARK HORSE), Jonathan Demme (IM CAROLYN PARKER) and Jonas Mekas (SLEEPLESS NIGHTS STORIES). Star power is provided by Jack Black in Richard Linklaters BERNIE; Sean Penn in Paolo Sorrentinos THIS MUST BE THE PLACE; Joseph Gordon-Levitt teams with Seth Rogen in Jonathan Levines 50/50, whilst Woody Harrelson stars in Oren Movermans RAMPART, developed from a screenplay by James Ellroy. British films include Andrea Arnolds bold retelling of WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Marc Evans HUNKY DORY, a celebration of pre-punk 70s pop culture, and Nick Broomfields SARAH PALIN YOU BETCHA! International cinema takes centre stage in the West End with a powerful selection of premieres including Norways Joachim Triers stunning OSLO, AUGUST 31st; Bruno Dumonts provocative HORS SATAN; and Cannes Grand Prix winner Nuri Bilge Ceylans audacious ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA. Mexicos Gerardo Naranjo delivers a thrilling action film with MISS BALA, whist divided family life in Japan is the focus of Hirokazu Kore-edas engaging I WISH, and Australias most infamous serial murder case inspires Justin Kurzels first feature SNOWTOWN. Other feature debuts include Dee Reess emotionally powerful PARIAH; Sean Durkins beautifully disturbing MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE and Nick Murphys 1920s set supernatural tale THE AWAKENING. NEW BRITISH CINEMA: Original cinematic voices from across the UK making their debuts this year include D.R. Hood with the haunting WRECKERS starring Claire Foy and Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tinge Krishnan with the social drama JUNKHEARTS in which Eddie Marsan heads a cast which includes Tom Sturridge and Romola Garai. London is the setting for Dexter Fletchers drama WILD BILL, starring Charlie Creed-Miles; and Andrew Haighs second feature, WEEKEND, is an original and affecting romance. Nirpal Bhogals fresh young cast enliven urban drama SKET, and LOTUS EATERS finds director Alexandra McGuinness introducing us to the citys indulgent, affluent youth. Frances Leas STRAWBERRY FIELDS provides an escape to the country with a story of lust, rivalry and liberation. A strong selection of British work include films which imaginatively blur the boundaries between documentary and drama such as Richard Jobsons response to the Iraq war, THE SOMNAMBULISTS, Simon Pummells SHOCK HEAD SOUL and DREAMS OF A LIFE by Carol Morley. Paul Kellys portrait of cult hero, LAWRENCE OF BELGRAVIA and Daniel Edelsyns HOW TO RE-ESTABLISH A VODKA EMPIRE round out the documentary selection. FRENCH REVOLUTIONS: The focus on French cinema brings a wide range of new and established filmmakers including Dominik Moll, with THE MONK starring Vincent Cassel and Geraldine Chaplin. Chaplin also appears with Salma Hayek in AMERICANO, the feature debut of actor Mathieu Demy. From the directorial team of Nicolas Klotz and Elisabeth Perceval, LOW LIFE is a study of the trials facing French youth that has universal resonance whilst Laurent Achard provides a macabre touch in LAST SCREENING and popular comedian Emmanuel Mouret brings wry comedy to THE ART OF LOVE. Among a number of French directors returning to the Festival are Mathieu Amalric with a modern adaptation of Corneilles classic play, THE SCREEN ILLUSION, Jean-Marc Moutout examining executive culture in EARLY ONE MORNING and Mathieu Kassovitz directing himself in the provocative military drama, REBELLION. CINEMA EUROPA: A diverse selection of filmmakers bring Europe into focus with films from countries including Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Sweden, Austria, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Denmark, The Netherlands, Russia and Iceland, as well as Italy, Spain and Germany. Highlights include Benito Zambranos post-Spanish Civil War drama THE SLEEPING VOICE; Icelands Rúnar Rúnarssons VOLCANO; Angelina Nikonovas TWILIGHT PORTRAIT, a study in Russian institutional corruption, Andrea Molaiolis Italian conspiratorial drama THE JEWEL , Ulrich Köhlers SLEEPING SICKNESS and the World Premiere of Hans Weingartners HUT IN THE WOODS. There are a number of outstanding directorial debuts which include Jonathan Cenzual Burleys absurdist road movie, THE SOUL OF FLIES; Andrea Segres LI AND THE POET and Marie Kreutzers THE FATHERLESS. From Germany, the unique DREILEBEN project brings together Christian Petzold, Dominik Graf and Christoph Hochhäusler with three very different features that share an incidental starting point. Documentary features include Andrey Paounovs THE BOY WHO WAS A KING and WHORES GLORY from Michael Glawogger, who will be one of the four Austrian filmmakers with work in the Festival who will be participating in a special panel discussion on the current state of Austrian cinema. WORLD CINEMA: An extensive selection of the finest features and documentaries from across the globe includes new films from well known filmmakers and emerging voices. Highlights from the US include NATURAL SELECTION, the brilliant debut from Robbie Pickering that swept the board at this years SXSW Film Festival awards; Ken Kesey and The Merry Band of Pranksters trek across America is revisited in MAGIC TRIP from directors Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney; whilst a journey of a different kind features in Braden Kings HERE, part road-movie, part love-story and part investigation of cinema itself. Tristan Pattersons skateboarding documentary DRAGONSLAYER and Michael Barnetts hugely entertaining SUPERHEROES about real life crimefighters offer fascinating glimpses of American life. Latin American cinema is well represented with HARD LABOUR, a blistering dissection of the class structure of Brazilian society from directors Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra; KAREN CRIES ON THE BUS, the debut feature from Colombias Gabriel Rojas Vera; Laura Citarellas OSTENDE and Santiago Mitres THE STUDENT, both from Argentina. The notable rise of ethnically Tibetan filmmaking is evidenced in Pema Tsedens OLD DOG and Sonthar Gyals THE SUN-BEATEN PATH whilst other East Asian highlights include Hong Sangsoos THE DAY HE ARRIVES and Kim Kyung-Mooks STATELESS THINGS, both from South Korea; Jiang Wens LET THE BULLETS FLY, Chinas highest-grossing film; Ann Huis A SIMPLE LIFE, and Yuya Ishiis MITSUKO DELIVERS. Indian cinema is represented this year by titles including Salim Ahameds ABU, SON OF ADAM, a rare and poignant tale of Muslim community life in Kerala; Gurvinder Singhs ALMS OF THE BLIND HORSE and Kaushik Mukherjees cult film in the making ASSHOLE. EXPERIMENTA: This years programme features an innovative and cutting edge selection of films to inspire. Highlights include TWO YEARS AT SEA, the new work from Jarman Prize nominee and Rotterdam Tiger Award winner Ben Rivers; CORRESPONDENCE: JONAS MEKAS JL GUERN, a series of five cinematic letters presented in Spanish and English; and FREE RADICALS: A HISTORY OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM from Pip Chodorov. Lewis Klahr returns to the Festival with THE PETTIFOGGER and other featured filmmakers include Phil Solomon, Chick Strand, Gabriel Abrantes, Robert Fenz and Nathaniel Dorsky. Altered States is a selection of shorts from filmmakers including Ben Russell, Neil Beloufa, Mary Helena Clark and Deborah Stratman. TREASURES FROM THE ARCHIVE: Highlighting invaluable restoration work, these cinematic treasures will entertain and capture the imagination in equal measure. Titles include a digital restoration of George Sidneys exuberant, good-natured satire on rocknroll BYE BYE BIRDIE with Janet Leigh; Humphrey Bogart stars in Edward Dmytriks epic THE CAINE MUTINY; Elia Kazans Oscar-winning AMERICA, AMERICA and Marcel Carnés timeless masterpiece, LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS. The latest restoration by Martin Scorseses World Cinema Foundation, LAW OF THE BORDER will also feature alongside the little seen Roberto Rossellini film, THE MACHINE THAT KILLS BAD PEOPLE. One of two colour features from the prolific Japanese master Kenji Mizoguchi, SHIN-HEIKE MONOGATARI, will play in the section along with WE CANT GO HOME AGAIN by Nicholas Ray, a film which anticipated experiments by Jean Luc Godard, Mike Figgis et al. And from close to home comes WONDERFUL LONDON programme, restored by the BFI National Archive, in which directors Harry B. Parkinson and Frank Miller capture some of the most evocative images of the capital in the mid-1920s. SHORT CUTS AND ANIMATION: A strong line-up of short films and animation that will captivate audiences young and old make up this years programme. Animation from around the globe is covered including a dedicated collection aimed at the younger audience, Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences, which include FUNNY ALPHABET and PICKELS IN A PICKLE. Exciting new filmmakers from the capital are showcased in London Calling, experiences of modern urban living are the focus of The Suburbs, and LONG DISTANCE INFORMATION and HOLD ON ME feature in The School of Life, a series dealing with issues such as family duty and conscience. Talent spotters will be able to see established names including Nicholas Hoult, Michael Fassbender and Luke Treadaway, along with new shorts from director Terry Gilliam and comedian Matthew Holness. EVENTS: To accompany the screenings, the festival will present an extensive programme of public events featuring panel discussions, on-stage interviews and masterclasses. There will also be a number of free events. This years Screen Talks, presented in partnership with American Express, feature directors Michael Winterbottom and Alexander Payne. The Masterclasses, presented in partnership with Swarovski, feature celebrated writer Abi Morgan, writer-director Miranda July, award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat and cinematographer Barry Ackroyd. Other highlights include an in-depth look at the making of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN with key members of the cast and crew, one of three free to access events presented in collaboration with Time Out. AWARDS: The BFI London Film Festival Awards recognise creative excellence from both new and established filmmaking talent. Taking place on 26 October at LSO St Lukes, awards presented include: Best Film, The Grierson Award for Best Documentary, The Sutherland Award for most imaginative and original first feature in the festival, Best British Newcomer Award and the BFI Fellowship. This years jurors and full awards shortlists will be announced on 4 Oct full details will be available at bfi.org.uk/lff. FILM GUESTS: In addition to many of the names already highlighted, we expect to welcome guests including Alexander Payne, Andrea Arnold, Azazel Jacobs, Ben Rivers, Braden King, Bruno Dumont, Carol Morley, David Cronenberg, Dexter Fletcher, Elisabeth Olsen, Fernando Meirelles, Freida Pinto, George Clooney, Hans Weingartner, Harry Belafonte, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Joe Swanberg, Jonas Mekas, Jonathan Demme, Lynne Ramsay, Marina Goldovskaya, Michael Fassbender, Michael Shannon, Michael Winterbottom, Miranda July, Nanni Moretti, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Phil Solomon, Ralph Fiennes, Roland Emmerich, Sean Durkin, Shailene Woodley, Terence Davies and Yorgos Lanthimos.