London Film Festival Launch

• 8th Sep 2010

It has come around again, and today has seen the launch of the 54th BFI London Film Festival.

The artistic management seems same as it has been for more years than we care to think about but the wide selection of films on offer speaks for itself. As already reported, Never Let Me Go will open the festival on 13th October and Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours will close proceedings on Thursday 28th. Head over to the BFI website for full details or to order yourself a programme. Here is a look at some of the features:

GALAS & SPECIAL SCREENINGS:

The King’s Speech, with Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter; Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, with Natalie Portman; Mike Leigh’s Another Year; Neds, directed by Peter Mullan; The Kids Are All Right starring Julianne Moore and Annette Bening; and Cannes Palme D’Or winner, Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Other highlights include Conviction, starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell; Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful starring Javier Bardem; West Is West, the follow up to East is East; Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods And Men; and Julian Schnabel’s Miral with Freida Pinto. In The First Grader an 84 year old Kenyan finally starts school, and Africa United features a group of youngsters who trek across Africa to reach the World Cup. The Great White Silence, a BFI Archive restoration, is this year’s Archive Gala, featuring a live performance of a new score by Simon Fisher Turner.

FILM ON THE SQUARE:

London’s West End will see a selection of some of the strongest films of the year. Anton Corbijn (Control) presents The American, starring George Clooney; Carlos is Olivier Assayas’s epic biopic of the infamous Venezuelan terrorist; Jean-Luc Godard continues to challenge cinemagoers with Film Socialisme; Robinson In Ruins marks Patrick Keiller’s long awaited return, and is narrated by Vanessa Redgrave. Other highlights include Diego Luna’s directorial debut Abel; Kelly Reichardt’s Meek’s Cutoff with Michelle Williams and Paul Dano; Le Quattro Volte, an intriguing quasi-documentary set in an Italian village; Loose Cannons, an Italian coming-out comedy; and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale a Finnish fantasy thriller… about Father Christmas. Two of the festival’s features set in Africa are A Screaming Man from Chad and Benda Bilili, a documentary about the meteoric rise of a band of street musicians from Congo. The UK is represented by Ken Loach (Route Irish), Joanna Hogg (Archipelago), Richard Ayoade (Submarine) and Lucy Walker (Waste Land). Amongst the many internationally renowned filmmakers included are Jan Švankmajer (Surviving Life), Takashi Miike (13 Assassins) and John Sayles (Amigo).There will of course be the usual mix of New British Films; Cinema Europa; French Revolutions; Experimenta; Short Cuts and Treasures From the Archive movies.