It's a staple of the British film fan calendar but it will soon be time for the BFI London Film Festival 2019.

The annual film festival sees the best and brightest talent of the film industry show what cinephiles can expect to hit the big screens in the following months.

Last year's festival saw heavy-hitters shown such as Widows, The Favourite, Destroyer, and Wild Rose.

Who will be loved and adored at this year's festival?

Here is everything you need to know.

BFI London Film Festival 2019 dates

The BFI London Film Festival 2019 will be held from Wednesday, October 2, 2019 to Sunday, October 13, 2019.

BFI London Film Festival 2019 line-up

Dev Patel in The Personal History of David Copperfield (
Image:
LIONSGATE)

The full Festival programme was announced on Thursday 29 August 2019.

Gala Presentations

(
Image:
YOUTUBE/NETFLIX)

Opening Gala - The Personal History of David Copperfield (USA, United Kingdom, dir. Armando Iannucci)

 

American Express Gala - Knives Out (USA, Rian Johnson)

 

Headline Gala - Hope Gap (dir-scr. William Nicholson)

 

Headline Gala - Greed (dir. Michael Winterbottom)

 

Headline Gala - JoJo Rabbit (dir. Taika Waititi)

The Mayfair Hotel  Gala - Marriage Story (dir. Noah Baumbach)

 

Mayor of London Gala - The Aeronauts (dir. Alexandra Byrne)

American Airlines Gala -  The King (dir. David Michod)

BFI Patrons' Gala - A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (dir. Marielle Heller)

Family Gala - Abominable (dir. Jill Culton)

Thrill Gala - Bacurau (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles)

Laugh Gala - The Dude in Me (dir. Kang Hyo-jin)

Journey Gala -  Two Popes (dir. Fernando Meirelles)

Dare Gala - Judy & Punch (dir. Mirrah Foulkes)

Love Gala in association with Visit Malta UK - The Peanut Butter Falcon

Cult Gala in association with Time Out London - The Lighthouse (dir. Robert Eggers)

Debate Gala - Official Secrets (dir. Gavin Hood)

Headline Gala - Le Man's 66 (Ford Vs Ferrari) (dir. James Mangold)

Headline Gala - Ema (dir. Pablo Larrain)

Closing Gala - The Irishman (USA, dir. Martin Scorsese)

 

Special Presentations

(
Image:
BFI)

Special Presentation in association with Empire Magazine - Bad Education (dir. Cory Finlay)

BFI Flare Special Presentation - Portrait of a Lady on Fire (dir. Celine Sciamma)

Archive Special Presentation - Love, Life and Laughter (dir. George Pearson)

Experimental Special Presentation - Krabi, 2562 (dir. Anocha Suwichakornpong and Ben Rivers)

Documentary Special Presentation - The Cave (dir. Feras Fayyad)

Blackbird (dir. Roger Michell)

Bombay Rose (dir. Gitanjali Rao)

First Love (dir. Takash Miike)

Gösta (dir. Lukas Moodysson)

Our Ladies (dir. Michael Caton-Jones)

Rocks (dir. Sarah Gavron)

 

Also showing

(
Image:
Instagram: @xavierdolan)

Wounds (dir. Babak Anvari)

Waiting for the Barbarians (dir. Ciro Guerra)

A Hidden Life (dir. Terrence Malick)

Matthias and Maxime (dir. Xavier Dolan)

Rare Beasts (dir. Billie Piper)

Monsoon (dir. Hong Khaou)

Late Additions

Waves (
Image:
YouTube/A24)

Wasp Network (Dir. Olivier Assayas) - UK premiere

Olivier Assayas takes us deep into the world of Cuban spies in Florida, in this 1990s-set espionage drama with a sting in its tail.

Waves (Dir. Trey Edward Shults) - European premiere

Following Krisha and It Comes at Night, Trey Edward Shults continues to impress with one of the year’s most dazzling cinematic achievements, a study of a family’s dramatic unravelling and redemption. 

Just Mercy (Dir. Destin Daniel Cretton) - European premiere

Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx excel in this powerful and impassioned death row drama based on real events.

Harriet (Dir. Kasi Lemmons) - International premiere

Cynthia Erivo (Widows) gives a show-stopping and star-making turn as the American revolutionary anti-slavery heroine Harriet Tubman in Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet.

The Friend (Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite) - - European premiere

Jason Segal, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck star in this intensely moving and beautifully mounted drama detailing how a friend saved a family after a young mother’s diagnosis with cancer.

Tickets go on sale to BFI Champions Thurs 19 Sep 10am, BFI Members Thurs 19  Sep 11am and to the public from Fri 20 Sep 10am.

16-25 year olds will have access to £5 tickets advance sale for Harriet and the Screen Talk with Michael B Jordan

 

In Competition

Anny Lye Deliver'd (United Kingdom-Germany, dir-scr. Thomas Clay)

Honey Boy (USA, dir. Alma Har’el)

La Llorona (Guatemala-France, dir. Jayro Bustamante)

Lingua Franca (USA, dir-scr. Isabel Sandoval)

Moffie (South Africa-United Kingdom, dir. Oliver Hermanus)

Monos (Colombia-Argentina-Netherlands-Germany-Sweden-Uruguay-USA, dir. Alejandro Landes)

The Other Lamb (Ireland-Belgium-USA, dir. Małgorzata Szumowska)

The Perfect Candidate (Germany-Saudi Arabia, dir. Haifaa Al Mansour)

Rose Plays Julie (Ireland-United Kingdom, dir-scr. Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor)

Saint Maud (United Kingdom, dir-scr. Rose Glass)

 

First Feature Competition for The Sutherland Award

Atlantics (dir. Mati Diop)

Babyteeth (dir. Shannon Murphy)

Scales (dir. Shahad Ameen)

Calm with Horses  (dir. Nick Rowland)

House of Hummingbird (dir. Bora Kim)

Instinct (dir. Halina Reijn)

The Last Black Man in San Fransisco (dir. Joe Talbot)

Make Up (dir. Claire Oakley)

Relativity (dir. Mariko Minoguchi)

 

Short Film Competition

If You Knew – Dir. Stroma Cairns

What do You Know About the Water and the Moon– Dir. Jian Luo

White Girl – Dir. Nadia Latif

Fault Line (Gosal) – Dir. Soheil Amirsharifi

GUO4 – Dir. Peter Strickland

In Vitro – Dir. Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind

Algo-Rhythm  – Dir. Manu Luksch

Between (Entre) – Dir. Ana Carolina Marinho, Bárbara Santos

In Between (Ne Mes) –Dir. Samir Karahoda

Child – Dir. Talia Zucker

Watermelon Juice (Suc de Sindria) – Dir. Irene Moray

Queering Di Teknolojik - Dir. Timothy Smith

 

Documentary Competition

Cold Case Hammarskjold (dir. Mads Brügger)

Coup 53 (dir. Taghi Amirani)

Cunningham (dir. Alla Kovgan)

I Am (Not) a Monster (dir. Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stepanian)

The Kingmaker (dir. Lauren Greenfield)

Mystify: Michael Hutchence (dir. Richard Lowenstein)

Overseas (dir. Sung-A Yoon)

A Pleasure, Comrades! (dir. Jose Filipe Costa)

White Riot  (dir. Rubika Shah)

 

LFF Screen Talks

LFF Screen Talk: Rian Johnson

LFF Screen Talk: Kim Longinotto

LFF Screen Talk: Michael B Jordan

LFF Screen Talk: Celine Sciamma

 

LFF Screen Talk: William Nicholson

 

LFF Screen Talk: Atom Egoyan

 

For the rest of the programme, see here.

BFI London Film Festival 2019 opening gala

The 63rd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express has announced that this year’s Opening Night gala will be The Personal History of David Copperfield, directed by the multi-award-winning writer, filmmaker and broadcaster Armando Iannucci and starring BAFTA Award winner Dev Patel as David Copperfield.  

The film will receive its European Premiere on Wednesday October 2, 2019, at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square. 

This new take on Charles Dickens’ classic novel boasts a stellar British cast led by Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse and Gwendoline Christie; many of whom are expected on the red carpet in Leicester Square.

An avid Charles Dickens fan, Armando Iannucci (the award-winning writer/director of The Thick of It, In the Loop, Veep and The Death of Stalin) adapts here, alongside frequent collaborator Simon Blackwell, employing his comedic style to bring to life Dickens' beloved characters.

Armando Iannucci, director, producer and co-writer, commented: "It’s a huge thrill and honour to be asked to open the fantastic BFI London Film Festival. ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ is a film about compassion, humour, generosity and friendship, and I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming setting in which to premiere it."

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director said: "Scotland’s Armando Iannucci is one of the most prodigiously talented and original filmmakers hailing from the UK. The Personal History of David Copperfield shows his trademark wit and a joyous sense of style - it’s a delight from start to finish, with Dev Patel and co-stars delivering performances of megawatt charm and comic flair.

"I’m so excited to be opening the 63 BFI London Film Festival with this film which is not only wildly entertaining but also a timely celebration of the power of generosity and compassion."

BFI London Film Festival 2019 American Express' gala

(
Image:
Courtesy of Lionsgate UK)

Also showing at the festival is the all-star murder mystery film Knives Out.

Rian Johnson , writer and director, commented to BFI: "I’m thrilled to be screening KNIVES OUT at the BFI London Film Festival. This film was an attempt to capture the twisty fun of an Agatha Christie whodunnit, it’s a great pleasure to be showing it in the country responsible for the genre’s golden age."

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director SAID: "With  Knives Out , Rian Johnson has crafted a devilishly clever and wickedly entertaining new crime caper. As with his previous work, Johnson brings immense erudition and passion for the conventions of the genre he’s working in, but always makes something entirely his own. This is impeccably designed, with writing that keeps you guessing to the final moments and his extraordinary cast are at their arch and compelling best.  Knives Out  is a whodunit, as sharp as the blade that killed the patriarch at the heart of the film and we are overjoyed to present the European Premiere as our principle partner, American Express’s Gala."

BFI London Film Festival 2019 closing gala

 

(
Image:
Netflix)

 

The film set to close the festival with its International Premiere is the new gangster epic from the legendary Martin Scorsese, entitled The Irishman.

The Irishman will have its International Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival 2019 on October 13, 2019.

Martin Scorsese, director commented “I’m extremely honored to be having the International Premiere of THE IRISHMAN at the closing night of the BFI London Film Festival. This picture was many years in the making. It’s a project that Robert De Niro and I started talking about a long time ago, and we wanted to make it theway it needed to be made. It’s also a picture that all of us could only have made at this point in our lives. We’re all very excited to be bringing THE IRISHMAN to London.”

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director said “What an immense cinephile thrill it is to close the 63rd BFI London Film Festival with the International Premiere of Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. British Film Institute Fellow Scorsese is one of the true greats of cinema – as both a creator and a tireless champion of preservation and film history – and here he and his creative team have delivered an epic of breathtakingly audacious scale and complexity, exploring relationships of trust and betrayal, regret and remorselessness, which dominated a period of American history. This is a major occasion for film lovers and I cannot wait to share this film with UK audiences.”

Scorsese and much of the cast are expected to be in attendance.

The BFI London Film Festival 2019 will be held from Wednesday, October 2, 2019 to Sunday, October 13, 2019.

Will you be attending the BFI London Film Festival 2019? Let us know in the comments below.