David Farnor | On 29, Aug 2019

Netflix and Amazon are heading to the UK capital this autumn, as the BFI London Film Festival kicks off another year showcasing some of the year’s best new films.

Netflix’s The Irishman, directed Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, is an epic examination of organised crime in post-war America and will close out the festival on Sunday 13th October – with simultaneous preview screenings taking place at cinemas across the UK. At the other end of the fest is Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, starring Dev Patel in a fresh take on Charles Dickens’ classic novel.

In between them are three more Netflix titles, which will receive high-profile galas at the event: Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, and David Michôd’s The King, starring Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton and Robert Pattinson, plus Fernando Meirelles’ The Two Popes, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as a pair of men tussling over the future of the Catholic Church.

Amazon, though, won’t be left out, with Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones reuniting for The Aeronauts, an adventure story directed by Wild Rose helmer Tom Harper.

Other notable premieres at the festival include the European Premiere of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, a tribute to Agatha Christie starring Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks-starring A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, Michael Winterbottom’s Greed, Hope Gap, starring Josh O’Connor, Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit and James Mangold’s Le Mans ’66.

Pablo Larraín (No) also returns to the festival with EMA, Kleber Mendonça Filho (Neighbouring Sounds) and Juliano Dornelles’ BACURAU, winner of the Cannes Jury Prize 2019, features as this year’s Thrill Gala, Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse heads up the Cult strand, and Gavin Hood’s Official Secrets heads up the Debate section. You’ll also be able to catch Bad Education, the eagerly awaited follow-up to Cory Finley’s explosive debut Thoroughbreds and a special presentation of Gosta, the first foray into episodic TV by We Are the Best! writer-director Lukas Moodysson.

The BFI London Film Festival experience can be enjoyed UK-wide on BFI Player, the BFI’s VOD service, featuring Festival collections showcasing films from previous years.

The festival runs from 2nd to 13th October. For more, visit the official website at http://bfi.org.uk/lff

Add to Watchlist