The 2023 BFI London Film Festival Line Up Is Absolutely Stacked

October is typically considered the height of autumn, and as such, it goes by many names: Pumpkin Spice season, Decorative Gourd season, Spooky season, etc. However, in the entertainment business, it's the heart of film festival season, as major indie films and awards contenders head from high-profile event to high-profile event, walking red carpets and promoting titles. While Hollywood is centered in America, British fare is considered some of the most prestige entries, and the British Film Institute's London Film Festival is the place to be.

Some of the titles that will be playing have already premiered in the last few weeks at the Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, such as the Holocaust drama One Life, starring Johnny Flynn and Anthony Hopkins; Poor Things, the highly-acclaimed sci-fi "steampunk" film from Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone; and Fingernails, the Apple TV+ film starring Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed, which is technically an American production, since Apple is an American company, but a Greek director and British cast.

However, London will have several high-profile debuts of British films during its two-week run from October 4th through the 15th. The festival's Opening Night Gala's presentation will be Emerald Fennell's highly-anticipated modern-day Brideshead, Saltburn. The Closing Night Gala will debut Daniel Kaluuya's directorial debut (co-directed with Kibwe Tavares), The Kitchen. The Mayor of London’s Gala will have the return of Aardman Animations claymation genius and the feature film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. And there's the romantic fantasy film All of Us Strangers, starring Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, the trailer of which just arrived the other day.