Thom Fitzgerald's Cloudburst will open the 26th BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (23 March – 1 April 2012). Starring Oscar®-winning actors Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck, Steel Magnolias, Tales of the City) and Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot, Albert Nobbs) as a pair of septuagenarian lesbian lovers, the film is an unpredictable, heart-warming and romantic road movie.
 
This very funny film shows older women in love and deals with some of the harsh realities of ageing with wit, humour and a great deal of affection. Following their nursing home break out, Stella (Dukakis) and Dottie (Fricker) flee their hometown in Maine and head to Canada to get married, picking up an ally along the way in this most unlikely of road movies.
 
Director Thom Fitzgerald is no stranger to the LLGFF. He will have opened the festival three times, a record achieved by no other filmmaker in the LLGFF’s 26-year history: The Hanging Garden opened the festival in 1998 and The Event was the opener in 2004.
 
Thom Fitzgerald said:
 
"I'm thrilled and tickled that the BFI has chosen Cloudburst to open its 26th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. To me, the BFI is more than a national treasure; it's a cultural icon of worldwide significance. It represents the best in film exhibition and preservation. I deeply appreciate its programmes."
 
Emma Smart, Programmer LLGFF said:
 
"This is a brave and beautiful Opening Night film that’s laugh out loud funny. The on screen chemistry between Dukakis and Fricker is crackling and their relationship hugely touching and believable. It’s great to see older women portrayed on screen with such wit and depth."
 
The full programme for the 26th BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival will be announced on Thursday 23 February.