International filmmakers and stars confirmed to attend the 65th BFI London Film Festival

The 65th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express announces the line-up of filmmakers and stars attending this year’s festival. 

4 October 2021

BFI London Film Festival 2021 artwork
London Film Festival

Headline galas

The Harder They Fall: Jeymes Samuel, Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Edi Gathegi, RJ Cyle, Deon Cole, James Lassiter, Mihai Malaimare, Tom Eagles; The Tragedy of Macbeth: Joel Coen, Frances McDormand, Kathryn Hunter, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Bruno Delbonnel; Belfast: Kenneth Branagh, Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Ciarán Hinds, Lara McDonnell, Jude Hill, Lewis; Last Night in Soho: Edgar Wright, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Matt Smith, Michael Ajao; Mothering Sunday: Eva Husson, Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Glenda Jackson, Stephen Woolley, Elizabeth Karlsen; Ron’s Gone Wrong: Sarah Smith, Jean-Philippe Vine, Octavio E. Rodriguez, Julie Lockhart, Liam Payne, Kylie Cantrall; Spencer: Kristen Stewart; The Lost Daughter: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Jack Farthing, Robyn Elwell, Ellie Blake; The Power of the Dog: Jane Campion, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Tanya Seghatchian, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Ari Wegner; The Souvenir Part II: Joanna Hogg, Honor Swinton-Byrne, Harris Dickinson, Charlie Heaton, Jaygann Ayeh, Richard Ayoade, Lydia Fox. 

Special presentations and special screenings

Ali & Ava: Clio Barnard, Claire Rushbrook, Adeel Akhtar; Benediction: Terence Davies, Mike Elliott, Peter Capaldi, Geraldine James, Gemma Jones, Jack Lowden, Calam Lynch, Kate Phillips, Matthew Tennyson; Flee: Jonas Poher Rasmussen; Great Freedom: Sebastian Meise; Neptune Frost: Anisia Uzeyman, Saul Williams; Paris, 13th District: Lucie Zhang; The Phantom of the Open: Craig Roberts, Mark Rylance, Jake Davies, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees, Simon Farnaby, Scott Murray, Ash Tandon, Steve Oram, Tim Steed; The Velvet Underground: Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn; Titane: Julia Ducournau, Agathe Rouselle, Vincent Lindon; Succession: Jesse Armstrong, Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfayden, J. Smith Cameron, Alan Ruck, Lucy Prebble, Jon Brown, Scott Ferguson, Tony Roche. 

Official Competition

Belle: Mamoru Hosoda; Il buco: Michelangelo Frammartino; Lingui, the Sacred Bonds: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun; Sundown: Michel Franco, Henry Goodman, Albertine Kotting McMillan, Samuel Bottomley, James Tarpey; The Hand of God: Paolo Sorrentino, Filippo Scotti, Lorenzo Mieli, Daria D’Antonio, Luisa Ranieri, Teresa Saponangelo; True Things: Harry Wootliff, Ruth Wilson. 

First Feature Competition

Azor: Andreas Fontana; Costa Brava Lebanon: Mounia Akl, Nadine Labaki, François Nour; Playground: Laura Wandel; Small Body: Laura Samani; The Alleys: Bassel Ghandour; The Feast: Lee Haven Jones, Roger Williams, Annes Elwy, Nia Roberts.

Documentary Competition

Babi Yar. Context: Sergei Loznitsa; Cow: Andrea Arnold; Faya Dayi: Jessica Beshir; Nascondino (hide and Seek): Victoria Fiore; The Dance: Pat Collins.

Short Film Competition 

The Bang Straws: Michelle Williams Gamaker; Diseased and Disorderly: Andrew Kötting; Femme: Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Harris Dickinson, Paapa Essiedu; for Love: Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor; Know the Grass: Sophie Littman, India Fowler, Conrad Khan; Love, Dad: Diana Cam Van Nguyen; Precious Hair & Beauty: John Ogunmuyiwa; Stiletto: “A Pink Family Tragedy”: Can Merdan Doğan.

Love

The Tender Bar: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Lily Rabe; A Tale of Love and Desire: Sami Outalbali, Diong-Kéba Tacu; Bantú Mama: Clarisse Albrecht; Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest: Mads Hedegaard; Compartment No. 6: Juho Kuosmanen; Seidi Haarla Our Men: Edwin Gaffney; Petite Maman: Céline Sciamma; Ride the Wave: Martyn Roberston; the Gravedigger’s Wife: Khadar Ayderus Ahmed; The Outlaws: Benjamin Helstad; The Worst Person in the World: Joachim Trier, Anders Danielsen Lie; Two Friends: Prasun Chatterjee; When a Farm Goes Aflame: Jide Tom Akinleminu.

Debate 

A Hero: Asghar Farhadi; Ahed’s Knee: Nadav Lapid; Between Two Worlds: Emmanuel Carrère; Burn it Down!: Celia Aniskovich, Tim Travers Hawkins; Ear for Eye: Debbie Tucker Green; Leave No Traces: Jan P. Matuszyński; Mass: Fran Kransz, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton; The First Wave: Matthew Heineman; The Hole in the Fence: Joaquín Del Paso; The Neutral Ground: Cj Hunt; Welcome to Spain: Juan Antonia Moreno. 

Laugh 

7 Days: Roshan Sethi; Karan Soni  All My Friends Hate Me: Andrew Gaynord; Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn: Radu Jude; Cop Secret: Hannes Thór Halldórsson, Audunn Blondal, Egill Einarsson, Sverrir Thor Sverrisson; The Divide: Catherine Corsini; The Odd-Job Men: Neus Ballús; Queen of Glory: Nana Mensah. 

Dare 

All Is Vanity: Marcos Mereles, James Aroussi, Sid Phoenix, Christopher Sherwood, Rosie Steel, Isabelle Bonfrer; as in Heaven: Tea Lindeburg; Clara Sola: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén; Earwig: Lucile Hadzihalilovic; La Mif: Fred Bailif, Charlotte Areddy, Joseph Areddy, Anaïs Uldry; Memory Box: Joana Hadjithomas, Kahlil Joreige; Natural Light: Dénes Nagy; The Tsugua Diaries: Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes; Users: Natalia Almada.

Thrill 

Boiling Point: Philip Barantini, Stephen Graham, Jason Flemyng, Ray Panthaki, Vignette Robinson, Hannah Walters; Bull: Andrew Williams, Neil Maskell, David Hayman; Encounter: Michael Pearce, Riz Ahmed; Hinterland: Stefan Ruzowitzky; Munich — The Edge of War: Christian Schwochow; See for Me: Randall Okita; Wild Indian: Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.

Cult 

A Banquet: Ruth Paxton, Sienna Guillory, Jessica Alexander; Dashcam: Rob Savage; Annie Hardy; Inexorable: Fabrice Du Welz; La Abuela: Paco Plaza; Lamb: Valdimar Jóhannsson; Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon: Ana Lily Amirpour; She Will: Amy Manson, Charlotte Colbert, Kota Eberhardt, Rupert Everett, Alice Krige, Malcolm Mcdowell; Shepherd: Russell Owen, Tom Hughes, Gaia Weiss.

Journey 

Citizen Ashe: Rex Miller; Holgut: Liesbeth De Ceulaer; Luzzu: Alex Camilleri; Passing: Rebecca Hall, André Holland, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland, Margot Hand; Sediments: Adrián Silvestre; The Sea Ahead: Ely Dagher, Manal Issa; The Wolf Suit: Sam Firth, Simon Martin, Eleanor Fusaro; Wood and Water: Jonas Bak.

Create 

8 Bar — The Evolution of Grime: Ewen Spencer; Omar Amiralay — Sorrow, Time, Silence: Hala Alabdalla; Quant: Sadie Frost; The Real Charlie Chaplin: Peter Middleton, James Spinney; The Story of Film: A New Generation: Mark Cousins; The Taking: Alexandre Philippe. 

Family

The Ape Star: Linda Hambäck; Robin Robin Mikey Please, Dan Ojari, Bronte Carmichael, Adeel Akhtar, Sarah Cox, Helen Argo. 

Experimenta

Lago Gatún: Kevin Jerome Everson; The Afterlight: Charlie Shackleton What We Shared: Kamila Kuc; Eye Cut: Sarah Pucill; Libeation Radio: Esther Johnson; Disturbed Earth: Didem Pekün; The Gift: Jasmina Cibic; The Hand That Sings: Alex Reynolds; Animal Antics: Patrick Goddard; Upside Mimi ᴉɯᴉɯ Uʍop: Rachel Maclean; Child of Polycritus: Lauren John Joseph; Isn’t it a Beautiful World: Joseph Wilson; A Dream of Wholness in Parts: Sin Wai Kin. 

Treasures

Naked: Mike Leigh; The Outsiders: Francis Ford Coppola (live Zoom Q&A)

Series

4 Feet High: María Belén Poncio; Curse of the Chippendales: Jesse Vile;  Dopesick: Danny Strong, Kaitlyn Dever, Will Poulter; The Rope: Dominique Rocher, Eric Forestier.

XR

Atomic/ Ghost in the Atom: Felicia Honkasalo, Akuliina Niemi, Masi Tiitta Captured: Hanna Haaslahti, Harmke Heezen Eternal Return — The Memor: Christer Lundahl, Christopher Shaw Eulogy: Glen Neath, David Rosenburg Fauna: Adrien Mondot Inhibition: Zoe Diakaki, Marina Mersiadou Laika: Asif Kapadia, Nick Abadzis Liminal Lands: Jakob Kudsk Steensen Missing Pictures: Episode 2: Clèment Deneux Museum of Austerity:john Pring; Only Expansion: Duncan Speakman Virtually There: Leon Oldstrong

The 65th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express takes place from Wednesday 6 October to Sunday 17 October 2021. 

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