2024 BFI London Film Festival

68th BFI London Film Festival
Opening filmBlitz
Closing filmPiece by Piece
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Founded1957
Festival date9–20 October 2024
Websitewhatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp

The 68th BFI London Film Festival was a film festival that took place from 9–20 October 2024. The competition films were announced on 29 August 2024 while the films for the galas and the strands were revealed on 4 September 2024.[1][2]

Steve McQueen's historical drama Blitz opened the festival on 9 October 2024, being the third film by McQueen to do so after Widows in 2018 and Mangrove in 2020.[3] Morgan Neville's animated documentary film Piece by Piece closed the festival on 20 October 2024.[4]

Juries

The jury members were as follows:[5]

Main Competition

First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award)

Documentary Competition (Grierson Award)

  • June Givanni, Guyanese-British curator, archivist, and founder of the June Givanni Pan-African Cinema Archive – Jury president
  • Ella Glendining, British writer and director
  • Raul Niño Zambrano, creative director of Sheffield DocFest

Short Film Competition

  • Chloe Abrahams, Sri Lankan-British writer and director – Jury president
  • Simisolaoluwa Akande, British director
  • George Jaques, British filmmaker

Venues

The partner venues for the festival included:[6][7]

Official Selection

Galas

The following films were selected for the Galas section, which screens world, European, and British premieres:[8]

English Title Original Title Director(s) Country(s)
Opening Night Gala
Blitz Steve McQueen The United Kingdom and the United States
Closing Night Gala
Piece by Piece Morgan Neville The United States
American Express Gala
Elton John: Never Too Late R. J. Cutler and David Furnish The United States
Mayor of London's Gala
We Live in Time John Crowley France and the United Kingdom
Cunard Gala
Joy Ben Taylor The United Kingdom
BFI Patron's Gala
Hard Truths Mike Leigh Spain and the United Kingdom
Family Gala
That Christmas Simon Otto The United Kingdom
Headline Gala
Anora Sean Baker The United States
The Apprentice Ali Abbasi Canada, Denmark and Ireland
Bird Andrea Arnold The United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States
Conclave Edward Berger The United Kingdom and the United States
Emilia Pérez Jacques Audiard France
Maria Pablo Larraín Italy, Germany and the United States
Nightbitch Marielle Heller The United States
The Room Next Door La habitación de al lado Pedro Almodóvar Spain

Special Presentations

The following films were selected for the Special Presentations section:

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
All We Imagine As Light Payal Kapadia France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich United States
Dahomey Mati Diop France, Senegal, Benin
Endurance Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Natalie Hewit United Kingdom, United States
Harvest Athina Rachel Tsangari United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, France, United States
I’m Still Here Ainda Estou Aqui Walter Salles Brazil, France
A Nice Indian Boy (BFI Flare Special Presentation) Roshan Sethi United States, Canada
Nickel Boys RaMell Ross United States
The Piano Lesson Malcolm Washington
Queer Luca Guadagnino Italy, United States
A Real Pain Jesse Eisenberg United States, Poland
The Seed of the Sacred Fig دانه‌ی انجیر معابد Mohammad Rasoulof Iran, Germany, France
Silent Sherlock (1921–1923) Maurice Elvey, George Ridgwell United Kingdom
The Summer Book Charlie McDowell Finland, United Kingdom
The Wild Robot Chris Sanders United States

In Competition

There were four competition sections, each with a different selection of films and different juries.

Official Competition

The following films competed for the Best Film Award:

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
April Dea Kulumbegashvili France, Italy, Georgia
Bring Them Down Christopher Andrews Ireland, United Kingdom, Belgium
The Extraordinary Miss Flower Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard United Kingdom
Four Mothers Colin Thornton, Darren Thornton Ireland, United Kingdom
Living in Two Worlds ぼくが生きてる、ふたつの世界 Mipo O Japan
Memoir of a Snail Adam Elliot Australia
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Rungano Nyoni Zambia, United Kingdom, Ireland
Thank You for Banking With Us Laila Abbas Palestine, Germany
Under the Volcano Pod wulkanem Damian Kocur Poland
Vermiglio Maura Delpero Italy, France, Belgium
The Wolves Always Come at Night Чоно үүр шөнөөр ирдэг Gabrielle Brady Australia, Mongolia, Germany
Highlighted title indicates the section winner.

First Feature Competition

The following films competed for the Sutherland Award, which is awarded to a directorial debut:

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Crocodile Tears Tumpal Tampubolon Indonesia, France, Singapore, Germany
Hanami Denise Fernandes Switzerland, Portugal, Cape Verde
Happyend Neo Sora Japan, United States
Last Swim Sasha Nathwani United Kingdom
My Eternal Summer Min evige sommer Sylvia Le Fanu Denmark
Olivia & the Clouds Olivia & Las Nubes Tomás Pichardo Espaillat Dominican Republic
On Falling Laura Carreira United Kingdom, Portugal
Santosh Sandhya Suri United Kingdom, France, Germany
September Says Ariane Labed Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany
To a Land Unknown Mahdi Fleifel United Kingdom, Palestine, France, Greece, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Who Do I Belong To ماء العين Meryam Joobeur Tunisia, France, Canada, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Highlighted title indicates the section winner.

Documentary Competition

The following films competed for the Grierson Award, which is awarded to a feature-length documentary.

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Collective MonologueMonólogo colectivoJessica Sarah RinlandArgentina, United Kingdom
HollowaySophie Compton, Daisy-May HudsonUnited Kingdom
KamayIlyas Yourish, Shahrokh BikaranAfghanistan, Belgium, France, Germany
Mother VeraCécile Embleton, Alys TomlinsonUnited Kingdom
Rising Up at NightTongo SaaNelson MakengoDemocratic Republic of Congo, Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso, Qatar
Seeking Mavis BeaconJazmin Renée JonesUnited States
The Shadow ScholarsEloise KingUnited Kingdom
WitchesElizabeth Sankey
Highlighted title indicates the section winner.

Short Film Competition

The following films competed for the Short Film Award.

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Adura Baba MiJuliana KasumuUnited Kingdom
Cold SnapEllen Evans
DragfoxLisa Ott
I Don't Want to Be Just a MemorySarnt UtamachoteGermany
Magic CandiesAmedamaNishio DaisukeJapan
Mother's DayEmily BurnettUnited Kingdom
See It, Say ItNez Khammal
Stomach BugMatty Crawford
Two Refusals (Would We Recognize Ourselves Unbroken?)Suneil SanzgiriUnited States
Vibrations from GazaRehab NazzalPalestine, Canada
Highlighted title indicates the section winner.

Strands

Most of the out-of-competition films have been organised into strands, each based on a different mood or emotion.

Love

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
All of YouWilliam BridgesUnited Kingdom
All Shall Be Well從今以後Ray YeungHong Kong
At Averroès & Rosa ParksAverroès & Rosa ParksNicolas PhilibertFrance
Grand TourMiguel GomesPortugal, Italy, France
I'm Your VenusKimberly ReedUnited States
MotherboardVictoria MapplebeckUnited Kingdom
Patrice: The MovieTed PassonUnited States
PavementsAlex Ross Perry
Queens of DramaLes Reines du drameAlexis LangloisFrance, Belgium
SexDag Johan HaugerudNorway
TarikaСтадотоMilko LazarovBulgaria, Germany, Luxembourg
WeightlessSulla terra leggeriSara FgaierItaly
When Fall Is ComingQuand vient l'automneFrançois OzonFrance
When the Light BreaksLjósbrotRúnar RúnarssonIceland, Netherlands, Croatia, France

Debate

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
2073Asif KapadiaUnited Kingdom
Black Box DiariesShiori ItōJapan, United States, United Kingdom
The Cats of Gokogu ShrineGokōgu no NekoKazuhiro SodaJapan, United States
Families like OursFamilier som voresThomas VinterbergDenmark, France, Sweden, Czechia, Belgium, Norway, Germany
I'm NevenkaSoy NevenkaIcíar BollaínSpain
The InvasionSergei LoznitsaNetherlands, France, United States
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989Göran Hugo OlssonSweden, Finland, Denmark
Julie Keeps QuietJulie zwijgtLeonardo Van DijlBelgium, Sweden
The ListenersJordan TannahillUnited Kingdom
Three Kilometres to the End of the WorldTrei kilometri până la capătul lumiiEmanuel PârvuRomania
Youth (Homecoming)青春Wang BingFrance, Luxembourg, Netherlands

Laugh

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
AudreyNatalie BaileyAustralia
The GutterYassir Lester, Isaiah LesterUnited States
The Other Way AroundVolveréisJonás TruebaSpain, France
RumoursGuy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen JohnsonGermany, Canada
Sofa, So GoodKyle Thiele, Eli Thiele, Cole ThieleUnited States
A Traveler's Needs여행자의 필요Hong Sang-sooSouth Korea
TriumphТриумфKristina Grozeva, Petar ValchanovBulgaria, Greece
Universal LanguageUne langue universelle / آواز بوقلمونMatthew RankinCanada

Dare

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Bionico's BachataLa bachata de BionicoYoel MoralesDominican Republic
Caught by the Tides风流一代Jia ZhangkeChina
Cidade; CampoJuliana RojasBrazil, Germany, France
DiciannoveGiovanni TortoriciItaly, United Kingdom
Don't Cry, ButterflyMu’a trên cánh bU’ó’mDương Diệu LinhVietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia
Eight Postcards from UtopiaOpt ilustrate din lumea idealăRadu Jude, Christian Ferencz-FlatzRomania
Familiar TouchSarah FriedlandUnited States
Fire of WindFogo do VentoMarta MateusPortugal, Switzerland, France
My Stolen PlanetSayyareye dozdide shodeye manFarahnaz SharifiGermany, Iran
The Nights Still Smell of GunpowderAs Noites Ainda Cheiram a PólvoraInadelso CossaMozambique, France, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway
PepeNelson Carlo De Los Santos AriasDominican Republic, Namibia, Germany, France
Formosa BeachPraia FormosaJulia de SimonePortugal, Brazil
Sanatorium Under the Sign of the HourglassBrothers QuayUnited Kingdom, Poland, Germany
Soundtrack to a Coup d'EtatJohan GrimonprezBelgium, France, Netherlands
Sugar IslandJohanné Gómez TerreroDominican Republic, Spain
Việt and NamTrong lòng đấtMinh Quý TrươngVietnam, Philippines, France, Singapore, Netherlands, Italy, Germany

Thrill

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
AïchaMehdi M. BarsaouiTunisia, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
ArchitectonViktor KossakovskyGermany, France
La cocinaAlonso RuizpalaciosMexico, United States
Eat the NightCaroline Poggi, Jonathan VinelFrance
Ghost TrailLes FantômesJonathan MilletFrance, Germany, Belgium
MaldororFabrice Du WelzBelgium, France
Marco, the Invented TruthMarco, la verdad inventadaAitor Arregi, Jon GarañoSpain
MisericordiaMiséricordeAlain GuiraudieFrance, Spain, Portugal
SkincareAustin PetersUnited States
Stranger Eyes默視錄Yeo Siew HuaSingapore, Taiwan, France, United States
A Thousand BlowsSteven KnightUnited Kingdom

Cult

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
The BalconettesLes Femmes au balconNoémie MerlantFrance
Bury Your DeadEnterre Seus MortosMarco DutraBrazil
Chain ReactionsAlexandre O. PhilippeUnited States
FréwakaAislinn ClarkeIreland
Sister MidnightKaran KandhariUnited Kingdom
The SurferLorcan FinneganAustralia, Ireland
The WailingEl llantoPedro Martín-CaleroSpain, Argentina, France
The WeekendDaniel OriahiNigeria

Journey

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
After the Long RainsBaada Ya MasikaDamien HauserKenya, Switzerland
The AssessmentFleur FortunéUnited Kingdom, Germany, United States
BabyMarcelo CaetanoBrazil
EephusCarson LundFrance, United States
Ellis ParkJustin KurzelAustralia
The EndJoshua OppenheimerDenmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom, Sweden
FlowGints ZilbalodisLatvia, Belgium, France
Good OneIndia DonaldsonUnited States
LaylaAmrou Al-KadhiUnited Kingdom
Look into My EyesLana WilsonUnited States
My EverythingMon inséparableAnne-Sophie BaillyFrance
SebastianMikko MäkeläUnited Kingdom, Belgium, Finland
ShambhalaMin Bahadur BhamNepal, France, Norway, Turkey, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States, Qatar
SujoAstrid Rondero, Fernanda ValadezMexico, United States, France
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryIan Bonhôte, Peter EttedguiUnited Kingdom, United States
Treading WaterGino EvansUnited Kingdom
The Village Next to ParadiseMo HaraweAustria, France, Somalia

Create

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Abiding NowhereTsai Ming-liangTaiwan, United States
Ernest Cole: Lost and FoundRaoul PeckUnited States, France
Grand Theft HamletSam Crane, Pinny GryllsUnited Kingdom
It's Not MeC'est pas moiLeos CaraxFrance
One to One: John & YokoKevin MacdonaldUnited Kingdom
Pauline Black: A 2-Tone StoryJane Mingay
The Stimming PoolThe Neurocultures Collective (Sam Chown Ahern, Georgia Bradburn, Benjamin Brown, Robin Elliott-Knowles, Lucy Walker, Steven Eastwood)
Superboys of MalegaonReema KagtiIndia
TwiggySadie FrostUnited Kingdom
Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each OtherJacob Perlmutter, Manon OuimetUnited Kingdom, Denmark, United States
The Way We TalkAdam Wong Sau-PingHong Kong

Experimenta

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
The Treasury of Human InheritanceAlexis Kyle MitchellCanada, United Kingdom
Notes: Remembered and FoundMaria AnastassiouUnited Kingdom, Cyprus
Direct ActionGuillaume Cailleau, Ben RussellGermany, France
A Fidai FilmKamal AljafariPalestine
A Night We Held BetweenNoor Abed
+ No Exorcism FilmKomtouch NapattaloongThailand
Small Hours of the NightDaniel HuiSingapore

Family

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
BlinkEdmund Stenson, Daniel RoherUnited States
The Colors Withinきみの色Naoko YamadaJapan
SavagesSauvagesClaude BarrasSwitzerland, France, Belgium
Watership DownMartin RosenUnited Kingdom

Treasures

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Manthan (1976)Shyam BenegalIndia
Manji (1964)Yasuzō MasumuraJapan
María Candelaria (1943)Emilio FernándezMexico
The Sealed Soil (1977)Khake sar beh mohrMarva NabiliIran
The Talk of the Town (1942)George StevensUnited States

Shorts

The short film programme was divided into the following nine sections.

Family Ties

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
TroubleSarah BlokUnited Kingdom
PigsJulia Jackman
Us FourAlex Peake
Space(s)Luke "Frsh" Fannin
Two MinutesJamie Benyon

Honouring Traditions

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Midnight RisingAileen YeUnited Kingdom, Netherlands
Iranian Yellow PagesAnna SnowballUnited Kingdom
IrpiniaJameisha Prescod
Travelling HomeJuliet Klottrup
Roots that Reach Toward the SkyJess X. SnowUnited States, Canada
Red SoilJoshua IghodaroUnited Kingdom
Salone LoveTajana Tokyo

I Don't Wanna Force a Smile

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Not Surgery HoursTia SalisburyUnited Kingdom
The NobodyRazan Madhoon
Happy MeatMatt Green
Gender RevealMo MattonCanada
Bob's FuneralJack DunphyUnited States
The Real ThingCharlie FinkUnited Kingdom

Sleepless Nights

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
SylviaTárá AyeniUnited Kingdom
Mosquito LadyKristine GerolagaUnited States
The AwakeningAl CampbellUnited Kingdom
Outside NoiseEthan Evans
Dream CreepCarlos A. F. LópezUnited States

Trials and Tribulations

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
HermitDaniel RaggettUnited Kingdom
KaravidheEoin Doran
RhodaAlex Lawther
Fierce-ish GraceAmaya Owen Rowlands
In HeatRory Fleck Byrne

Wondering, Wandering

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
And Granny Would DanceMaryam MohajerUnited Kingdom
A Short Film About KidsIbrahim HandalPalestine
Dawn Every DayAmir YoussefEgypt
Liminal RootsAliyah HarfootUnited Kingdom
What’s the Film About?Poorva Bhat

Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Coo-rageAlina MilkinaNetherlands
Love at First WafLouise Le Toullec, Helene GouilFrance
Who’s Wrong?Vems Fel?Stina Wirsén, Linda HambäckSweden
The Brave LocomotiveAndrew ChesworthUnited States
The Odd CarrotInese PavēneUnited Kingdom
FreelanceLuciano A. Muñoz Sessarego, Magnus I. Møller, Peter SmithDenmark
Yuck!Loïc EspucheFrance
The Child of the WavesL'Enfant des vaguesValentine Hilarin, Gaelle Bejjani, Yuhan Wang, Martin Gross, Noam Szwarc, Sofian Pourquery-de-Boisserin
Hello SummerAhoj letoMartin Smatana, Veronika ZacharováSlovakia, Czechia, France

A Stream of Echoes

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
File No. 2304A.S.M. KobayashiCanada, United States
At the Verge of WordlessnessAlaa Abu AsadNetherlands
Before SerianaAvant SerianaSamy BenammarCanada, Algeria
Crocodile NestNido de CocodriloJazmin Rojas ForeroColombia, Germany

Right in the Substance of Them a Trace of What Happened

English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country
Non/LivingMüge YildizTurkey, Finland
Two StonesRua KōhatuNoel MeekNew Zealand
Hexham HeadsChloë Delanghe, Mattijs DriesenBelgium
The Flesh of LanguageAmanda RiceIreland
HemelDanielle DeanUnited Kingdom
Our Lady Who BurnsNossa Senhora Que QueimaAlice dos ReisPortugal

Surprise Film

Saturday Night, dir. Jason Reitman

Awards

The following awards were presented:[9][10]

In competition

Audience awards

  • Best Feature: Four Mothers by Colin Thornton and Darren Thornton
  • Best Documentary: Holloway by Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson
  • Best Short Film: Two Minutes by Jamie Benyon

References

  1. ↑ Ntim, Zac (29 August 2024). "London Film Festival: Dea Kulumbegashvili's 'April' And Barry Keoghan Pic 'Bring Them Down' To Play In Competition". Deadline. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  2. ↑ "Full programme announced for 68th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. 2024-09-04. Archived from the original on 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  3. ↑ Ntim, Zac (July 1, 2024). "Steve McQueen's 'Blitz' To Open London Film Festival As World Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (2024-09-04). "Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig, Elton John, Andrew Garfield, Saoirse Ronan Titles Among BFI London Film Festival Full Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  5. ↑ "Competition juries announced for 68th BFI London Film Festival". BFI London Film Festival. 27 September 2024. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "LFF on tour". British Film Institute. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "Venues". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Ntim, Zac (2024-09-04). "BFI London Film Festival Lineup: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin To Debut 'Endurance', Baker, Heller, Berger & Abbasi's Trump Movie Among Headline Galas — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  9. ↑ Dalton, Ben (20 October 2024). "Adam Elliot's 'Memoir Of A Snail' heads BFI London Film Festival 2024 winners". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Ford, Lily (2024-11-04). "BFI London Film Fest Posts 10-Year-High in Attendance, Unveils Audience Awards Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
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