Harvey Weinstein to keynote as part of LFF’s industry programme

The BFI London Film Festival is ramping up its industry programme this year, with Harvey Weinstein set to deliver a keynote address (Thursday 11), Roger Michell participating in an ‘In Conversation’, plus a host of industry screenings, panels and workshops planned.

The industry screenings this year include 41 titles from the festival programme alongside networking events and the annual Meet the Buyer sessions, while the two-day Production Finance Market, facilitating face-to-face meetings between producers and financiers from the UK and the international marketplace, returns for a sixth year.

Think-Shoot-Distribute is the festival’s week-long feature talent development programme designed to provide 25 people working in shorts, TV, theatre, digital media, games, arts or commercials with better industry skills and knowledge.

On Tuesday 16 October Ben Roberts, David Kosse, Andrew MacDonald and Julia Wrigley will be among speakers at an event to discuss the findings of the recent BFI report Opening Our Eyes. They will be joined by the report’s co-authors, Mike Kelly and Chris Chandler of Northern Alliance.

Screen editor Wendy Mitchell will host a panel on windowing and release strategy hosted in association with the Media Desk UK and Europa Distribution, and the LFF and the ICO will discuss the UK festival landscape during the fourth annual Film Festivals Forum.

There will also be panels on a film’s lifecycle and value chain with Gurinder Chadha, Paul Brett, Julia Short, Chris Moll and Samantha Horley: film piracy with the FDA and the Industry Trust; women in film and TV; script editing with Kate Leys; script development with Peter Bloore; and the return of Meet the Experts, during which filmmakers get a 30-minute discussion with industry about their latest project.

Further industry events include the low-budget pitching programme Babylon, the sixth Power to the Pixel cross media-forum and Pixel Pitch, a meet the BFI event and casting director Debbie McWilliams will discuss her profession during a symposium.

Clare Stewart, the BFI’s head of exhibition and LFF festival director said: “The Industry Programme is central to the festival offer, providing real support for the breadth and vitality of the UK film business and tangible opportunities for international colleagues to engage with the UK in smart and inventive ways. With financing opportunities for storytellers making feature films and cutting edge cross-media projects, key services for buyers and sellers to bring exciting new films to UK audiences, training and skills support to aid career progression, and keynotes and conversations from world-leading industry figures, I’m proud to present a programme that speaks to the aspirational, strong and confident industry it is here to serve.”

Harvey Weinstein added: “I am really excited about giving the industry keynote at the London Film Festival this year. Year after year the festival maintains such a high level of films and filmmakers, and I am really excited to see what the BFI and Clare Stewart are putting together for this year.”