The 67th edition of the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) launched last night (October 4) with the European premiere of Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and a welcome from BFI CEO Ben Roberts who promised 12 days of “exceptional quality of filmmaking” and encouraged the industry to engage with the UK government’s Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee.
The committee aims to examine the challenges facing the UK film and TV sectors, including what can be done to maintain the UK’s status as a global hub for international production, how independent producers can best be supported and the difficulties facing exhibition. The deadline for submissions has been extended to October 18.
“Producing this level of work in our industry is difficult,” Roberts told the audience at the Royal Festival Hall. “We really applaud independent filmmakers who put so much on the line to get their work made. I think it’s fair to say it’s getting harder. We’re really pleased that the Culture, Media and Sport select committee are looking at what it will take to ensure the UK remains one of the best places in the world to make film and TV, and if you’ve got an opportunity to engage with that inquiry, which hasn’t been run like this in 20 years, please do.”
Kristy Matheson took to the stage for her first edition as LFF director, having taken over from Tricia Tuttle. The former Edinburgh and Sydney film festival head encouraged audiences over the next 11 days “to travel all around the world, without a suitcase and inside our cinemas”.
Strike impact
The red carpet was a more muted affair than usual, although actors (not part of the Saltburn cast) including Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley and George Jaques were in attendance. Fennell was left to ride solo during the on-stage introduction and post-screening Q&A to the film, as the SAG-AFTRA strike prevented the film’s stellar cast of Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Archie Madekwe, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Carey Mulligan and Alison Oliver from taking part.
Fennell introduced the film by giving thanks to “the incredible crew who are here and made this film so beautiful and so magical. I love you all and I’m so grateful. And to the cast who can’t be here for very good reason, we’re very grateful to them too.”
Saltburn, which world premiered at Telluride, is Fennell’s follow-up to Sundance premiere Promising Young Woman. The film sees Keoghan star as an Oxford university outcast who becomes embroiled with a messy upper-class family across an outrageous summer at the family pile. It is produced by Tom Ackerley, Fennell, Josey McNamara and Margot Robbie for LuckyChap Entertainment and Lie Still and is distributed by MGM and Amazon Prime.
Warner Bros is handling the UK and Ireland theatrical release, out on November 17.
The strike impact was further accentuated as a group of around 20 UK film and TV crew demonstrated outside the Royal Festival Hall, aiming to highlight concern over the lack of support for crews during the US strikes – although the demonstrators were keen to stress the protest was not directed at either the LFF or Saltburn.
The festival is screening almost 240 films from 92 different countries, and runs until October 15. Closing night film is the world premiere of Daniel Kaluuya’s The Kitchen, which is being distributed by Netflix, and produced by DMC Film and 59% Productions with backing from Film4.
No comments yet