BFI London Film Festival unveils full 2024 line-up

Fifteen features will world premiere at the 68th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), including Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s documentary Endurance, and previously announced opening title Steve McQueen’s Blitz. 

The festival takes place from October 9-20.

Free Solo and Nyad directing duo Vasarhelyi and Chin direct Endurance alongside Natalie Hewit, which examines the lost ship of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Further world premieres include Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson’s documentary Holloway, about one of the largest women’s prisons in Europe.

Steven Knight’s Victorian boxing series A Thousand Blows, starring Stephen Graham, will receive its world premiere.

Previously announced world premieres include Ben Taylor’s Cunard Gala Joy and main competition titles Darren Thornton’s Irish comedy film Four Mothers, Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas’ feature debut, Thank You For Banking With Us and Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard The Extraordinary Miss Flower.

The first feature competition includes five UK-produced features: Sasha Nathwani’s Berlinale premiere Last Swim; Laura Carreira’s Toronto title On Falling; and Cannes premieres Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, Ariane Labed’s September Says and Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown.

Unannounced headline galas include a selection of Cannes, Toronto and Venice premieres, including Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, Sean Baker’s Anora, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, Edward Berger’s Conclave, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez and Pablo Larraín’s Maria. John Crowley’s San Sebastian closing night film We Live In Time is the Mayor of London’s Gala and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths is the BFI Patrons’ Gala.

A total of 168 features are set to make-up the programme, including two world premieres that are yet to be announced and the surprise film. This is roughly in line with recent editions, with 171 features playing in 2023, including 14 world premieres, and 164 in 2022.

Of the 253 works that make-up the programme, including shorts, series, episodic and immersive pieces, 112 works, or 44%, of the programme are from by female and non-binary filmmakers. This is a small increase on last year, when 42% of the programme were from female or non-binary directors, and 2022, where the figure was 41%.

The festival will take place at London’s BFI Southbank and The Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, as well as cinemas and venues across central London including Curzon Soho and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and nine partner cinemas across the UK: Manchester’s HOME; Bristol’s Watershed; Glasgow Film Theatre; Nottingham’s Broadway; Sheffield’s Showroom Cinema; Belfast’s Queen’s Film Theatre; Cardiff’s Chapter; and Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema.

Full details of the industry line-up will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

LFF 2024 line-up

*denotes world premiere

Headline galas

Blitz* (UK) – opening night
Dir. Steve McQueen

Piece By Piece (US) – closing night
Dir. Morgan Neville

Elton John: Never Too Late (US)
Dirs. R.J. Cutler, David Furnish

Anora (US)
Dir. Sean Baker

The Apprentice (Can-Den-Ire)
Dir. Ali Abbasi

Bird (UK)
Dir. Andrea Arnold

Conclave (UK-US)
Dir. Edward Berger

Emilia Pérez (Fr)
Dir. Jacques Audiard

Hard Truths (UK-Sp)
Dir. Mike Leigh

Joy* (UK)
Dir. Ben Taylor

Maria (It-Ger-US)
Dir. Pablo Larraín

Nightbitch (US)
Dir. Marielle Heller

That Christmas* (UK)
Dir. Simon Otto

The Room Next Door (Sp)
Dir. Pedro Almodóvar

We Live In Time (UK-Fr)
Dir. John Crowley

Special presentations

All We Imagine As Light (Fr-India-Neth-Lux)
Dir. Payal Kapadia

The Ballad Of Suzanne Césaire (US)
Dir. Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich

Dahomey (Fr-Senegal-Benin)
Dir. Mati Diop

Endurance* (UK-US)
Dirs. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Natalie Hewit

Harvest (UK-Ger-Greece-Fr-US)
Dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari

I’m Still Here (Bra-Fr)
Dir. Walter Salles

A Nice Indian Boy (US-Can)
Dir. Roshan Sethi

Nickel Boys (US)
Dir. Ramell Ross

The Piano Lesson (US)
Dir. Malcolm Washington

Queer (It-US)
Dir. Luca Guadagnino

A Real Pain (US-Pol)
Dir. Jesse Eisenberg

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Iran-Ger-Fr)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof

Silent Sherlock (UK)
Dirs. Maurice Elvey, George Ridgwell

The Wild Robot (US)
Dir. Chris Sanders

The Summer Book* (Fin-UK) 
Dir. Charlie McDowell 

LFF awards

Official competition

April (Fr-Geo-It)

Dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili

Bring Them Down (Ire-UK-Belg) 

Dir. Christopher Andrews

The Extraordinary Miss Flower* (UK)
Dirs. Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

Four Mothers* (Ire-UK)
Dir. Darren Thornton

Living In Two Worlds (Japan)
Dir. Mipo O

Memoir Of A Snail (Australia)
Dir. Adam Elliot

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (Zambia-UK-Ire) 

Dir. Rungano Nyoni

Thank You For Banking With Us* (Palestine-Ger)
Dir. Laila Abbas

The Wolves Always Come At Night (Australia-Mong-Ger)
Dir. Gabrielle Brady

Under The Volcano (Pol) 

Dir. Damian Kocur

Vermiglio (It-Fr-Belg)
Dir. Maura Delpero

First Feature competition

Crocodile Tears (Indonesia-Fr-Sing-Ger)
Dir. Tumpal Tampubolon

Hanami (Switz-Port-Cape Verde)
Dir. Denise Fernandes

Happyend (Japan-US)
Dir. Neo Sora

Last Swim (UK)
Dir. Sasha Nathwani

My Eternal Summer (Den)
Dir. Sylvia Le Fanu

Olivia & The Clouds (Dom Rep)
Dir. Tomás Pichardo Espaillat

On Falling (UK-Port)
Dir. Laura Carreira

Santosh (UK-Fr-Ger)
Dir. Sandhya Suri

September Says (Ire-UK-Ger)
Dir. Ariane Labed

To A Land Unknown (UK-Palestine-Fr-Greece-Neth-Ger)
Dir. Mahdi Fleifel

Who Do I Belong To (Fr-Can-Tunisia)
Dir. Meryam Joobeur

Documentary competition

Collective Monologue (Arg-UK)
Dir. Jessica Sarah Rinland

Holloway* (UK)
Dirs. Sophie Compton, Daisy-May Hudson

Kamay (Afg-Bel-Fr-Ger)
Dirs. Ilyas Yourish, Shahrokh Bikaran

Mother Vera (UK)
Dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson

Rising Up At Night (Democratic Republic Of Congo-Bel-Ger-Burkina Faso-Qat)
Dir. Nelson Makengo

Seeking Mavis Beacon (US)
Dir. Jazmin Jones

The Shadow Scholars* (UK)
Dir. Eloise King

Witches (UK)
Dir. Elizabeth Sankey

Love

All Of You (UK)
Dir. William Bridges

All Shall Be Well (HK)
Dir. Ray Yeung

At Averroes & Rosa Parks (Fr)
Dir. Nicolas Philibert

Grand Tour (Port-It-Fr)
Dir. Miguel Gomes

I’m Your Venus (US)
Dir. Kimberly Reed

Motherboard (UK)
Dir. Victoria Mapplebeck

Patrice: The Movie (US)
Dir. Ted Passon

Pavements (US)
Dir. Alex Ross Perry

Queens Of Drama (Fr-Belg)
Dir. Alexis Langloi

Sex (Nor)
Dir. Dag Johan Haugerud

Tarika* (Bul-Ger-Lux)
Dir. Milko Lazarov

Weightless (It)
Dir. Sara Fgaier

When Fall Is Coming (Fr)
Dir. François Ozon

When The Light Breaks (Ice-Neth-Cro-Fr)
Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson

Debate

2073 (UK)
Dir. Asif Kapadia

Black Box Diaries (Japan-US-UK)
Dir. Shiori Itō

The Cats Of Gokogu Shrine (Japan-US)
Dir. Kazuhiro Soda

Families Like Ours (Den-Fr-Swe-Czech-Belg-Nor-Germ))
Dir. Thomas Vinterberg

I Am Nevenka (Sp-It)
Dir. Icíar Bollaín

The Invasion (Neth-Fr-Us)
Dir. Sergei Loznitsa

Israel Palestine On Swedish TV 1958-1989 (Swe-Fin-Den)
Dir. Göran Hugo Olsson

Julie Keeps Quiet (Bel-Swe)
Dir. Leonardo Van Dijl

The Listeners (UK)
Series creator: Jordan Tannahill

Three Kilometres To The End Of The World (Rom)
Dir. Emanuel Pârvu

Youth (Homecoming) (Fr-Lux-Neth)
Dir. Wang Bing

Laugh

Audrey (Australia)
Dir. Natalie Bailey

The Gutter (US)
Dirs. Isaiah Lester, Yassir Lester

The Other Way Around (Sp-Fr)
Dir. Jonás Trueba

Rumours (Can-Germany)
Dirs. Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson

Sofa, So Good (US)
Dirs. Kyle Thiele, Eli Thiele, Cole Thiele

A Traveler’s Needs (S Kor)
Dir. Hong Sangsoo, South Korea)

Triumph (Bul-Greece)
Dirs. Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov

Universal Language (Can)
Dir. Matthew Rankin

Dare

Bionico’s Bachata (Dom Rep)
Dir. Yoel Morales

Caught By The Tides (China)
Dir. Jia Zhangke

Cidade; Campo (Bra-Ger-Fr)
Dir. Juliana Rojas

Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Viet-Sing-Phil-Indo)
Dir. Dương Diệu Linh

Eight Postcards From Utopia (Rom)
Dirs. Radu Jude, Christian Ferencz-Flatz

Familiar Touch (US)
Dir. Sarah Friedland

My Stolen Planet (Ger-Iran)
Dir. Farahnaz Sharifi

The Nights Still Smell Of Gunpowder (Mozambique-Fr-Ger-Port-Neth-Nor)
Dir. Inadelso Cossa

Pepe (Dom Rep- Namibia-Ger-Fr)
Dir. Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias

Praia Formosa (Port-Bra)
Dir. Julia De Simone, Portugal-Bra

Sanatorium Under The Sign Of The Hourglass (UK-Pol-Ger)
Dirs. Quay Brothers

Soundtrack To A Coup D’êtat (Belg-Fr-Neth)
Dir. Johan Grimonprez

Sugar Island (Dom Rep-Sp)
Dir. Johanné Gómez Terrero

Viêt And Nam (Phil-Fr-Sing-Neth-It-Ger-Viet)
Dir. Trương Minh Quý

Diciannove (It-UK) 
Dir. Giovanni Tortorici

Fire Of Wind (Port-Switz-Fr) 
Dir. Marta Mateus

Thrill

Aïcha (Tunisia-Fr-It-Saudi-Qat)
Dir. Mehdi M. Barsaoui

Architecton (Ger-Fr)
Dir. Victor Kossakovsky

La Cocina (Mex-US)
Dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios

Eat The Night (Fr)
Dirs. Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel

Ghost Trail (Fr-Ger-Belg)
Dir. Jonathan Millet

Maldoror (Belg-Fr)
Dir. Fabrice Du Welz

Marco, The Invented Truth (Sp)
Dirs. Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño

Misericordia (Fr-Sp-Port)
Dir. Alain Guiraudie

Skincare (US-It)
Dir. Austin Peters

Stranger Eyes (Sing-Tai-Fr-US)
Dir. Yeo Siew Hua

A Thousand Blows (UK)
Series creator: Steven Knight

Cult

The Balconettes (Fr)
Dir. Noémie Merlant

Chain Reactions (US)
Dir. Alexandre O. Philippe

Fréwaka (Ire)
Dir. Aislinn Clarke

Sister Midnight (UK)
Dir. Karan Kandhari

The Surfer (Australia-Ire)
Dir. Lorcan Finnegan

The Wailing (Sp-Arg-Fr)
Dir. Pedro Martín-Calero

The Weekend (Nigeria)
Dir. Daniel Oriahi

Bury Your Dead (Bra) 
Dir. Marco Dutra

Journey

After The Long Rains (Kenya-Switz)
Dir. Damien Hauser

Baby (Bra)
Dir. Marcelo Caetano

Eephus (US-Fr)
Dir. Carson Lund

Flow (Latvia-Fr-Belg)
Dir. Gints Zilbalodis

Good One (US)
Dir. India Donaldson

Layla (UK)
Dir. Amrou Al-Kadhi

Look Into My Eyes (US)
Dir. Lana Wilson

My Everything (Fr)
Dir. Anne-Sophie Bailly

Sebastian (UK-Belg-Fin)
Dir. Mikko Mäkelä

Shambhala (Nepal-Fr-Nor-Turkey-HK-Tai-US-Qat)
Dir. Min Bahadur Bham

Sujo (Mex-Fr-US)
Dirs. Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valade

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (UK-US)
Dirs. Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui

Treading Water* (UK)
Dir. Gino Evans

The Village Next To Paradise (Austria-Fr-Ger-Somalia)
Dir. Mo Harawe

Ellis Park (Australia)
Dir. Justin Kurzel

The Assessment (UK-Ger-US)
Dir. Fleur Fortuné

The End (Den-Ger-Ire-It-UK-Swe)
Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer

Create

Abiding Nowhere (Tai-US)
Dirs. Tsai Ming-Liang

Ernest Cole: Lost & Found (Fr-US)
Dir. Raoul Peck

Grand Theft Hamlet (UK)
Dirs. Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane

It’s Not Me (Fr)
Dir. Leos Carax

One To One: John & Yoko (UK)
Dirs. Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards

Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story (UK)
Dir. Jane Mingay

The Stimming Pool (UK)
Dir. The Neurocultures Collective

Superboys Of Malegaon (India)
Dir. Reema Kagti

Twiggy (UK)
Dir. Sadie Frost

Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other (UK-Den-US)
Dirs. Jacob Perlmutter, Manon Ouimet

The Way We Talk* (HK)
Dirs. Adam Wong Sau-Ping

Experimenta

The Treasury Of Human Inheritance (Canada-UK)
Dir. Alexis Kyle Mitchell

I Don’t Want To Be Just A Memory (Ger)
Dir. Sarnt Utamachote

Forms Of Circulation #1 (UK)
Dirs. Paul Stewart, Sarah Perks

The River That Never Ends (Phil)
Dir. Jt Trinidad

Notes: Remembered And Found (UK-Cyprus)
Dir. Maria Anastassiou

Two Refusals (Would We Recognize Ourselves Unbroken?) (US)
Dir. Suneil Sanzgiri

File No. 2304 (Can-US)
Dir. A.S.M. Kobayashi

At The Verge Of Wordlessness (Neth)
Dir. Alaa Abu Asad

Avant Seriana (Can-Algeria)
Dir. Samy Benammar

Nido De Crocodilo (Col-Ger)
Dir. Jazmin Rojas Forero

Non/Living (Turkey-Fin)
Dir. Müge Yildiz

Two Stones
Dir. Noel Meek (NZ)

Hexham Heads (Belg)
Dirs. Chloë Delanghe, Mattijs Driesen

The Flesh Of Language (Ire)
Dir. Amanda Rice

Hemel (UK)
Dir. Danielle Dean

Our Lady Who Burns (Port)
Dir. Alice Dos Reis

Direct Action (Ger-Fr)
Dirs. Guillaume Cailleau, Ben Russell

A Fidai Film (Palestine)
Dir. Kamal Aljafari

Undr (Palestine)
Dir. Kamal Aljafari

A Night We Held Between (Palestine)
Dir. Noor Abed

No Exorcism Film (Thai)
Dir. Komtouch Napattaloong

Small Hours Of The Night (Sing)
Dir. Daniel Hui

Lff Expanded

Impulse: Playing With Reality (UK)
Lead Artist – Anagram

Arcade (UK)
Lead Artist – Darkfield

Last Minute (Fr)
Lead Artists – Adrien M & Claire B

Superradiance. Embodying Earth (US)
Lead Artists – Memo Akten, Katie Peyton Hofstadter

The Great Endeavour (US)
Lead Artist – Liam Young

Mammary Mountain (UK)
Lead Artists – Tara Baoth Mooney, Camille Baker, Maf’j Alvarez

Emperor (Fr)
Lead Artists – Marion Burger, Ilan J. Cohen

Soul Paint (UK-Neth)
Lead Artists – Sarah Ticho, Niki Smit 

Stim Cinema (UK)
Lead Artists – The Neurocultures Collective and Steven Eastwood

A Highland Song (UK)
Inkle Studios

Playing Kafka (Czech)
Charles Games

Paper Trail (UK)
Newfangled Games

Dome King Cabbage (US)
Joe Buchholz, Cobysoft Co.

Closer The Distance (Ger)
Osmotic Studios

Family

Blink (Canada-US)
Dirs. Edmund Stenson, Daniel Roher

The Colours Within (Japan)
Dir. Naoko Yamada

Savages (Switz-Fr-Belg)
Dir. Claude Barras

Watership Down (restoration)* (UK)
Dir. Martin Rosen 

Treasures

The Churning (India)
Dir. Shyam Benegal

Manji (Japan)
Dir. Yasuzô Masumura

María Candelaria (Mex)
Dir. Emilio Fernández

The Sealed Soil (Iran)
Dir. Marva Nabili

The Talk Of The Town (US)
Dir. George Stevens

• Andrea Arnold, Steve McQueen, Denis Villeneuve join BFI London Film Festival Screen Talks programme