54th BFI London Film Festival

I was looking forward to be able to go this year to the fest but well, maybe next year; today is the opening of the fest with the Opening Night Gala of Never Let Me Go by Mark Romanek and starring well-known actresses like Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, and Sally Hawkins which obviously make the film must be seen for me. Film has three screenings and all are fully booked. The other film I’m dying to see has four screenings and yes, all are fully booked so I should be glad for not going afterall. The ‘other’ film is The Kids Are All Right.

I’ve been checking the 200+ films in this fest since they were announced and most are known to the blog as this yearly festival is the unique opportunity that Londoners have to watch the best films from around the world. Nevertheless if you want to check the films in each of the nine (9) sections here are the links to each one.

Galas & Special Screenings
Film on the Square
New British Cinema
French Revolutions
Cinema Europa
World Cinema
Experimenta
Treasures from the Archives
Short Cuts & Animation

The fest in the past gave a limited number of awards but since 2009 a new annual standalone Awards ceremony was launched to reflect the work of imaginative and original filmmakers plus to reward distinctive and intriguing work. This year Awards ceremony will be on October 27.

For the Best Film Award these are the films that will compete for the Star of London trophy.

127 Hours, Danny Boyle
Another Year, Mmike Leigh
Archipelago, Joanna Hogg
Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky
How I Ended This Summer, Alexei Popogrebsky
The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper
Meek’s Cutoff, Kelly Reichardt
Never Let Me Go, Mark Romanek
The Sleeping Beauty, Catherine Breillat
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Of Gods and Men, Xavier Beauvois

To check films short list for the Sutherland Award go here, shortlist for Best British Newcomer go here and shortlist for Grierson Award go here.

Cheers!