14/09/2010

The 54th BFI London Film Festival (October 13-28) will screen a total of 197 features and 112 shorts, including 11 World, 23 International and 33 European premieres.

As previously announced, Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go and Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours will bookend the festival. European galas this year include Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, featuring Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, Andy DeEmmony’s West is West, his follow-up to East is East and Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Xavier Beauvois
film profile].

From Europe, the Film On The Square strand features Anton Corbijn’s The American, Olivier Assayas’s Carlos [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Jean-Luc Godard’s Film Socialisme [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Michelangelo Frammartino’s The Four Times [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michelangelo Frammartino
interview: Savina Neirotti
film profile], Ferzan Ozpetek’s Loose Cannons [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Jalmari Helander’s Rare Exports [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jalmari Helander
film profile] with UK being represented by Ken Loach (Route Irish [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Joanna Hogg (Archipelago), Richard Ayoade (SUBMARINE) and Lucy Walker (Waste Land).

The New British Cinema strand features Clio Barnard’s In The Arbor, Hannah Rothschild’s Mandelson: The Real PM?, Stevan Riley’s Fire In Babylon, Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris and Gillian Wearing’s Self Made, amongst others.

The Cinema Europa strand showcases Raúl Ruiz’s Mysteries of Lisbon, Sergei Loznitsa’s My Joy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Veiko Õunpuu’s The Temptation of St. Tony [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Benedek Fliegauf’s Womb [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Aleksei Fedorchenko’s Silent Souls, Icíar Bollaín’s Even the Rain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Icíar Bollaín
film profile], Pernille Fischer Christensen’s A Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], and Sabina Guzzanti’s Draquila – Italy Trembles [+see also:
trailer
Interview Sabina Guzzanti [IT]
film profile], just a few among a host of other selections.