08/09/2020 - The gathering will open with the European premiere of Steve McQueen’s Mangrove and close with Francis Lee’s Ammonite in a strong year for UK film

The 64^th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) today announced the full programme for its 2020 offering, which will be delivered both virtually and via physical screenings. Over the 12 days from 7-18 October, the festival will be at its most accessible ever, presenting over 50 virtual premieres and a selection of highly anticipated new feature film previews at BFI Southbank as well as in cinemas across the UK.

With works from more than 40 countries, the programme includes fiction, documentary, animation, artists’ moving image, short film and restored classics from the world’s archives, as well as previews of several episodic or series-based works made for the small screen.

Every screening will be presented with a digital introduction or Q&A from filmmakers and programmers. The festival also incorporates many ways in which audiences can engage in proceedings for free: LFF opening screenings of Steve McQueen’s Mangrove [+see also:
film review
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film profile] in cinemas across the UK, selected features on the BFI Player, an international programme of short films featuring established and breakthrough film talents, Screen Talks with major filmmakers and actors, as well as all online salons and Q&As across the festival, which will give audiences an opportunity to delve more deeply into themes and talking points emerging from the programme. The recently announced LFF Expanded strand of XR and immersive art will also be free to access both virtually and at BFI Southbank for the duration of the event.

Ben Roberts, CEO of BFI, said: “Although it’s been born out of crisis, this year’s edition of the LFF will be our most accessible yet.”

The industry programme includes: the two-day Film London Production Finance Market, which connects filmmakers and financiers from across the globe, and is being hosted as a virtual online market; the BFI NETWORK@LFF talent development programme; a focused programme of Spotlight talks and panel discussions; and a brand-new UK works-in-progress showcase aimed at international buyers, commissioners, producers and programmers.

All films are geo-blocked to the UK, while all of the talks and LFF Expanded are available to experience for free from anywhere in the world.

This year, the awards are in the hands of the audience, who will take the place of the official jury. Viewers engaging with the festival online will be invited to vote on the Virtual LFF Audience Awards in four categories: Best Fiction Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Short Film and Best XR. The winners will be announced at a live, online ceremony on the final weekend of the festival.

Here is a list of the European productions or co-productions in the main feature-film section (all virtual screenings except where marked otherwise):

A Common Crime [+see also:
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film profile] - Francisco Márquez (Argentina/Brazil/Switzerland)
African Apocalypse [+see also:
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film profile] - Rob Lemkin (UK)
After Love [+see also:
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interview: Aleem Khan
film profile] – Aleem Khan (UK) (virtual and cinema screening)
Ammonite [+see also:
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film profile] – Francis Lee (UK) (cinema screening)
Another Round [+see also:
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film profile] – Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands) (virtual and cinema screening)
Bad Tales [+see also:
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interview: Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo
film profile] – Fabio D'Innocenzo, Damiano D'Innocenzo (Italy/Switzerland)
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes [+see also:
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film profile] – Caroline Catz (UK)
Friendship’s Death – Peter Wollen (UK)
Gold for Dogs [+see also:
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film profile] – Anna Cazenave Cambet (France)
Herself [+see also:
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interview: Clare Dunne
film profile] – Phyllida Lloyd (Ireland/UK) (virtual and cinema screening)
Identifying Features [+see also:
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film profile] – Fernanda Valadez (Mexico/Spain)
Industry – Lena Dunham, Tinge Krishnan, Ed Lilly (UK) (series)
Limbo [+see also:
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interview: Ben Sharrock
film profile] – Ben Sharrock (UK)
Mangrove [+see also:
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film profile] – Steve McQueen (UK) (cinema screening)
Mogul Mowgli [+see also:
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interview: Bassam Tariq
film profile] – Bassam Tariq (UK) (virtual and cinema screening)
Never Gonna Snow Again [+see also:
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interview: Małgorzata Szumowska and Mi…
film profile] – Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert (Poland/Germany)
New Order [+see also:
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film profile] – Michel Franco (Mexico/France)
Notturno [+see also:
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interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile] – Gianfranco Rosi (Italy/Germany/France)
The Painter and the Thief [+see also:
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interview: Benjamin Ree
film profile] – Benjamin Ree (Norway)
Possessor [+see also:
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film profile] – Brandon Cronenberg (Canada/UK)
The Reason I Jump [+see also:
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film profile] – Jerry Rothwell (UK)
Rose [+see also:
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film profile] – Jennifer Sheridan (UK)
The Salt in Our Waters [+see also:
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film profile] – Rezwan Shahriar Sumit (Bangladesh/France)
Shadow Country [+see also:
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film profile] – Bohdan Sláma (Czech Republic)
Sound for the Future [+see also:
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film profile] – Matt Hulse (UK/China)
Supernova [+see also:
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interview: Harry Macqueen
film profile] – Harry Macqueen (UK) (virtual and cinema screening)
Ultraviolence [+see also:
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film profile] – Ken Fero (UK)
Undine [+see also:
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interview: Christian Petzold
film profile] – Christian Petzold (Germany/France) (virtual and cinema screening)
Wildfire [+see also:
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interview: Cathy Brady
film profile] – Cathy Brady (UK/Ireland)
Wolfwalkers [+see also:
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film profile] – Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart (Ireland/Luxembourg/France)
Zanka Contact [+see also:
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film profile] - Ismaël El Iraki (France/Morocco/Belgium)

The non-European films screening at the festival are as follows (all virtual screenings except where marked otherwise):

180° Rule - Farnoosh Samadi (Iran)
200 Meters - Ameen Nayfeh (Palestine)
A Day-off for Kasumi Arimura – Hazu Kirokore-eda (Japan)
Bloody Nose, Empty Pocket – Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross (USA)
The Cheaters - Paulette McDonagh (Australia)
The Chess Game of the Wind – Mohammad Reza Aslani (Iran)
Cicada – Matt Fifer, Kieran Mulcare (USA)
Days – Tsai Ming-Liang (Taiwan)
David Byrne’s American Utopia - Spike Lee (USA) (virtual and cinema screening)
The Disciple – Chaitanya Tamhane (India)
Farewell Amor – Ekwa Msangi (USA)
Genus Pan – Lav Diaz (Philippines)
Honeymood ­- Talya Lavie (Israel)
I Am Samuel – Pete Murimi (Kenya)
The Intruder – Natalia Meta (Argentina/Mexico)
Kajillionaire – Miranda July (USA)
Relic – Natalie Erika James (Australia/USA)
Shirley ­– Josephine Decker (USA)
Soul – Pete Docter, Kemp Powers (USA)
Stray – Elizabeth Lo (USA)
Striding into the Wind – Wei Shujun (China)
This is My Desire (Eyimofe) – Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri (Nigeria)
Time – Garrett Bradley (USA) (virtual and cinema screening)