BFI London Film Festival
Experience the best new films first, with a range of virtual premieres available to enjoy online and in cinemas 7-18 October 2020
Join us at this year's festival. Everyone is invited.
Screening Today
BaitBait
Drama 2019 89 minsDirector: Mark Jenkin
Simmering tensions between locals and newcomers in a modern-day Cornish fishing village reach boiling point in this hugely acclaimed British independent film.
Notting HillNotting Hill
Comedy 1999 124 minsDirector: Roger Michell
Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant followed Four Weddings with this featherlight, frequently funny romance between an ordinary bloke and a visiting Hollywood starlet.
Full Metal JacketFull Metal Jacket
War 1987 117 minsDirector: Stanley Kubrick
Recruits move from the brutal US Marine training bootcamp β into the nightmare of war.
The Miseducation of Cameron PostThe Miseducation of Cameron Post
Drama 2018 92 minsDirector: Desiree Akhavan
ChloΓ« Grace Moretz is the girl who finds her tribe with fellow βsinnersβ at a religious camp where they are told to pray the gay away.
SnowpiercerSnowpiercer
Science Fiction 2013 126 minsDirector: Bong Joon-ho
After a global catastrophe launches the world into a new ice age, the last of humanity are trapped on a high-speed train that circles the globe infinitely.
The AssassinThe Assassin
Action and Adventure 2015 106 minsDirector: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Hou Hsiao-Hsienβs mesmerising, visually stunning tale of love and honour was Sight and Sound magazineβs best film of 2015.
The Frightened WomanThe Frightened Woman
Drama 1969 86 minsDirector: Piero Schivazappa
A rich sadist kidnaps a woman to subject to his elaborate S&M games, but she soon turns the tables... Piero Schivazappa's erotic thriller explodes with eye-popping psychedelic production design.
SuspiriaSuspiria
Horror 1977 101 minsDirector: Dario Argento
Dario Argentoβs phantasmagoric gothic nightmare blends operatic violence, disorienting dream logic and hyper-real visuals to create a horror classic.
The Perfect CandidateThe Perfect Candidate
Drama 2019 105 minsDirector: Haifaa Al-Mansour
Celebrated Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda) returns with an inspiring drama about a young doctor unexpectedly becoming an electoral candidate.
A Prophet [Un prophète]A Prophet [Un prophète]
Crime 2009 156 minsDirector: Jacques Audiard
Jacques Audiardβs award-winning crime drama chronicles the rites of passage and eventual rise to power of a young French Arab. Tough, taut, truthful.
Bicycle ThievesBicycle Thieves
Drama 1948 89 minsDirector: Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio De Sicaβs story of a father and son searching for a stolen bicycle on the streets of Rome is a classic of post-war Italian cinema.
King of New YorkKing of New York
Crime 1990 103 minsDirector: Abel Ferrara
Christopher Walken is the dogged drug-lord determined to keep his empire together, in Abel Ferrara's brutally gritty crime thriller.
PasoliniPasolini
Biopic 2014 84 minsDirector: Abel Ferrara
Willem Dafoe plays the controversial filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini in this dark, daring drama about the directorβs final days, from Abel Ferrara.
La dolce vitaLa dolce vita
Drama 1960 175 minsDirector: Federico Fellini
Federico Felliniβs masterpiece depicting seven hedonistic days in the life of a tabloid journalist (Marcello Mastroianni) as he searches for the sweet life.
CharadeCharade
Comedy 1963 113 minsDirector: Stanley Donen
Charm is the byword in the screwball thriller that pits Cary Grant on the trail of Audrey Hepburn and her late husbandβs missing millions.
ShirleyShirley
Biopic 2018 107 mins
Going nowhere with a novel about the disappearance of a local girl, writer Shirley Jackson gets the inspiration she needs when two young newlyweds come to stay.
Butterfly VisionButterfly Vision
Drama 2022 107 minsDirector: Maksym Nakonechnyi
Lilia, a 28-year-old aerial reconnaissance expert, returns home from the war in Donbas, but her traumatic experiences re-emerge in an unexpected and dreamlike manner.
SupernovaSupernova
Drama 2020 97 minsDirector: Harry Macqueen
Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci shine as a long-term couple dealing with the onset of illness in this warm and tender drama.
NotturnoNotturno
Documentary 2020 100 minsDirector: Gianfranco Rosi
Veteran documentarian Gianfranco Rosiβs delicate and poignant meditation journeys into the border communities of Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon.
Farewell AmorFarewell Amor
Drama 2019 102 minsDirector: Ekwa Msangi
Migration, memory and the importance of home are deftly explored in this affecting feature debut, which sees a New York-based Angolan man finally reunited with his wife and daughter.
Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-PowerBrainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power
Documentary 2022 107 minsDirector: Nina Menkes
You may never look at film the same way again after watching this illuminating journey, which deconstructs the male gaze in cinema.
An Avocado PitAn Avocado Pit
Drama 2022 20 mins
A trans woman and a cis man meet on the streets of Lisbon. They come from different realities but soon find common ground, challenging and laughing their way into each otherβs arms.
Gold for Dogs [De L'Or Pour les Chiens]Gold for Dogs [De L'Or Pour les Chiens]
Drama 2020 99 minsDirector: Anna Cazenave Cambet
The provocative tale of a young woman lost in Paris represents a dazzling debut showcase for writer/director Anna Cazenave Cambet and fearless lead Tallulah Cassavetti.
Sound for the FutureSound for the Future
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2020 102 minsDirector: Matt Hulse
An affectionate and hilarious reconstruction of the story of The Hippies, Britainβs youngest punk band, formed by artist Matt Hulse and his siblings in 1979.
Framing AgnesFraming Agnes
Documentary 2022 75 minsDirector: Chase Joynt
Trans lives vaulted by the medical establishment are re-imagined by an all-star cast including Zackary Drucker, Angelica Ross and Silas Howard.
2020 Short film programmes
Kids Will Be Kids
Children worldwide can be unruly, wild and unmanageable. This is all part of growing up, even if it sometimes means going beyond the limits. These films, from the backstreets of Accra in Ghana and the Australian Outback, to rural life in India and Wales, and the dog-eat-dog world of a British estate, perfectly illustrate this.
My Time to Shine
Whether or not the world is a kind and accepting place, these films present grand visions of strength and self-discovery. And on lifeβs rocky road, there is something to be said for being certain about the person you are.
Secrets & Lies
Less peaks, more troughs. Whether itβs secrets or lies, these very personal stories range from the everyday to the far out, with characters who exude resilience and self-determination.
This is the Rhythm of My Life
Music, film, faith, costumes and colour lift our spirits and allow us to dream. Strip them away and life might be simpler, but it's the strength we find in these things that brings us together and, like the characters in these films, makes us eternally interesting.
UK Focus
A chance to see some of the best in UK filmmaking talent, with a varied and diverse selection of stories. Crossing genres and styles, from horror and comedy to animation and powerful drama, this is a vital snapshot of new British filmmaking thatβs not to be missed
A Family Affair: The Films of YasujirΕ Ozu
An anniversary season celebrating YasujirΕ Ozu that explores the filmmakerβs dissection of the family life.
Experimenta
Films by artists that revolutionise and reshape our vision of cinema.
The best of previous festivals
Coming soon
Upcoming films for your watchlist
Soundtrack to a Coup d'EtatSoundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Documentary 2024 150 minsDirector: Johan Grimonprez
Johan Grimonprezβs involving film essay, anchored by the rhythm of American jazz, reveals disturbing truths about the decolonial struggle between global political powers.
A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper ThingsA Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things
Biopic 2024 88 minsDirector: Mark Cousins
A striking portrait of an artist deserving of greater recognition, directed by Mark Cousins (A Story of Film).
Subscription
DogtoothDogtooth
Drama 2009 93 minsDirector: Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos' scary, witty tale of a dysfunctional Greek family is original, ingenious and sadly relevant as a study of parent-child relationships
The Headless WomanThe Headless Woman
Drama 2008 86 minsDirector: Lucrecia Martel
A woman is plagued by paranoia after she hits something β or someone β with her car in Lucrecia Martelβs acclaimed psychological thriller.
The Last of EnglandThe Last of England
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1987 91 minsDirector: Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman's passionate and poetic lament on the rise of Thatcherism and corporate dealings.
DaisiesDaisies
Comedy 1966 73 minsDirector: VΔra ChytilovΓ‘
Two self-confessed hedonists wreak wanton havoc in VΔra ChytilovΓ‘'s visually spectacular neo-dadaist farce.
Rentals
Free FireFree Fire
Action and Adventure 2017 90 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatleyβs (High-Rise, Sightseers) all-guns-blazing bullet opera, starring Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy and Armie Hammer.
A United KingdomA United Kingdom
Drama 2016 111 minsDirector: Amma Asante
Amma Assante (Belle) directs this impassioned drama starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike depicting an interracial romance that changed the world.
NerudaNeruda
Biopic 2016 110 minsDirector: Pablo LarraΓn
Pablo LarraΓn's bold, inventive detective thriller offers an electrifying contemplation of the Chilean poet's life on the run in the late 1940s.
TrumboTrumbo
Biopic 2015 124 minsDirector: Jay Roach
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Argo) gives a cracking performance as Dalton Trumbo, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who became a Hollywood outcast.
The LobsterThe Lobster
Science Fiction 2015 118 minsDirector: Yorgos Lanthimos
Colin Farrell, Ben Whishaw and Rachel Weisz star in this bleakly hilarious dystopian drama from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth).
The Pearl ButtonThe Pearl Button
Documentary 2015 82 minsDirector: Patricio GuzmΓ‘n
Patricio GuzmΓ‘nβs lyrical, illuminating follow-up to Nostalgia for the Light explores the fateful role played by water in Chileβs tragic history.
High-RiseHigh-Rise
Science Fiction 2016 119 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley's savage and brilliant adaptation of JG Ballard's dystopian satire, starring Tom Hiddleston.
The Forbidden RoomThe Forbidden Room
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2015 119 minsDirector: Guy Maddin
Gleeful and hypnotic, Guy Maddin and Evan Johnsonβs phantasmagoric opus reworks improvised rushes into a demented homage to B-movies.
Featured collections
BFI London Film Festival
BFI Player is the home of BFI London Film Festival all year round. And with Subscription you now have a festival pass - allowing unlimited screenings of favourites from festivals past.
BFI London Film Festival Presents
A place to meet the world's top films and their creators, the BFI London Film Festival represents global cinema at its deep, diverse best.
Festival Archive Treasures
Film preservation and restoration is a vital part of our work. This collection represents moments in time, salvaged for a second chance to awe, enrich and entertain a new audience. They reflect human endeavour, on and off screen.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past LivesUncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Fantasy 2010 109 minsDirector: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Apichatpong's Cannes prizewinner, about an ailing man revisiting his past, is a measured, lyrical evocation of mysterious beauty and quiet humanity
OrphΓ©eOrphΓ©e
Drama 1950 96 minsDirector: Jean Cocteau
Magical retelling of the Orpheus myth by poet, playwright, artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau.
Taxi TehranTaxi Tehran
Drama 2015 81 minsDirector: Jafar Panahi
Following a personally difficult but artistically rewarding spell making films under house arrest, Jafar Panahi is back on the streets of Tehran.
GomorrahGomorrah
Crime 2008 132 minsDirector: Matteo Garrone
Matteo Garrone's unnervingly authentic Naples crime drama won the Grand Prix at Cannes before inspiring a hit TV series.