Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi, known for his acclaimed film “Drive My Car,” is one of the filmmakers set to bring his latest work to the 67th BFI London Film Festival. The festival, in partnership with American Express, has announced its competition lineup, which includes 11 films competing for the best film award. In addition to the competition lineup, the festival will also showcase films in its first feature, documentary, and short film competitions.
The festival director, Kristy Matheson, expressed her excitement about the films in the competitive strands, stating that they offer a diverse range of filmmaking voices and cinematic forms from the UK and around the world. She thanked all the filmmaking teams for sharing their films with the festival.
Among the films competing in the main competition lineup are “Baltimore” by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, “Dear Jassi” by Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, “Europa” by Sudabeh Mortezai, “Evil Does Not Exist” by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and “Fingernails” by Christos Nikou. The lineup also includes “Gasoline Rainbow” by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, “I Am Sirat” by Deepa Mehta and Sirat Taneja, “The Royal Hotel” by Kitty Green, “Self Portrait: 47 KM 2020” by Zhang Mengqi, “Starve Acre” by Daniel Kokotajlo, and “Together 99” by Lukas Moodysson.
In the first feature competition lineup, films such as “Black Dog,” directed by George Jaques, “Earth Mama,” directed by Savanah Leaf, “Hoard,” directed by Luna Carmoon, and “In Camera,” directed by Naqqash Khalid, will be screened. Other films in this lineup include “Mambar Pierrette” by Rosine Mbakam, “Paradise Is Burning” by Mika Gustafson, “Penal Cordillera” by Felipe Carmona, “The Queen of My Dreams” by Fawzia Mirza, “Sky Peals” by Moin Hussain, “Tiger Stripes” by Amanda Nell Eu, and “Tuesday” by Daina O. Pusić.
The documentary competition lineup features films like “Bye Bye Tiberias” by Lina Soualem, “Celluloid Underground” by Ehsan Khoshbakht, “Chasing Chasing Amy” by Sav Rodgers, “A Common Sequence” by Mary Helena Clark and Mike Gibisser, “Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano” by Cyril Aris, “The Klezmer Project” by Leandro Koch and Paloma Schachmann, “Queendom” by Agniia Galdanova, and “The Taste of Mango” by Chloe Abrahams.
The short film competition lineup includes films like “The Archive: Queer Nigerians” by Simisolaoluwa Akande, “Area Boy” by Iggy London, “Boat People” by Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma, “Essex Girls” by Yero Timi-Biu, “The Goose’s Excuse” by Mahdy Abo Bahat and Abdo Zin Eldin, “Khabur” by Nafis Fathollahzadeh, “Onset” by Anna Engelhardt and Mark Cinkevich, “The Singer” by Cora Bissett, “The Walk” by Michael Jobling, and “Wells of Despair” by Sata Taas.
The BFI London Film Festival aims to showcase a diverse range of films and voices from around the world. The competition lineups provide an exciting platform for filmmakers to share their latest works and compete for prestigious awards. As the festival approaches, cinephiles and industry professionals eagerly anticipate the screenings and discussions surrounding these films. The London Film Festival continues to be a prominent event in the international film calendar, attracting both established and emerging talent.