The BFI Film Festival Is Arriving In London Next Month

Of course, as with anywhere that’s showing movies, the first question to ask is “what’s on?”. The full programme hasn’t been revealed yet, but we still know some details about what’ll be popping up this year. Perhaps the biggest announcement from the festival is that Glass Onion, the sequel to Rian Johnson’s murder mystery Knives Out, is debuting as the big finale to close this year’s screenings. Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc, with an all new cast and mystery for him to solve, with Edward Norton, Leslie Odom Jr, Kathryn Hahn and Ethan Hawke (among others) joining him. You can read more about Glass Onion here.

Another heavy hitter this year is Empire of Light, the latest film from Skyfall and 1917 director Sam Mendes. It’s set to be a romantic comedy starring Olivia Colman and Michael Ward, as well as Tom Brooke, Toby Jones and Colin Firth. Little is known about the film, other than it’s set in an English coastal cinema in the 1980s, with acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins returning to work with Mendes once again. The film will feature as this year’s American Express Gala, with Mendes, Colman and others in attendance.

If you’re looking for a more nostalgic film to take in, the world premiere of the brand new adaptation of Matilda will take you back to the past. Netflix’s take on Matilda has been in the works for a while, and unlike the old 90s version with Mara Wilson, is a musical adapted from Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s stage show. The cast includes Emma Thompson as the tyrannical Ms Trunchbull, Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, and newcomer Alisha Weir as Matilda. It’ll be showing for the first time on the first day of the festival (5th Oct), acting as the opening night gala. Though it’s not fully confirmed who will  attending, some of the cast and crew are set to be there for the premiere.