The 62^nd BFI London Film Festival (LFF) in partnership with American Express has announced its full programme of 225 feature films from both established and emerging talent. This year, the festival will host 21 world, nine international and 29 European premieres. There are 46 documentaries, four animations, 18 archive restorations and seven artists’ moving-image features. 39 of the feature films are either UK films or UK co-productions. The programme also includes 160 short films, and 77 countries are represented across short films and features.

In an attempt to increase the exposure of the films in the official competitions, the festival has reduced the number of competing movies in each category to ten. It has also made the presentation ceremony a public event. The winners in each competition will be selected by handpicked juries, and for the first time this year, the winners will be revealed in front of a public audience on the evening of Saturday 20 October. Each winning film will be presented as a surprise screening in each category at the Vue Leicester Square, preceded by the presentation of the festival’s official award, the bronze Star of London, on stage in the presence of artistic director Tricia Tuttle, the president of the jury in question and the winning filmmaker.

Tuttle, standing in for a year while Clare Stewart is on sabbatical, says, “This year, a key difference is what we want to do with the award sections. We have trimmed them down. There are now just ten films in each section: Best Film, Best Documentary and the Sutherland Trophy for Best First or Second Feature.” 

Three British world premieres to look out for are Evelyn, which is in the Documentary Competition, by Academy Award-nominated director Orlando von Einsiedel (Virunga [+leggi anche:
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Another notable aspect of the programme is the number of female filmmakers who will be showing their wares. “We are seeing lots of really exciting female filmmakers,” says Tuttle. “Across the whole programme, 38% of filmmakers are female, 30% of the feature films are by female directors, which is up from 24% last year, and in three of the four competitive strands, we have gender parity.”

Several key events will also be cinecast to cinema venues around the UK, including the world premiere of Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], which will be simultaneously screened, in 2D and 3D, in cinemas and special venues across the UK. Also, for the first time ever, there will be an LFF premiere outside London – the LFF Special Presentation of Mike Leigh’s Peterloo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mike Leigh
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The London Film Festival will run from 10-21 October.

Here is the full list of selected titles:

Official Competition  

Birds of Passage [+leggi anche:
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Destroyer – Karyn Kusama (USA)
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. [+leggi anche:
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Happy as Lazzaro [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Alice Rohrwacher
scheda film] – Alice Rohrwacher (Italy/Switzerland/France/Germany)
In Fabric [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Peter Strickland
scheda film] – Peter Strickland (UK)
Joy [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Sudabeh Mortezai
scheda film] – Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria)
The Old Man & the Gun – David Lowery (USA) 
Shadow – Zhang Yimou (USA)
Sunset [+leggi anche:
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intervista: László Nemes
scheda film] – László Nemes (Hungary/France)
Too Late to Die Young [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Dominga Sotomayor (Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands/Qatar)

First Feature Competition – Sutherland Award

The Chambermaid – Lila Avilés (Mexico/USA)
The Day I Lost My Shadow [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Soudade Kaadan
scheda film] – Soudade Kaadan (Syria/Lebanon/France/Qatar)
Dead Pigs – Cathy Yan (China)
Girl [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lukas Dhont
scheda film] – Lukas Dhont (Belgium/Netherlands)
Holiday [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Victoria Carmen Sonne
scheda film] - Isabella Eklöf (Denmark/Netherlands/Sweden/Turkey)
Journey to a Mother's Room [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Celia Rico Clavellino
scheda film] – Celia Rico Clavellino (Spain/France)
Only You [+leggi anche:
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Ray & Liz [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Richard Billingham
scheda film] – Richard Billingham (UK)
Soni – Ivan Ayr (India)
Wildlife – Paul Dano (USA)

Documentary Competition – Grierson Award

Bisbee ‘17 – Robert Greene (USA)
Dream Away [+leggi anche:
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Evelyn – Orlando von Einsiedel (UK)
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection [+leggi anche:
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The Plan That Came From the Bottom Up [+leggi anche:
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Putin’s Witnesses [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Vitaly Mansky
scheda film] – Vitaly Mansky (Latvia/Switzerland/Czech Republic)
The Raft [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Marcus Lindeen
scheda film] – Marcus Lindeen (Sweden)
Theatre of War [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Lola Arias (Argentina/Spain/Germany)
What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Roberto Minervini
scheda film] – Robert Minervini (Italy/USA/France)
Young and Alive [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Matthieu Bareyre
scheda film] – Matthieu Bareyre (France) 

Short Film Award

Another Decade – Morgan Quaintaince (UK)
De Natura – Lucile Hadžihalilovic (Romania)
The Field (Le Champ de mais) – Sandhya Suri (France/UK/India)
Hello, Rain – C J ‘Fiery’ Obassi (Nigeria)
Lasting Marks – Charlie Lyne (UK)
Leash – Harry Lighton (UK)
Monelle – Diego Marcon (Italy)
Salam – Claire Fowler (UK/USA)
Solar Walk – Réka Bucsi (Denmark) 
Veslemøy’s Song – Sofia Bohdanowicz (Canada)