The 68th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), running from October 9th to 20th, will conclude with the U.K. premiere of “Piece by Piece,” an animated Lego biopic based on the life and career of musician and designer Pharrell Williams. Both Pharrell Williams and the film’s director, Morgan Neville, have confirmed they will attend the gala screening. The Focus Features film will have its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, followed by its Canadian premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before making its way to London.
Described as “hugely inventive,” “Piece by Piece” is a unique biopic that explores Pharrell Williams’ life and work using animated Lego characters. Williams suggested this creative approach during initial discussions with Academy Award-winning documentarian filmmaker Moran Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom”). Neville mentioned that using Lego serves as a metaphor for Williams’ creative vision of the world. The film features an impressive cast, all depicted as Lego figures, including Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Gwen Stefani, Busta Rhymes, and Snoop Dogg.
London Film Festival head Kristy Matheson commented, “’Piece by Piece’ is a film of enormous joy and invention. In telling the story of Pharrell Williams entirely in Lego, acclaimed documentarian Morgan Neville brings a sense of wonder to this story that matches the creativity and verve of his subject. This is a must for fans and will charm the uninitiated alike, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome ‘Piece By Piece’ to close this year’s BFI London Film Festival.”
Director Morgan Neville said, “The BFI London Film Festival has been supportive of my career for a long time, with my first screening there being over twenty years ago. Bringing ‘Piece by Piece’ to the LFF means the world to me, and getting to be the closing night gala is the cherry on top of this huge honor. I’m thrilled to celebrate this film with the London audience.”
“Piece by Piece” is set to be released in U.K. cinemas on November 8th. Are you excited for this announcement? It’s important to note that in recent years, both “Soul” and “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” had their world premieres at the BFI LFF and went on to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars in their respective years. However, last year “Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget” played at the festival and didn’t go on to score an Oscar nomination. No LEGO movie has been nominated for Best Animated Feature to date. What do you think the film’s Oscar prospects will be? Are you looking to attend the BFI London Film Festival this year? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
