The 70th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) today announces the full program line-up, presented in cinemas, online and across the UK. Over twelve days from October 7th – 18th, the LFF invites audiences to return to its fantastic flagship venues in the heart of London, BFI Southbank and the Southbank Center’s Royal Festival Hall. The LFF Gala program will screen at the Southbank Center’s Royal Festival Hall, while BFI Southbank, alongside many of Central London’s iconic cinemas, will host Special Presentations, Official Competition titles and films and series from all Strands of the Festival, with global film talent from behind and in front of the camera in attendance. For UK-wide audiences, a curated selection of features and a special Screen Talk will also be showcased at 10 partner venues in major cities across our nations and regions.
The LFF will present a captivating and diverse program of 251 features, shorts, series and immersive works from 88 countries playing across the 12 days of the festival. This includes 109 works made by female filmmakers (43% of the program) and 33 World premieres.
Kristy Matheson, Artistic Director, BFI Festivals, said: “When this Festival first sprang to life 70 years ago, little more than a decade after the end of the Second World War, British society was in a period of rapid social change. Then, like now, we turn to artists to synthesize our times. And what a vision they have for us in 2026; tumults of the era live inside our program, but so too do cinematic thrills, moral conundrums and a recurring exploration of care and community. If you find yourself in London, or across the UK, this October, the opportunity to experience worlds outside ourselves will be on offer. We hope you can join us.”
Ben Roberts, Chief Executive, BFI said: “This year, the blockbusters, the indie breakouts and the debuts have drawn audiences to cinemas in record numbers. A reminder that discovering a new film in a room of fellow fans is a thrill like nothing else. As our anticipation builds for LFF, we’re grateful to everyone who helps us fill screens across the UK: to our brilliant audiences, Members and Patrons; the visionary filmmakers and film teams who bring their work; our generous funders, sponsors and industry partners; and, of course, the excellent teams at the BFI.”
An impressive number of major alumni filmmakers return to LFF including: Simon Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Pawel Pawlikowski, Martin McDonagh, Taika Waititi, Boots Riley, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Cristian Mungiu, Lee Chang-dong, James Gray, Danny Boyle, Bassam Tariq, Andrew Haigh, Mike Leigh, Florian Zeller, Ava DuVernay, Michael Winterbottom, Hirokazu Koreeda, Benjamín Naishtat, Carol Morley, Giovanni Tortorici, Michał Englert, Małgorzata Szumowska, Rubaiyat Hossain, Sergei Loznitsa, Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy, Olive Nwosu, Bertil Nilsson, Leyla Bouzid, Fernando Eimbcke, Alain Gomis, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Lukas Dhont, Nanni Moretti, Abdallah Al-Khatib, Angela Schanelec, Gessica Généus, Beatrice Gibson, Mariano Llinás, Sinéad O’Shea, Marie Kreutzer, Clio Barnard, Alex Gibney, Stéphane Brizé, Ken Fero, Tariq Mehmood, Julia Loktev, Hanna Bergholm, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Manuela Martelli, Valeska Grisebach, Isabel Sandoval, Rhys Marc Jones, Edward Lovelace, Ira Sachs, Mark Cousins, Gabe Klinger, Sam Pollard, Dominga Sotomayor, Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri, Billy Lumby, Ali Asgari, Cédric Kahn, Daniel Oriahi and Bernd Sahling.
The Festival is also delighted to introduce audiences to an incredible new generation of filmmakers from the UK and across the globe with debut feature directors in LFF 2025 including: Jordan Firstman, Harvey Zielinski, Manon Coubia, Sompot Chidgasornpongse, Ashley Walters, Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Aung Phyoe, Anna Foglietta, Shalini Adnani, Rachel Rose, Grace Harper Brighouse, David Greaves, Erik Shirai, Theo Rollason, Ankur Hooda, Asmahan Bkerat, Ian de la Rosa, Bernard Auguste Kouemo Yanghu, Kim Bartley, John Wilson, Dario Russo, Sarah Arnold, Ramzi Bashour, Rafael Manuel, Nolitha Refilwe Mkulisi, Jack Auen, Kevin Walker, Hyun Lee, Zhong Kaifeng, Hoda Taheri, Boris Hadžija, Abinash Bikram Shah, Rami Kodeih, Maryam Ataei, Andrea Pallaoro, Mokya Shin, Marine Atlan, Zou Jing, Fernanda Salgado, Paula Delsol, Adam Bonke and Louise Bagnall.
Every feature and series will screen to audiences in the UK for the very first time, with many shown publicly for the first time anywhere in the world. As in previous years, the feature film program is organized by strand to encourage discovery and to open up the Festival to new audiences. These strands are: Love, Debate, Laugh, Dare, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Create, Experimenta, Family, and Shorts. Audiences can also find new and exciting Series programming and immersive LFF Expanded works in many of the strands. This year’s program includes 33 World Premieres (9 features, 2 series, 2 mid- length, 19 shorts, 1 immersive), 16 International Premieres (9 features, 7 shorts) and 20 European Premieres (13 features, 7 shorts).
World Premieres from filmmakers and artists include: Anthony Wonke’s British boxing biopic IN THE SHADOWS, Laika’s latest animation WILDWOOD from Travis Knight, Brad Bird’s smart animated caper RAY GUNN, Carol Morley’s moving semi-autobiographical adaptation 7 MILES OUT, adaptation of the West End hit FRANK AND PERCY from Sean Mathias, Federico Borgia’s dark and original take on domestic life PRINCE, hilarious cinematic autofiction THE BANNING CURSE from Mohsen Amiryousefi, THE WHISPER OF SUNLIGHT from acclaimed documentarian Siu-pong Wong, Ken Fero and Tariq Mehmood’s electrifying documentary about the Bradford 12 REBELLION, Michael Winterbottom’s latest THE TRIP TO THE NORTHERN LIGHTS with Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan, comedian Leo Reich’s new series IT GETS WORSE and new immersive experience from CROSSLUCID and Orion Facey RED THE OCEAN AROUND U.
International Premieres include: Boots Riley’s anti-capitalist vision I LOVE BOOSTERS, this year’s Patron’s Gala, the stylishly crafted portrait of a classical musician BEHEMOTH! from Tony Gilroy, Giovanni Tortorici’s vibrant coming-of-age story KETTICÈ, Hyun Lee’s fashionably hip and charming debut FRENCH GIRLS, the awe-inspiring documentary CARL SAGAN: WE ARE MADE OF STAR STUFF from Nanette Burstein, Alejandra Pérez González’ glorious Mexican animation MY FRIEND THE SUN, heartfelt hybrid documentary about filmmaker Ashley Duong’s father BA’S BOOK, Jessica Johnson and Ryan Ermacora’s richly cinematic 35mm documentary CONCRETE TURNED TO SAND and allegorical sci-fi fable TROPICAL FRACTALS from Leonardo Pirondi.
Galas playing at the Southbank Center’s Royal Festival Hall include: Siân Heder’s enthralling film about disability rights activist Judith Heumann BEING HEUMANN, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s intense psychological study THE BELOVED, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s genre-defying queer epic LA BOLA NEGRA, Florian Zeller’s elegantly crafted psychological thriller BUNKER, Jordan Firstman’s hilarious feature directorial debut CLUB KID, Paweł Pawlikowski’s exploration of the fragmented soul of postwar Germany FATHERLAND, Cristian Mungiu’s masterful moral dilemma FJORD, this year’s Mayor’s Gala Danny Boyle’s kinetic story of Rupert Murdoch’s Fleet Street career INK, Taika Waititi’s luminous adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling novel KLARA AND THE SUN, Andrew Haigh’s sensitive adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s short story A LONG WINTER, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s transposition of Claude Chabrol’s La Femme infidèle to contemporary Russia MINOTAUR, James Gray’s tense and atmospheric thriller PAPER TIGER, Lee Chang-dong’s masterfully directed follow-up to Burning (LFF 2018) POSSIBLE LOVE, Susanna White’s much-anticipated screen adaptation of Suzie Miller’s globally acclaimed play PRIMA FACIE, Mike Leigh’s thought-provoking and compassionate view of urban life TENDER LOVING CARE, Martin McDonagh continues to mine the absurdities and complexities of male relationships in WILD HORSE NINE, and Bassam Tariq’s follow-up to Mogul Mowgli (LFF 2020) with gripping, inventive thriller YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER.
As previously announced, this year’s Opening Night Gala is the European premiere of Simon Stone’s powerful and inspiring true story of actor Ian Charleson ELSINORE, and the Closing Night Gala is the UK premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s raucously funny love letter to community theatre THE DEBUT.
Special Presentations include: Documentary Special Presentation 14TH, Ava DuVernay’s return to the US Constitution 10 years after her Emmy Award-winning 13th; Archive Special Presentation GONE TO EARTH, the major new restoration of one of Powell and Pressburger’s most misunderstood and overshadowed films; the Experimenta Special Presentation SHAB-NAMEH: WOMEN OF IRAN’S FORGOTTEN LEFT, will feature a screening of Jarman Award-winning artist Maryam Tafakory’s short film Ghazal-e Sork followed by a live film performance by the artist; BFI Flare Special Presentation SWEET MILK LAKE, writer-director Harvey Zielinski’s coming-of-age drama following a trans man who is mistaken for his cisgender brother; Series Special Presentation THE TRIP TO THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, which sees Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan reunited with director Michael Winterbottom for more hilarious banter as they journey through Northern Europe; and Immersive Special Presentation WATER BODY, a journey through the hidden flows of our planet with a site-specific installation by acclaimed UK studio Marshmallow Laser Feast.
LFF 2026 lineup
*Indicates a world premiere
Galas
Elsinore (UK) – Opening night
Dir. Simon Stone
The Debut (US) – Closing night
Dir. Jesse Eisenberg
Artificial (US-UK-It)
Dir. Luca Guadagnino
Behemoth! (US)
Dir. Tony Gilroy
Being Heumann (US)
Dir. Siân Heder
The Beloved (Sp)
Dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen
La Bola Negra (Sp-Fr)
Dir. Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo
Bunker (Fr-Sp)
Dir. Florian Zeller
Club Kid (US)
Dir. Jordan Firstman
Fatherland (Pol-Ger-It-Fr)
Dir. Paweł Pawlikowski
Fjord (Rom-Fr–Nor-Den-Swe-Fin)
Dir. Cristian Mungiu
I Love Boosters (US)
Dir. Boots Riley
Ink (UK-Fr)
Dir. Danny Boyle
Klara And The Sun (US-UK-NZ)
Dir. Taika Waititi
A Long Winter (UK-Can)
Dir. Andrew Haigh
Minotaur (Fr-Ger-Latvia)
Dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
Paper Tiger (US)
Dir. James Gray
Possible Love (S. Kor)
Dir. Lee Chang-dong
Prima Facie (UK-Australia)
Dir. Susanna White
Ray Gunn (US)*
Dir. Brad Bird
Tender Loving Care (UK)
Dir. Mike Leigh
Wild Horse Nine (US-UK-Chile)
Dir. Martin McDonagh
Wildwood (US)*
Dir. Travis Knight
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (US-UK)
Dir. Bassam Tariq
Special Presentations
14th (US)
Dir. Ava DuVernay
Gone To Earth (UK)
Dir. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Shab-nameh: Women Of Iran’s Forgotten Left (UK)
Dir. Maryam Tafakory
Sweet Milk Lake (Australia)
Dir. Harvey Zielinski
The Trip To The Northern Lights (UK)*
Dir. Michael Winterbottom
Water Body (UK)
Dir. Marshmallow Laser Feast in collaboration with Robert MacFarlane
Official competition
7 Miles Out (UK)*
Dir. Carol Morley
Act 3 (Ire-UK)
Dirs. Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor
Glaxo (Bra-Arg)
Dir. Benjamín Naishtat
Imperium (Ger-Fr-It-Lithuania)
Dir. Sergei Loznitsa
Ketticè (It)
Dir. Giovanni Tortorici
Look Back (Japan)
Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda
My Notes On Mars (Hun-Austria)
Dir. Lili Horvát
The Difficult Bride (Fr-Bang-Port-Nor-Ger)
Dir. Rubaiyat Hossain
The Idiot(s) (Ger-Pol)
Dirs. Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert
Woman, Unknown (Den-Latvia-Swe)
Dir. May el-Toukhy
First feature competition
9 Temples To Heaven (Thai-Sing-Fr-Nor-Chi-HK-Indo-Qat)
Dir. Sompot Chidgasornpongse
Animol (UK)
Dir. Ashley Walters
Ben’imana (Rwa-Fr-Gab-Nor)
Dir. Marie-Clémentine Dusabejamb
A Common Story (It)
Dir. Anna Foglietta
Forest High (Bel-Fr)
Dir. Manon Coubia
Fruit Gathering (Mya-Czech-Fr)
Dir. Aung Phyoe
Lady (UK-Nig)
Dir. Olive Nwosu
The Last Day (US)
Dir. Rachel Rose
Masc (UK)
Dir. Bertil Nilsson
Our Share of Sand (UK-Gre-India)
Dir. Shalini Adnani
Documentary competition
Ba’s Book (Can)
Dir. Ashley Duong
The Calf Doll (India)
Dir. Ankur Hooda
Concrete Land (Jor-Pal)
Dir. Asmahan Bkerat
Concrete Turned to Sand (Can)
Dir. Jessica Johnson
Dependence (UK)
Dir. Grace Harper Brighouse
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (US)
Dir. William Greaves, David Greaves
Queer Edward II (UK)
Dir. Theo Rollason
Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing (Japan-US-UK-Den)
Dir. Erik Shirai
Love
All Of A Sudden (Fr)
Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Coward (Bel)
Dir. Lukas Dhont
Dao (Fr)
Dir. Alain Gomis
Flies (Mex)
Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
Frank And Percy (UK)*
Dir. Sean Mathias
Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty! (US)
Dir. Josef Kubota Wladyka
House Of The Wind (Came)
Dir. Bernard Auguste Kouemo Yanghu
In A Whisper (Fr)
Dir. Leyla Bouzid
It Will Happen Tonight (It)
Dir. Nanni Moretti
Iván & Hadoum (Sp)
Dir. Ian de la Rosa
Lemonade (Ire)
Dir. Kim Bartley
Mouse (US)
Dir. Kelly O’Sullivan
Pakeezah (India)
Dir. Kamal Amrohi
Petrolheads (Den)
Dir. Emil Langballe
The Slightest Touch (Ire-US)
Dir. Rachel Fleit
To Hold a Mountain (Ser)
Dir. Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić
Various on a Theme (S Afr)
Dir. Devon Delmar, Jason Jacobs
Debate
A Good Little Soldier (Fr)
Dir. Stéphane Brizé
All About the Money (Ire)
Dir. Sinéad O’Shea
Amazomania (Swe)
Dir. Nathan Grossman
Gentle Monster (Austria)
Dir. Marie Kreutzer
I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning (UK)
Dir. Clio Barnard
Mariinka (Bel)
Dir. Pieter-Jan de Pue
Musk (US)
Dir. Alex Gibney
My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile (US)
Dir. Julia Loktev
Panelstory, Or How A Housing Development Is Born (Czech)
Dir. Věra Chytilová
Rebellion (UK)*
Dir. Ken Pero & Tariq Mehmood
The Whisper Of Sunlight (HK)*
Dir. Siu-pong Wong
Laugh
Hot Water (US)
Dir. Ramzi Bashour
Lali (Pak)
Dir. Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
The Banning Curse (Iran)*
Dir. Mohsen Amiryousefi
The Fox (Australia)
Dir. Dario Russo
The History Of Concrete (US)
Dir. John Wilson
Too Many Beasts (Fr)
Dir. Sarah Arnold
Wicker (US-Hun)
Dir. Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson
It Gets Worse (UK)*
Dir. Mounia Akl
Dare
A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra (Greece)
Dir. Jacqueline Lentzou
A Man of His Time (Fr)
Dir. Emmanuel Marre
At Night (Fr)
Dir. Beatrice Gibson
Atlantic Rhapsody (China)
Dir. Zhong Kaifeng
Chronicles from the Siege (Alg)
Dir. Abdallah Al-Khatib
Chronovisor (US)
Dir. Kevin Walker, Jack Auen
Everytime (Austria)
Dir. Sandra Wollner
Filipiñana (Sing)
Dir. Rafael Manuel
French Girls (Australia)
Dir. Hyun Lee
Hearing (Viet)
Dir. Lê Bảo
I Plant My Hand in the Garden (Ger)
Dir. Hoda Taheri & Boris Hadžija
Let Them Be Seen (S Afr)
Dir. Nolitha Refilwe Mkulisi
Life of Jorge Luis Borges (Arg)
Dir. Mariano Llinás
Marie Madeleine (Fr)
Dir. Gessica Généus
My Wife Cries (Ger)
Dir. Angela Schanelec
Revolutionaries Never Die (Pal)
Dir. Mohanad Yaqubi
Rose (Austria)
Dir. Markus Schleinzer
Thrill
Black Church Bay (UK)
Dir. Rhys Marc Jones
Elephants In The Fog (Nepal)
Dir. Abinash Bikram Shah
Furies (Leb)
Dir. Rami Kodeih
Heysel 85 (Bel)
Dir. Teodora Ana Mihai
Josephine (US)
Dir. Beth de Araújo
Moonglow (Phil)
Dir. Isabel Sandoval
Prince (Uru)*
Dir. Federico Borgia
The Dreamed Adventure (Ger-Fr-Bul-Austria)
Dir. Valeska Grisebach
The Liberation (US)
Dir. Guy Nattiv
The Match (Arg)
Dir. Juan Cabral & Santiago Franco
The Meltdown (Chile)
Dir. Manuela Martelli
Cult
Godzilla Minus Zero (Japan)
Dir. Takashi Yamazaki
Ken Russell’s The Devils (UK)
Dir. Ken Russell
Hot Spot (Pol)
Dir. Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Nightborn (Fin)
Dir. Hanna Bergholm
Rogue Trooper (UK)
Dir. Duncan Jones
The Blood Countess (Austria)
Dir. Ulrike Ottinger
The Face of Horror (UK-US-Czechia)
Dir. Anna Biller
The Unknown (Fr)
Dir. Arthur Harari
Journey
A Bit of Light (Iran)
Dir. Ali Asgari
A Girl Unknown (China)
Dir. Zou Jing
A Place to Heal (Fr)
Dir. Cédric Kahn
Ana, en Passant (Bra)
Dir. Fernanda Salgado
Clarissa (Nig)
Dir. Arie Esiri & Chuko Esiri
Florid (UK)
Dir. Billy Lumby
In the Shadows (UK)*
Dir. Anthony Wonke
Isabel (Bra)
Dir. Gabe Klinger
La Dérive (Fr)
Dir. Paula Delsol
La Gradiva (Fr)
Dir. Marine Atlan
La Perra (Chile)
Dir. Dominga Sotomayor
No Good Men (Ger)
Dir. Shahrbanoo Sadat
Perfect Road (Den)
Dir. Adam Bonke, Christian Bonke
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (Nig)
Dir. Daniel Oriahi
The Station (Jor)
Dir. Sara Ishaq
Tutu (UK-S Afr)
Dir. Sam Pollard
Visionquest (US-UK)
Dir. Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Vincenzo Natali, Terry Matalas
Create
Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff (US)
Dir. Nanette Burstein
Congo Boy (Central African Republic)
Dir. Rafiki Fariala
Easter (S Kor)
Dir. Mokya Shin
Making Marie Antoinette (US)
Dir. Eleanor Coppola
Supporting Role (Geo)
Dir. Ana Urushadze
The Echo Chamber (It)
Dir. Andrea Pallaoro
The Friend’s House Is Here (Iran)
Dir. Hossein Keshavarz & Maryam Ataei
The Man I Love (US)
Dir. Ira Sachs
The Story of Documentary Film – The 1990s (UK)
Dir. Mark Cousins
Zero Intention of Living Quietly (UK)
Dir. Edward Lovelace
Experimenta
Az Zeeb (Chile)
Dir. Rafael Guendelman
All That Appears Solid Is Built on Blood (Pal)
Dir. Izdihar Afyouni
An Unimaginable Leap (UK)
Dir. Hope Pearl
Badak (Indo)
Dir. Riar Rizaldi
Between Us And the World (UK)
Dir. Wallace Minchong
Buckskin (US)
Dir. Mars Verrone
Endless Sunlight (Can)
Dir. Tyson Houseman
Gestures to Break and Image (Peru)
Dir. Maya Villavicencio
Going Home (Ger)
Dir. Kamal Aljafari
Guided Tour (Fr)
Dir. Alba Jaramillo
Hanabi (Fr)
Dir. Ana Vaz
Landscapes Of Shame (Ire)
Dir. Patrick Hough
Local Sensations (Thai)
Dir. Tulapop Saenjaroen
Masao Adachi Takes A Passport Photo (Japan-Ger)
Dir. Kamal Aljafari
No Archive Can Restore This Chorus of (Diasporic) Shame (UK)
Dir. Onyeka Igwe
O River, We Forced You to Chew Up Their Crops (Egy)
Dir. Philip Rizk
Rw-Lo (US)
Dir. Martine Syms
Sitrep (US)
Dir. Blair Barnes
The Centre Cannot Hold (UK-Fr)
Dir. Ufuoma Essi
The Muscles Are Tense (Ger)
Dir. Mahshid Mahboubifar
The Thought Of The Innermost Being (UK)
Dir. Jack Jefferys
Title (Fr)
Dir. Laida Lertxundi
Tropical Fractals (Port)
Dir. Leonardo Pirondi
Wales Visitation (UK)
Dir. Sadia Pineda
You Dreamt You Saw Yourself but Couldn’t See Your Face (Phil)
Dir. Shireen Seno
LFF Expanded
Water Body (UK)
Dir. Marshmallow Laser Feast in collaboration with Robert Macfarlane
Red The Ocean Around U (Ger)*
Dir. CROSSLUCID
Solwata (US)
Dir. Felix Gaedtke, Gayatri Parameswaran
The World Came Flooding In (Australia)
Dir. Isobel Knowles, Van Sowerwine
And Roger
By TearyHand Studio
Lofsöng
By Unrelated Studio
Love Eternal
By brika
Mixtape
By Beethoven and Dinosaur
The Day I Became a Bird
By Passion Pictures and Hyper Luminal Games
Family
A Mighty Adventure (Tai)
Dir. Toe Yuen
Aller & Retour (It)
Dir. Lucia Bulgheroni & Michele Greco
Bats & Bugs (Switz)
Dir. Lena von Döhren
Grounded (NZ)
Dir. Chris Callus
Into The Forest (Switz)
Dir. Antonin Niclass
Iron Boy (Fr)
Dir. Louis Clichy
Julián (Ire)
Dir. Louise Bagnall
Koschka (Ger)
Dir. Bernd Sahling
Loulou (Neth)
Dir. Hanneke van der Linden
Maebee: The Camping Trap (UK)
Dir. Tim O’Sullivan
My Friend the Sun (Mex)
Dir. Alejandra Pérez González
Piccolo Piccolo (Fr)
Dir. Marta Gennari
Sphinx Alberta’s Smile (Latvia)
Dir. Dace Riduze
Are you excited for this announcement? Will you be attending the BFI London Film Festival this year? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
