The 70th BFI London Film Festival (October 7th-18th) is excited to announce this year’s Closing Night Gala will be the UK premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut“ at the Southbank Center’s Royal Festival Hall on October 18th, 2026. Eisenberg returns to LFF following the premiere of “A Real Pain“ at the festival in 2024 and is expected to attend along with the cast. Lionsgate will release The Debut for UK cinemas on January 15th 2027.
In “The Debut,“ a shy woman is unexpectedly cast in a local production of an original musical. Under the spell of the strong-willed and enigmatic director, she loses herself in the role and the high-stakes world of this community theatre production. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu, Bernadette Peters, Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper, Maulik Pancholy and Bonnie Milligan.
Director of “The Debut,” Jesse Eisenberg, said: “I am both honored and thrilled to be bringing The Debut to the 70th BFI London Film Festival. What a wonderful thrill to be the Closing Night gala, and I can’t wait to share the incredible performances by the cast with a London audience.”
Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director, said: “We are thrilled to welcome writer/director Jesse Eisenberg back to the LFF to close the 70th edition of the festival with his deliriously funny and heartfelt film, “The Debut.” With its knockout performances and brilliantly sharp script, we’re excited to share this film, which will have audiences in its thrall and renewed by the joyous and soulful power of cinema.”
The 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival will take place in the following venues:
- The Southbank Center’s Royal Festival Hall returns as the gala venue.
- BFI Southbank is the home of the competition program, Screen Talks and LFF for Free events
- The UK’s biggest screen, BFI IMAX, will host LFF screenings.
- Four partner cinemas in London’s West End include Curzon Soho, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), Prince Charles Cinema and Vue West End.
- Ten festival venues across the UK include Broadway Cinema in Nottingham, Chapter in Cardiff, Glasgow Film Theatre, HOME in Manchester, MAC in Birmingham, Queen’s Film Theatre in Belfast, Showroom Cinema in Sheffield, Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle, Filmhouse in Edinburgh and Watershed in Bristol.
- Press and industry screenings and the LFF Industry Forum take place at Picturehouse Central.
In addition to UK-wide screenings at the festival venues, audiences will also be able to explore LFF programs past and present with a special collection of films on BFI Player.
The 70th BFI London Film Festival takes place from Wednesday, October 7th to Sunday, October 18th 2026. The full festival program will be revealed on Wednesday, September 2nd 2026, with tickets on general sale from September 17th (BFI Members book early).
Are you excited for this announcement? Are you looking forward to “The Debut?” 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.
