2023 film festival
The 67th BFI London Film Festival was a film festival that took place from 4–15 October 2023.[2] The competition films were announced on 29 August 2023 while the films for the galas and the strands were revealed on 31 August 2023.[3][4] The juries for the various sections of the festival were announced on 19 September 2023.[5]
The festival opened with Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell,[6] and closed with The Kitchen, directed by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya.[7]
Main Competition[edit]
Documentary Competition[edit]
- Rubika Shah, British writer and director
- Jeanie Finlay, British documentary filmmaker
- Paul Tonta, general manager theatrical acquisitions and film festivals at Madman Entertainment
Short Film Competition[edit]
- Charlotte Regan, British writer and director
- Francesca Tomlinson, BFI Film Academy Young Programmer
- Rina Yang, cinematographer
The partner venues for the festival included:[8]
London cinemas[edit]
Expanded venues[edit]
UK-wide cinemas[edit]
Official Selection[edit]
The following films were selected for the Galas section, which screens world, European, and British premieres of the most anticipated films.
Special Presentations[edit]
The following films were selected for the Special Presentations section.
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
The Boy and the Heron |
君たちはどう生きるか |
Hayao Miyazaki |
Japan
|
Cobweb |
거미집 |
Kim Jee-woon |
South Korea
|
The End We Start From |
Mahalia Belo |
United Kingdom
|
Fallen Leaves |
Kuolleet lehdet |
Aki Kaurismäki |
Finland
|
Foe |
Garth Davis |
Australia, United States
|
Grime Kids |
Abdou Cisse |
United Kingdom
|
Hit Man |
Richard Linklater |
United States
|
Housekeeping for Beginners |
Goran Stolevski |
North Macedonia, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Australia, United States
|
Les Indésirables
|
Bâtiment 5 |
Ladj Ly |
France, Belgium
|
Memory |
Michel Franco |
Mexico, United States, Chile
|
Occupied City |
Steve McQueen |
United Kingdom, Netherlands
|
Priscilla |
Sofia Coppola |
United States, Italy
|
The Zone of Interest |
Jonathan Glazer |
United Kingdom, United States, Poland
|
In Competition[edit]
There were five competition sections, each with a different selection of films and different juries.
Official Competition[edit]
The following films competed for the Best Film Award.[9]
First Feature Competition[edit]
The following films competed for the Sutherland Award, which is awarded to a directorial debut.[10]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Black Dog |
George Jaques |
United Kingdom
|
Earth Mama |
Savanah Leaf |
United States, United Kingdom
|
Hoard |
Luna Carmoon |
United Kingdom
|
In Camera |
Naqqash Khalid |
United Kingdom
|
Mambar Pierrette |
Rosine Mbakam |
Belgium, Cameroon
|
Paradise Is Burning |
Mika Gustafson |
Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Finland
|
Penal Cordillera |
Felipe Carmona |
Chile, Brazil
|
The Queen of My Dreams |
Fawzia Mirza |
Canada
|
Sky Peals |
Moin Hussain |
United Kingdom
|
Tiger Stripes |
Amanda Nell Eu |
Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar
|
Tuesday |
Daina O. Pusić |
United Kingdom, United States
|
Documentary Competition[edit]
The following films competed for the Grierson Award, which is awarded to a feature-length documentary.[11]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Bye Bye Tiberias |
Lina Soualem |
France, Palestine, Belgium, Qatar
|
Celluloid Underground |
Ehsan Khoshbakht |
United Kingdom, Iran
|
Chasing Chasing Amy |
Sav Rodgers |
United States
|
A Common Sequence |
Mary Helena Clark, Mike Gibisser |
United States, Mexico
|
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano |
على حافة البركان |
Cyril Aris |
Germany, Lebanon
|
The Klezmer Project |
Adentro mía estoy bailando |
Leandro Koch, Paloma Schahmann |
Austria, Argentina
|
Queendom |
Agniia Galdanova |
France, United States
|
The Taste of Mango |
Chloe Abrahams |
United Kingdom, United States
|
Short Film Competition[edit]
The following films competed for the Short Film Award.[12]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
The Archive: Queer Nigerians |
Simisolaoluwa Akande |
United Kingdom
|
Area Boy |
Iggy London
|
Boat People |
Thao Lam, Kjell Boersma |
Canada
|
Essex Girls |
Yero Timi-Biu |
United Kingdom
|
The Goose's Excuse |
Mahdy Abo Bahat, Abdo Zin Eldin |
Egypt, United Kingdom
|
Khabur |
Nafis Fathollahzadeh |
Germany, Iran
|
Onset |
Anna Engelhardt, Mark Cinkevich |
United Kingdom, Poland
|
The Singer |
Cora Bissett |
United Kingdom
|
The Walk |
Michael Jobling
|
Wells of Despair |
Sata Taas |
Netherlands
|
Strands[edit]
Most of the out-of-competition films have been organised into strands, each based on a different mood or emotion.
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
20,000 Species of Bees |
20.000 especies de abejas |
Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren |
Spain
|
Àma Gloria [fr; it; he; eu] |
Marie Amachoukeli |
France
|
Banel & Adama |
Banel et Adama |
Ramata-Toulaye Sy |
France, Senegal, Mali
|
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry |
Elene Naveriani |
Switzerland, Germany, Georgia
|
The Eternal Memory |
La memoria infinita |
Maite Alberdi |
Chile
|
Fancy Dance |
Erica Tremblay |
United States
|
Girl |
Adura Onashile |
United Kingdom
|
Goodbye Julia |
وداعا جوليا |
Mohamed Kordofani |
Sudan, Egypt, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Sweden
|
Monster |
怪物 |
Hirokazu Kore-eda |
Japan
|
Our Body |
Notre Corps |
Claire Simon |
France
|
Perfect Days |
Wim Wenders |
Japan
|
Robot Dreams |
Pablo Berger |
Spain, France
|
Silver Haze |
Sacha Polak |
Netherlands, United Kingdom
|
Slow |
Marija Kavtaradze |
Lithuania, Spain, Sweden
|
Tótem |
Lila Avilés |
Mexico, Denmark, France
|
Unicorns |
Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd |
United Kingdom
|
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Allensworth |
James Benning |
United Kingdom
|
Fire Through Dry Grass |
Alexis Neophytides, Andres "Jay" Molina |
United States
|
Four Daughters |
بنات ألفة |
Kaouther Ben Hania |
France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia
|
The Goldman Case |
Le Procès Goldman |
Cédric Kahn |
France
|
High & Low — John Galliano |
Kevin Macdonald |
France, United States, United Kingdom
|
Kidnapped |
Rapito |
Marco Bellocchio |
Italy, France, Germany
|
The Mission |
Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine |
United States
|
On the Adamant |
Sur l'Adamant |
Nicolas Philibert |
France, Japan
|
The Pigeon Tunnel |
Errol Morris |
United Kingdom
|
The Rye Horn |
O corno |
Jaione Camborda |
Spain, Portugal, Belgium
|
Shoshana |
Michael Winterbottom |
United Kingdom, Italy
|
Wilding |
David Allen |
United Kingdom
|
Youth (Spring) |
青春 |
Wang Bing |
China, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands
|
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Animalia |
Parmi nous |
Sofia Alaoui |
France, Morocco, Qatar
|
Behind the Mountains |
Oura el Jbel |
Mohamed Ben Attia |
Tunisia, France, Belgium, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
|
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World |
Nu astepta prea mult de la sfârsitul lumii |
Radu Jude |
Romania, Luxembourg, France, Croatia
|
Eileen |
William Oldroyd |
United States
|
Foremost by Night |
Sobre todo de noche |
Víctor Iriarte [es] |
Spain, Portugal, France
|
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell |
Bên trong vỏ kén vàng |
Thien An Pham |
Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain
|
Last Summer |
L'Été dernier |
Catherine Breillat |
France
|
Little Girl Blue |
Mona Achache |
France, Belgium
|
Music |
Angela Schanelec |
Germany, France, Serbia
|
Omen |
Baloji |
Belgium, Netherlands, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, South Africa
|
The Peasants |
Chłopi |
DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman |
Poland, Serbia, Lithuania
|
Power Alley |
Levante |
Lillah Halla |
Brazil, France, Uruguay
|
A Prince |
Un prince |
Pierre Creton |
France
|
Red Island |
L'Île rouge |
Robin Campillo |
France, Belgium, Madagascar
|
Samsara |
Lois Patiño |
Spain
|
Journey[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt |
Raven Jackson |
United States
|
The Bride |
Myriam U. Birara |
Rwanda
|
The Delinquents |
Los delincuentes |
Rodrigo Moreno |
Argentina
|
The Echo |
El eco |
Tatiana Huezo |
Mexico, Germany
|
Expats |
Lulu Wang |
United States, Hong Kong
|
Haar |
Ben Hecking |
United Kingdom
|
How to Have Sex |
Molly Manning Walker |
United Kingdom, Greece
|
If Only I Could Hibernate |
Баавгай болохсон |
Zoljargal Purevdash |
Mongolia, France, Switzerland, Qatar
|
Inshallah a Boy |
Amjad Al Rasheed |
Jordan, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt
|
The Lost Boys |
Le Paradis |
Zeno Graton |
Belgium, France
|
The New Boy |
Warwick Thornton |
Australia
|
Ramona |
Victoria Linares Villegas |
Dominican Republic, United Kingdom
|
The Settlers |
Los colonos |
Felipe Gálvez Haberle |
Chile, Argentina, France, Denmark, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Sweden, Germany
|
Shayda |
Noora Niasari |
Australia
|
The Spectre of Boko Haram |
Le spectre de Boko Haram |
Cyrielle Raingou |
Cameroon, France
|
The Sweet East |
Sean Price Williams |
United States
|
That They May Face the Rising Sun |
Pat Collins |
Ireland, United Kingdom
|
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Anita |
Alexis Bloom, Svetlana Zill |
United States
|
Anselm |
Anselm – Das Rauschen der Zeit |
Wim Wenders |
Germany
|
Apolonia, Apolonia |
Lea Glob |
Denmark, Poland, France
|
Close Your Eyes |
Cerrar los ojos |
Víctor Erice |
Spain, Argentina
|
The Daughters of Fire |
As Filhas do Fogo |
Pedro Costa |
Portugal
|
Croma Kid |
Pablo Chea |
Dominican Republic
|
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project |
Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster |
United States
|
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon |
Alex Gibney
|
Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros |
Frederick Wiseman |
France, United States
|
The Pot-au-Feu |
La Passion de Dodin Bouffant |
Tran Anh Hung |
France
|
Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus |
Neo Sora |
Japan
|
Swan Song |
Chelsea McMullan |
Canada
|
They Shot the Piano Player |
Dispararon al pianista |
Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal |
Spain, France, Netherlands
|
This Is Going to Be Big |
Thomas Charles Hyland |
Australia
|
You Can Call Me Bill |
Alexandre O. Philippe |
United States
|
Experimenta[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
The Lost Art of the Future |
Theo Cuthand |
Canada
|
A Radical Duet |
Onyeka Igwe |
United Kingdom
|
Speech for a Melting Statue |
Collectif Faire-Part |
Belgium, Democratic Republic of Congo
|
Wells of Despair |
Sata Taas |
Netherlands
|
The Archive: Queer Nigerians |
Simisolaoluwa Akande |
United Kingdom
|
Everything Worthwhile Is Done with Other People |
Rehana Zaman
|
Night Fishing with Ancestors |
Elizabeth Povinelli |
Australia
|
Minevissam (I Am Writing) |
Niki Kohandel |
United Kingdom
|
Notes from Gog Magog |
Riar Rizaldi |
Indonesia
|
Coders |
Anastasia Sosunova |
Lithuania
|
Platform Ghosts – Turker, Farmer, Bot |
Aarti Sunder |
India
|
Onset |
Anna Engelhardt, Mark Cinkevich |
United Kingdom, Poland
|
Gush |
Fox Maxy |
United States
|
Pacific Club |
Valentin Noujaïm |
France, Qatar
|
It Can't Be That Nothing That Can Be Returned |
Dana Kavelina |
Ukraine
|
Timekeepers of the Anthropocene |
Federico Cuatlacuatl |
Mexico, United States
|
Tristxtotl |
Mădălina Zaharia |
United Kingdom
|
Mangosteen |
Tulapop Saenjaroen |
Thailand
|
The Goose's Excuse |
Mahdy Abo Bahat, Abdo Zin Eldin |
Egypt, United Kingdom
|
Room in a Crowd |
John Torres |
Philippines
|
Tempo |
Yu Araki |
Japan
|
All the Days of May |
Miryam Charles |
Canada
|
Wood for the Trees |
Rob Crosse |
Germany
|
Sunflower Siege Engine |
Sky Hopinka |
United States
|
A Throwing Forth |
Xiao Zhang |
United States, China
|
Levitate |
Iván Argote |
Italy, Spain, France
|
Desert Dreaming |
Abdul Halik Azeez |
Sri Lanka
|
Khabur |
Nafis Fathollahzadeh |
Germany, Iran
|
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Dancing Queen |
Aurora Gossé |
Norway
|
Deep Sea (3D) |
Xiaopeng Tian |
China
|
Kensuke's Kingdom |
Kirk Hendry, Neil Boyle |
United Kingdom, Luxembourg, France
|
The Sacred Cave |
Daniel Minlo |
Cameroon, Burkina Faso, France
|
Treasures[edit]
The short film programme was divided into the following nine sections.
Dialogues Between Past, Present and Future[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
The Archive: Queer Nigerians |
Simisolaoluwa Akande |
United Kingdom
|
The Lost Art of the Future |
Theo Cuthand |
Canada
|
A Radical Duet |
Onyeka Igwe |
United Kingdom
|
Speech for a Melting Statue |
Collectif Faire-Part |
Belgium, Democratic Republic of Congo
|
Wells of Despair |
Sata Taas |
Netherlands
|
Stories We Tell[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
All the Lights Still Burning |
Dominic Leclerc |
United Kingdom
|
Essex Girls |
Yero Timi-Biu
|
Festival of Slaps |
Abdou Cissé
|
Only Yourself to Blame |
Noomi Yates
|
The Scottish Play |
James Soldan
|
The Singer |
Cora Bissett
|
Smoking Dolphins |
Sean Lyons
|
What Makes Us[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Area Boy |
Iggy London |
United Kingdom
|
Blood |
Vathana Suganya Suppiah |
United Kingdom, Australia
|
Gorka |
Joe Weiland |
United Kingdom
|
Making Babies |
Faire un enfant |
Éric K. Boulianne |
Canada
|
Mother of Mine |
Jesse Lewis Reece |
United Kingdom
|
Sound & Colour |
Emma Foley |
Ireland
|
Right Here, Right Now[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Boat People |
Thao Lam, Kjell Boersma |
Canada
|
Graveyard of Horses |
Xiao Xuan Jiang |
China
|
I Am More Dangerous Dead |
Majiye Uchibeke |
United States, Nigeria, United Kingdom
|
Waking Up in Silence |
Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi |
Ukraine, Germany
|
The Walk |
Michael Jobling |
United Kingdom
|
Wildmen of the Greater Toronto Area |
Solmund MacPherson |
Canada
|
For the Haunted and Possessed[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Coders |
Anastasia Sosunova |
Lithuania
|
Notes from Gog Magog |
Riar Rizaldi |
Indonesia
|
Onset |
Anna Engelhardt, Mark Cinkevich |
United Kingdom, Poland
|
Platform Ghosts – Turker, Farmer, Bot |
Aarti Sunder |
India
|
The Creeps[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Doris |
Edem Dotse |
Ghana, United States
|
Foreigners Only |
Nuhash Humayun |
Bangladesh, United States
|
The Garden of Heart |
Olivér Hegyi |
Hungary, Slovakia
|
Predators |
Jack King |
United Kingdom
|
Pu Ekaw Tnod |
Rebecca Culverhouse
|
Strangers |
Rob Price
|
The Test |
Olivia Marie Valdez |
United States
|
Yummy Mummy |
Gabriela Staniszewska |
United Kingdom
|
No Place Called Home[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Hafekasi |
Annelise Hickey |
Australia
|
Now and Then |
Harris Alvi |
United Kingdom
|
Rizoo |
Azadeh Navai |
Iran, United States
|
South Facing |
Reneque Samuels |
United Kingdom
|
Torn |
Jahfar Muataz |
Denmark, Sweden
|
The Land is the Living Witness[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Desert Dreaming |
Abdul Halik Azeez |
Sri Lanka
|
Khabur |
Nafis Fathollahzadeh |
Germany, Iran
|
Levitate |
Iván Argote |
Italy, Spain, France
|
Sunflower Siege Engine |
Sky Hopinka |
United States
|
A Throwing Forth |
Xiao Zhang |
United States, China
|
Animated Shorts for Young Audiences[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Pond |
Lena Von Döhren, Eva Rust |
Switzerland
|
Swing to the Moon |
Marie Bordessoule, Adriana Bouissie, Nadine De Boer, Elisa Drique, Chloé Lauzu, Vincent Levrero, Solenne Moreau |
France
|
The Day I Became a Bird |
Andrew Ruhemann |
United Kingdom
|
The Swineherd |
Magnus Igland Møller, Peter Smith |
Denmark
|
Once upon a Studio |
Trent Correy, Dan Abraham |
United States
|
Ahru |
Leandro Martinez |
Argentina
|
Hooba |
Sem Assink |
Netherlands
|
Upside Down |
Dace Rīdūze |
Latvia
|
LFF for Free: Shorts[edit]
The following films were screened during the LFF for Free programme.[13]
Big Little Lives[edit]
Star Imagine UK[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Dragon Slayers United |
Tom Levinge |
United Kingdom
|
Lionhead |
Alvin Yu
|
Gently |
Kevin Morosky
|
Sleepyhead |
Milly Garnier
|
Nights |
Laura Jayne Tunbridge
|
Space Plug |
Marcus Anthony Thomas
|
London Calling: Brave Faces[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Seekers |
Josh Feder |
United Kingdom
|
Independence |
Karl Jackson
|
The Girls' Room |
Tracey Lopes
|
My Brudda |
Ntando Brown
|
Snow Falls In The Summer |
Ajuán Isaac George
|
London Calling: Being Seen[edit]
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
The Date |
Amy Hodge |
United Kingdom
|
Darwin Story |
Natasha Tonkin
|
Better |
Zoe Hunter Gordon
|
Wings |
Billy Boyd Cape
|
The Call |
Riffy Ahmed
|
Network@LFF Shorts[edit]
For 2023 the Network@LFF short films were split into three programmes.[14]
English Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Programme 1
|
Up |
Greg Francis |
United Kingdom
|
Muna |
Warda Mohamed |
United Kingdom, Somalia
|
VHS |
Solène Guichard |
United Kingdom
|
The Heritage |
Andrew Rutter |
France
|
Programme 2
|
Oba |
Femi Oladigbolu |
United Kingdom
|
High Tide |
Johnny Massahi
|
The Last Days |
Dipo Baruwa-Etti
|
The Mobius Trip |
Simone Smith
|
Seekers |
Josh Feder
|
Programme 3
|
Malcolm |
Caleb J. Roberts |
United Kingdom, Ireland
|
Doss House |
Charlotte James |
United Kingdom
|
Alo |
Xenia Glen
|
All The Lights Still Burning |
Dominic Leclerc
|
Salt Water Town |
Dan Thorburn
|
English Title
|
Original Title
|
Director(s)
|
Production Country
|
Dope Fiend |
Rosanagh Griffiths |
United Kingdom
|
Battery |
Ewan Marshall
|
Pyramid of Disunion |
Ella Glendining, Jessi Gutch
|
MO <3 KYRA 4EVA |
Debbie Hannan
|
Surprise Film[edit]
Ferrari, dir. Michael Mann[15]
Competition[edit]
Source:[16]
Audience Awards[edit]
Source:[15]
- Best Feature: Gassed Up, dir. George Amponsah
- Best Documentary: The Taste of Mango, dir. Chloe Abrahams
- Best British Film or Work: Festival of Slaps, dir. Abdou Cisse
- Best Immersive/XR: Murals, Lead artists. Alex Topaller, Daniel Shapiro and Artem Ivanenko
References[edit]