BFI London Film Festival 2019: Full line-up announced, with 40 per cent directed by women

Oddball: Taika Waititi directs and stars as Hitler alongside Scarlett Johansson in unusual drama Jojo Rabbit

Forty per cent of the films to be screened at the 63rd BFI London Film Festival are directed or co-directed by women, its organisers announced today.

It comes after festival organisers said 60 per cent of films selected for its competition were from female directors – more than any other major 2019 film festival.

Women directed 46 per cent of the competition films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and 40 per cent of competition titles at the Berlin Film Festival. Just two of 21 main films selected for this summer’s Venice Film festival contest are directed by women, while Cannes had just four female-directed films competing for the Palme d’Or.

The festival today revealed its full programme of 229 feature films to be shown to audiences. LFF will present 28 World Premieres, 12 International Premieres and 28 European Premieres, with 78 countries represented.

Headline films announced today include the European Premiere of Taika Waititi’s unusual World War Two film Jojo Rabbit – starring Scarlett Johansson – and the UK Premiere of Le Mans ’66, a study of the friendship that shaped 1960s motor racing starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale.

Racing into cinemas: Le Mans '66 will make its premiere at the festival

Festival Director, Tricia Tuttle, hailed “the continuing and welcome trend of increased gender balance in directing talent behind short film, first and second features”, and the new wave of UK filmmaking talent represented at the festival.

She said: “That [LFF] greatness comes from the fact that we serve one of the most vibrant and international cities in the world and welcome voracious, adventurous and cineliterate audiences.” The festival will run from October 2-13 at the BFI Southbank.

See the full festival line-up below.

Gala presentations

  • Opening Gala - The Personal History of David Copperfield (USA, United Kingdom, dir. Armando Iannucci)
  • American Express Gala - Knives Out (USA, Rian Johnson)
  • Headline Gala - Hope Gap (dir-scr. William Nicholson)
  • Headline Gala - Greed (dir. Michael Winterbottom)
  • Headline Gala - JoJo Rabbit (dir. Taika Waititi)
  • The Mayfair Hotel  Gala - Marriage Story (dir. Noah Baumbach)
  • Mayor of London Gala - The Aeronauts (dir. Alexandra Byrne)
  • American Airlines Gala -  The King (dir. David Michod)
  • BFI Patrons' Gala - Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (dir. Marielle Heller)
  • Family Gala - Abominable (dir. Jill Culton)
  • Headline Gala - Le Man's 66 (Ford Vs Ferrari) (dir. James Mangold)
  • Headline Gala - Ema (dir. Pablo Larrain)
  • Closing Gala - The Irishman (USA, dir. Martin Scorsese)

In competition

  • Anny Lye Deliver'd (United Kingdom-Germany, dir-scr. Thomas Clay)
  • Honey Boy (USA, dir. Alma Har’el)
  • La Llorona (Guatemala-France, dir. Jayro Bustamante)
  • Lingua Franca (USA, dir-scr. Isabel Sandoval)
  • Moffie (South Africa-United Kingdom, dir. Oliver Hermanus)
  • Monos (Colombia-Argentina-Netherlands-Germany-Sweden-Uruguay-USA, dir. Alejandro Landes)
  • The Other Lamb (Ireland-Belgium-USA, dir. Małgorzata Szumowska)
  • The Perfect Candidate (Germany-Saudi Arabia, dir. Haifaa Al Mansour)
  • Rose Plays Julie (Ireland-United Kingdom, dir-scr. Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor)
  • Saint Maud (United Kingdom, dir-scr. Rose Glass)

Special presentations

  • Special Presentation in association with Empire Magazine - Bad Education (dir. Cory Finlay)
  • BFI Flare Special Presentation - Portrait of a Lady on Fire (dir. Celine Sciamma)
  • Archive Special Presentation - Love, Life and Laughter (dir. George Pearson)
  • Experimental Special Presentation - Krabi, 2562 (dir. Anocha Suwichakornpong and Ben Rivers)
  • Documentary Special Presentation - The Cave (dir. Feras Fayyad)
  • Blackbird (dir. Roger Michell)
  • Bombay Rose (dir. Gitanjali Rao)
  • First Love (dir. Takash Miike)
  • Gösta (dir. Lukas Moodysson)

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