10 Films to See at the 2024 London Film Festival
As the 2024 BFI London Film Festival approaches, we’ve put together our top 10 film recommendations that are not to be missed. This year’s lineup is filled to the brim with bold and diverse storytelling, and we’ve selected standout titles that are not to be missed. From the genre-bending musical crime thriller Emilia Pérez to Luca Guadagnino’s daring and experimental Queer, our picks showcase some of the festival’s most exciting highlights. Expect heartwarming (and heartbreaking) moments in We Live in Time, lyrical beauty and magical realism in All We Imagine As Light, and deeply personal narratives in Sebastian. Whether you’re drawn to powerful dramas like Maria or the thrilling, riotous journey of Anora, these 10 films are our must-sees for the festival in alphabetical order.
All We Imagine As Light
Director: Payal Kapadia
Starring: Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam
Following its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix, Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light makes its UK debut at the 2024 London Film Festival. The film follows Prabha and Anu, two Malayali nurses living in Mumbai who are both troubled by their relationships. The two embark on a road trip to a beach town where the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest. Anchored by phenomenal dual performances from stars Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha, All We Imagine As Light is a delicate, poetic study of two women grappling with the complexities of desire, loneliness, and self-discovery. With stunning, dreamlike cinematography courtesy of Ranabir Das, All We Imagine As Light is not only a visually stunning film but also a poignant exploration of female friendship and identity in nocturnal Mumbai. Don’t miss this one.
‘All We Imagine As Light’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 18.
Anora
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eidelstein and Yuriy Borisov.
Sean Baker‘s latest film, a contemporary fairytale about a Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of an oligarch, claimed this year’s Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Since that win, the movie has continued to charm audiences, with particular attention on Mikey Madison’s magnetic breakout performance in the title role.
‘Anora’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11.
Emilia Pérez
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Édgar Ramírez
Following a festival run that included Telluride, TIFF, NYFF and Cannes, where it won the highly coveted Best Actress prize for its quartet of leading women, Emilia Pérez, the latest film from French auteur Jaques Audiard, makes its UK premiere at the London Film Festival on October 11. Led by a bold, fearless Karla Sofia Gascon and an endlessly charismatic Zoe Saldana, with a searing, soulful supporting turn from Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez follows a lawyer (Saldana) who receives an unexpected offer to help a feared cartel boss (Gascon) retire from his business and disappear forever by becoming the woman he’s always dreamed of being. Already garnering major awards buzz, the film is a thrilling, intoxicating and surprisingly heartfelt musical that defies all genre conventions, mixing elements of action, comedy, crime thriller and drama into a heady, powerful concoction that will stay with audiences far after the credits roll. Make sure this one is at the top of your list.
‘Emilia Pérez’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11.
Maria
Director: Pablo Larraín
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Alba Rohrwacher and Pierfrancesco Favino.
Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie becomes legendary opera singer Maria Callas in what is arguably her most daring role yet. Directed by Pablo Larraín, the film marks the final installment of his critically acclaimed trilogy focusing on iconic women in history, following ‘Jackie’ and ‘Spencer’. The movie delves into the final days of Callas’ life in Paris, as the celebrated Primadonna reflects on her turbulent past. Torn between the melancholy of lost time and illusions, it is the intimate portrait of a woman haunted by memories of fame, love, and regret.
‘Maria’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 18.
Nickel Boys
Director: RaMell Ross
Starring: Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2019 novel by American novelist Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys is set in 1962 Jim Crow era Tallahassee, Florida, where young African-American Elwood Curtis is falsely accused by cops of being an accomplice of stealing a car. He is sent to a segregated reform school called Nickel Academy, where he forms a close friendship with a boy named Turner as they try to survive the abuse by the school and its corrupt administrators. Adapted for the screen by RaMell Ross, making his narrative feature film debut following his Oscar-nominated 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Nickel Boys is a haunting, highly affecting film with heartbreaking, revelatory performances from its leads Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson. It’s also incredibly inventive; Ross employs a first person POV-style filming technique for most of its runtime, framing scenes directly from the perspective of the film’s leads, making for a highly unique cinematic experience that demands to be seen on the big screen.
‘Nickel Boys’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 14.
Nightbitch
Director: Marielle Heller
Starring: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy and Zoe Chao.
Academy Award nominee Amy Adams takes on the fearless role of a suburban housewife who believes she’s turning into a dog in Marielle Helller‘s latest thriller. Through this singular premise, the film brings a voice to the very specific journey that is motherhood and the transformations and challenges that come with it.
‘Nightbitch’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 16.
Queer
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey
The latest film from director Luca Guadagnino – and his second to be released in 2024 – is probably his most experimental yet, which says a lot, considering his filmography also includes a highly transgressive remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria that has very little in common with the original film. Starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, Queer is set in 1940s Mexico City and follows Lee who, after fleeing from a drug bust in New Orleans, wanders around the city’s clubs and becomes infatuated with a discharged American Navy serviceman named Allerton. As Lee attempts to seduce Allerton into his life of excess, the two embark on a life-changing journey that will take them all the way to the rainforests of Ecuador in search of a substance Lee believes has the potential to be life-altering. While Craig delivers a career-best performance as the brash, seemingly carefree Lee, Starkey all but steals the film right from under him with a haunting, incredibly layered performance that turns Allerton from a seemingly aloof and enigmatic figure into a deeply complex and conflicted young man caught between desire and self-preservation. It may not be for everyone, but for those willing to take the plunge, Queer offers a bold, unforgettable cinematic experience that cements Guadagnino’s place as one of the most daring filmmakers of our time.
‘Queer’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 17.
Sebastian
Director: Mikko Mäkelä
Starring: Ruaridh Mollica, Hiftu Quasem and Jonathan Hyde
Sebastian, the sophomore feature from filmmaker Mikko Mäkelä, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, where it was met with critical acclaim. Now, 10 months and a stateside release later, Sebastian finally comes home to London, where it was partially filmed. Making his feature film debut, rising star Ruaridh Mollica delivers what should easily be a starmaking performance as Max, an aspiring novelist who turns to sex work under the name Sebastian in order to find inspiration for his debut novel. Compelling, provocative and incredibly complex, Sebastian is a difficult film to swallow – it doesn’t shy away from tackling themes, topics and dynamics that are very rarely depicted on screen – but Mäkelä handles the film’s subject matter with incredible care and nuance, emerging with a stunning portrait of a lost young man attempting to find his place in the world.
‘Sebastian’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Starring: Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Mahsa Rostami and Setareh Maleki.
The film follows Iman, who has just been promoted to investigating judge at the Revolutionary Court of Tehran when a massive wave of popular protests begins to shake the country. Overwhelmed by the scale of the events, he decides to confront the absurdity and injustices of the system. The movie serves as a powerful testament to the bravery of its director, Mohammad Rasoulof, who was sentenced to eight years in prison by Iranian authorities for making his film in secret. Ahead of the premiere, he successfully fled to Germany and was awarded with the Jury’s Special Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 14.
We Live in Time
Director: John Crowley
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh.
Irish director John Crowley returns to his romantic roots with ‘We Live In Time,’ the exploration of a marriage set in London. The film is anchored by the luminous performances of Academy Award nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. Blending humor with emotion, the story offers a deeply moving and immersive love story, unfolding through a meditation on loss and the passage of time.
‘We Live in Time’ will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 17.
Tickets for the 68th BFI London Film Festival are now available to buy here.
