62nd BFI London Film Festival 2018 Draws To A Close

The 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express®, closed last night with the World Premiere screening of Jon S. Baird’s STAN & OLLIE with the Director in attendance along with members of the cast and crew including Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly.

Overall percentage capacity attendance rose by 12% with 7 out of every 10 seats sold to public in London

Overall London and UK-wide audience attendance reached 205,630

In Competition winners were JOY (Official Competition), GIRL (First Feature Competition), WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE WORLD’S ON FIRE? (Documentary Competition) and LASTING MARKS (Short Film Competition)

Films from 77 countries around the world; 38% Female Directors and 50% female directors in 3 of the 4 Competitive categories  

Tricia Tuttle announced new Director, BFI Festivals at last night’s Closing Gala World Premiere of Jon S. Baird’s STAN & OLLIE

Despite reduced capacity in London, due to cinema closures, overall per screen attendance rose by 12% to a paid average occupancy of 72%. Audience attendance for the 62nd edition reached 205,630 across London and UK wide (total includes public attendance of 149,969 in London, 36,120 UK-wide with an additional 17,173 in press and industry admissions, and 2368 at education and industry events). Audiences throughout the UK engaged with the festival through satellite screenings of the World Premiere of Peter Jackson’s THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD, Matteo Garrone’s DOGMAN and Mike Leigh’s PETERLOO. The LFF Special Presentation of PETERLOO also made history by being the first LFF premiere outside London, taking place at HOME, Manchester.

The 62^nd edition welcomed over 900 international and British filmmakers to present their work from across the LFF programme at venues across the capital. The festival featured a diverse selection of 229 feature films and 159 short films from both established and emerging talent and hosted 21 World Premieres, 9 International Premieres and 29 European Premieres and welcomed a stellar line up of cast and crew for many of the films.

The festival was widely applauded for its diversity and inclusion and celebrated a record-breaking number of female filmmakers with a special photo on the steps of BFI Southbank with more than 85 female film industry professionals joining Artistic Director Tricia Tuttle including Directors Carol Morley, Georgia Parris, Harry Wootliff, Jessica Hynes, Nandita Das, Soudade Kaadan and Tinge Krishnan; actresses Rosamund Pike and Andrea Riseborough and industry professionals including producers Christine Vachon, Faye Ward, Liz Karlsen, BFI CEO Amanda Nevill and Briony Hanson, Director of Film at the British Council.

Filmmakers in attendance included:

Alfonso Cuarón, Ali Abbasi, Alice Rohrwacher, Amanda Kramer, Amy Nauiokas, Andrew Bujalski, Angie Thomas, Anne Carey, Barry Jenkins, Ben Hackworth, Ben Wheatley, Boots Riley, Brady Corbet, Carey Mulligan, Carl Hunter, Carol Morley, Celia Rico Clavellin, Christine Vachon, Ciro Guerra, Craig William Macneill, Dan Fogelman, David Hare, David Lowery, David Mackenzie, Dede Gardner, Dominga Sotomayor, Doug Tirola, Elizabeth Karlsen, Ethan Coen, Ethan Hawke, Euzhan Palcy, Faye Ward, Felix van Groeningen, George Tillman Jr, Harry Wootliff, Iain Canning, Isabella Eklöf, Ivan Ayr, Jason Reitman, Jeff Pope, Jeremy Kleiner, Joe Penna, Joel Coen, John Butler, Jon S. Baird, Jonas Åkerlund, Julien Faraut, Kim Nguyen, László Nemes, Lee Chang-Dong, Lee Hae-Young, Lila Avilés, Lola Arias, Luca Guadagnino, Marcus Lindeen, Mark Cousins, Marouan Omara, Matteo Garrone, Matthew Heineman, Matthieu Bareyre, Michael Moore, Mike Leigh, Morgan Neville, Nadine Labaki, Nandita Das, Nijla Mumin, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Orlando von Einsiedel, Paddy Breathnach, Pam Koffler, Panos Cosmatos, Paprika Steen, Paul Dano, Peter Farrelly, Peter Jackson, Peter Strickland, Rachel Maclean, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Billingham, Roberto Minervini, S. Craig Zahler, Sara Blecher, Sara Colangelo, Simon Amstell, Soudade Kaadan, Stephen Woolley, Steve McQueen, Steve Sprung, Sudabeh Mortezai, Terry Gilliam, Timur Bekmambetov, Tinge Krishnan, Tom Harper, Ursula Meier, Viktor Kossakovsky, Vitaliy Mansky, Wanuri Kahiu, Wash Westmoreland, Yorgos Lanthimos, Zhao Xiaoding.

Cast and Special Guests in attendance included:

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Adam Pearson, Adele Exarchopoulos, Aiysha Hart, Alejandro Patiño, Alice Lowe, Amandla Stenberg, Andrea Riseborough, Anita Dobson, Bill Heck, Bill Nighy, Billy Howle, Chris Pine, Christopher Fairbank, Chulpan Khamatova, Colin Morgan, Colman Domingo, Connor Swindells

Dakota Johnson, Daniel Kaluuya, Denise Gough, Dickie Beau, Dominic West, Emma Stone, Fiona Shaw, George MacKay, Gwendoline Christie, Harry Melling, Hayley Squires, Jamie Dornan, Jessica Hynes, Jessie Buckley, Joe Alwyn, John C. Reilly, Johnny Palmer, Jonas Bjeril, Jonathan Pryce, Jonjo O’Neill, Josh O’Connor, Jude Law, Julian Barratt, Keira Knightley, Laia Costa, Lars Brygmann, Leo Bill, Luke Goss, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mahershala Ali, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Marina De Tavira, Mark Gatiss, Matt Bomer, Matt Goss, Melissa McCarthy, Mia Goth, Michaela Coel, Michelle Rodriguez, Nicholas Hoult, Nicole Kidman, Oleg Ivenko, Olga Kurylenko, Olivia Colman, Olivia Cooke, Patricia Clarkson, Phenix Brossard, Radha Mitchell, Raffey Cassidy, Ray Panthaki, Rhona Mitra, Richard E. Grant, Robert Pugh, Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley, Sofie Gråbøl, Stanley Tucci, Steve Carell, Steve Coogan, Thomas Cocquerel, Tilda Swinton, Tim Blake Nelson, Timothée Chalamet, Tom Hollander, Viggo Mortensen, Viola Davis, Yalitza Aparicio, Zoe Kazan.

For the first time this year, the Festival’s Competition winners were revealed on stage in front of packed public audiences on the evening of Saturday, October 20 at Vue Leicester Square, with the Best Film, Sutherland and Grierson Award-winning films presented as surprise screenings, encouraging them to experiment and all presentations of the Festival’s official award, the bronze Star of London, were made by Artistic Director Tricia Tuttle and the President of each Jury.  This year’s Awards were supported by Italian luxury eyewear brand, Persol.

• JOY – Sudabeh Mortezai, won the Official Competition (Best Film Award)
• GIRL – Lukas Dhont, won the First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award)
• WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE WORLD’S ON FIRE? – Roberto Minervini, won the Documentary Competition (Grierson Award)
• LASTING MARKS – Charlie Lyne, won the Short Film Competition (Short Film Award)

The juries were led by: Academy Award®-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson, nominee for the LFF Best Film Award for Room (LFF 2015 and also director of Frank, winner Best Screenplay BIFA 2014); Francis Lee, winner of the 2017 BIFA for Best Début Screenwriter for God’s Own Country; the prolific, award-winning documentary producer Simon Chinn, who won the 2009 and 2013 Academy Award® for Best Documentary for Man on Wire and Searching For Sugarman respectively; and director Rungano Nyoni, whose film I Am Not A Witch was in the First Feature competition in the Festival last year (securing her a nomination for the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award in association with the BFI), won the BAFTA for Outstanding Début by a British Writer, Director or Producer and is the UK’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2019 Academy Awards®.

This year’s LFF Connects series of thought-provoking high-impact talks for industry and public audiences explored the future of film and how film engages with other creative industries and featured: Boots Riley; Clint Mansell; David Hare; Jonas Åkerlund and Simon Amstell.

Insightful Screen Talks given by celebrated directors, actors and industry professionals Alfonso Cuarón; Lee Chang-Dong; Maggie Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley offered festival audiences the opportunity to learn more about these leaders of contemporary cinema.

The Surprise Film was Peter Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali which had won the People’s Choice Awards at Toronto International Film Festival the previous month.

The LFF’s increasingly significant press and industry programme welcomed delegates who joined stimulating debates with industry partners and experts in their field. These ranged from events exploring the impact of Brexit, discussions around co-production, skills and film scores to a number of events focusing on diversity and inclusion including authentic casting, cinematography, production and inclusion riders, film criticism, class and disability.

Additionally, 3600 accredited media and industry delegates from around the world attended the Festival.