BFI London Film Festival 2024: Our picks from this year’s festival as full programme is announced

• The 2024 BFI London Film Festival have released their full programme of screenings for this year’s edition.
• The festival, taking place from October 9 to October 20 2024, opens this year with Steve McQueen’s latest film, “Blitz.”
• But from the widespread programme on offer this year, what is writer Benjamin Jackson’s picks for this year’s event at the BFI Southbank?

Cinephiles rejoice - the full programme for this year’s BFI London Film Festival has been released, with the festival taking place once again from October 9 2024 across the city.

This year’s festival boats an incredible 253 titles (comprising features, shorts, series and immersive works) hail from 79 countries, and feature 63 languages - and in terms of representation this year, 112 works are made by female and non-binary filmmakers - which represents 44% of the entire programme

The festival already announced that their opening night film will be Steve McQueen’s latest effort, “Blitz,” starring Saoirse Ronan as she looks for her missing son - a defiant young boy goes on an adventure in London during World War 2 only to find himself in immense peril.

But looking through the vast programming this year, one might feel a sense of choice overload with what is on offer. I know I did when the programme first arrived in my inbox. But somehow (barely), there are six films screening this year that no doubt will go on for general cinematic releases at some stage. 

Plus, the opportunity to finally see the long-awaited Angelina Jolie film “Maria,” a biopic based on opera singer Maria Callas, was always set to be a highlight this year - but what else has caught my eye from this year’s programming? 

What are some of the highlights from the BFI London Film Festival 2024?

Maria

Angelina Jolie delivers a captivating performance as legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” a poignant reimagining of her final days in 1970s Paris. Known for his acclaimed biopics (“Neruda,” “Jackie”), Larraín teams up again with Spencer writer Steven Knight to delve into the true essence of Callas, beyond her fame and tabloid headlines. 

In declining health, Callas reflects on her illustrious career and past loves while wandering through a picturesque Paris, recounting her story to an admiring journalist. Jolie's transformative portrayal reveals the complex layers of Callas’s personality, balancing her sharp wit with heartbreaking vulnerability, and offering glimpses of the charisma that made her an opera icon.

• Screening Dates: 18, 19 and 20 October 2024.

Elton John: Never Too Late

“Elton John: Never Too Late” chronicles Sir Elton John’s final US live shows, capturing his triumphant return to LA’s Dodger Stadium. In 1975, Elton played two sold-out concerts at the same venue, marking the peak of his early career, just after his album “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” became the first to debut at number one in the US. 

At that time, Elton was navigating the pressures of fame, addiction, and confusion about his sexuality. Decades later, “Never Too Late” follows him back to Dodger Stadium, now as an openly proud man, husband, father, and on the brink of retirement from live performances. 

• Screening Dates: 10, 13 and 19 October 2024.

The Apprentice

A timely release just before the US Elections in November, the highly controversial “The Apprentice” is a dramatisation of Donald Trump’s early career in New York, featuring career-best performances from Sebastian Stan and “Succession” star Jeremy Strong as Trump and his notorious mentor, Roy Cohn. 

Stan portrays Trump with a mix of charm and relentless ambition, perfectly contrasted by Strong’s sinister and fearsome depiction of Cohn, a figure infamous from Angels in America. Director Ali Abbasi, known for “Border” and “Holy Spider”, continues his exploration of power's corrosive nature, expanding his focus to a city gripped by a power struggle. The film uses different film stocks to reflect the shifting decades and New York’s transformation from near-bankruptcy to a financial powerhouse.

• Screening Dates: 15 and 17 October 2024.

We Live In Time

“We Live in Time” is a British romantic drama directed by John Crowley (“Brooklyn”), starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield which begins with an unconventional first meeting between restaurateur Almut and recent divorcee Tobias—a literal car crash that sparks an instant connection. 

Despite differing views on marriage and children, their relationship deepens, but their romance is tested when the harsh realities of mortality intrude. As they navigate the challenges of a decades-long relationship, the couple is forced to reconsider their careers and future together. 

• Screening Dates: 17, 18 and 20 October 2024.

Nightbitch

Currently doing the rounds being promoted digitally this week, “Nightbitch” by Marielle Heller once again proves she is one of cinema’s most exciting filmmakers with this genre-bending exploration on motherhood.

Celebrated actress Amy Adams’ character puts her career on hold to parent her young toddler. The transformation of her feelings, sense of self and relationship to the world spark a change in her that is as liberating as it is radical. 

Adapted from Rachel Yoder’s acclaimed 2021 novel, “NIGHTBITCH” has been called a modern feminist fable that plays on traditional tropes to examine the role of motherhood in a society where women still battle to ‘have it all’.

• Screening Dates: 16, 17 and 20 October 2024.

Hard Truths

Mike Leigh returns to the London Film Festival with his new film “Hard Truths”: a powerful and heartfelt portrayal of contemporary family life in London. The film centres on sisters Pansy and Chantal, who, despite their differences, share a deep bond that forms the foundation of their extended family. 

Pansy’s growing struggles and her increasingly critical outlook on life strain her relationships with her husband Curtley, son Moses, and sister Chantal, creating a tense atmosphere. Over the course of a tumultuous Mother’s Day weekend, these tensions come to a head. 

The film is regarded as one that is among Leigh's finest work as Michelle Austin, David Webber, and Tuwaine Barrett deliver standout performances as the Pansy family,  while Marianne Jean-Baptiste offers a deeply intimate portrayal that feels as real as a home movie.

• Screening Dates: 14, 16 and 20 October 2024.

How can I get tickets to some of the screenings at the BFI London Film Festival 2024?

Tickets are set to go on general sale on September 17 2024 from 10am BST, all of which available through the BFI London Film Festival’s website. Those who are patrons or members of the BFI have presale access to screenings from September 9 and September 10 2024 respectively.

Are you interested in any of our writer’s picks at this year’s BFI London Film Festival, or is there a screening you think people should check out instead? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment down below.