The BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express has announced a new structure for this year’s edition. Alongside flagship venue, BFI Southbank, a new partnership with the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall will make London’s Southbank the heart of the film festival experience, with this iconic cultural neighbour hosting red-carpet gala premieres.
Other London venue partners will return with the West End remaining a key hub for the Festival’s film programme. This year’s LFF will bring back some of the most popular elements of 2020s hugely successful hybrid edition that made it the most accessible Festival ever, with a selected programme available at UK-wide cinema partners and a broad range of films from the programme screening on BFI Player alongside the in-cinema premieres. Again in 2021, special events and Screen Talks will be available digitally to audiences internationally.
Following the high profile inclusion in 2020 of two works from Steve McQueen’s historic ‘Small Axe’ series for BBC, the full LFF Series programme will be launched this year with 8-10 brand new international series receiving premieres at the Festival, and including a high profile red carpet event for a major new show. Programming will spotlight the diversity of episodic filmmaking, from high-end television to indie web series.
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LFF Screen Talks will also return in venue and in virtual format with national and international access, giving audiences multiple ways to view the world’s most exciting and influential creators taking part in career conversations.
All of the BFI Southbank public spaces will be enlivened with diverse, vibrant free programming. LFF for Free will offer a cornucopia of events – ranging from talks to DJ nights to short film screenings and book launches, all giving audiences opportunities to join in debate and dialogue around important themes and issues, many emerging from films showcased in the programme.
Submissions for film and expanded platform works for considerations are open until Thursday 17 June 2021, 17.00 BST via https://www.bfi.org.uk/explore-our-festivals/65th-bfi-london-film-festival-submissions-open
The LFF Programme Launch will take place on Tuesday 7th September 2021.
