Preview: The BFI London Film Festival 2010

Dean Nicholas
By Dean Nicholas Last edited 162 months ago
Preview: The BFI London Film Festival 2010

0809_lff.jpg The line-up for the London Film Festival was released earlier today. You can't buy tickets just yet — priority booking for BFI members opens on Monday 20th September, while the rest of us can get our hands on the scraps by Monday 27th September, but at least we can take a look at what's on.

We already knew that the fest would be opened by Never Let Me Go, with Keira Knightley in an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, and closed by Danny Boyle's 127 Hours based on the true story of Aron Ralston, a rock climber trapped for five days beneath a boulder in Utah.

Those two aside, there are some other big films are in the line-up. Darren Aronofsky is in town to talk about his new film Black Swan, set inside the world of the New York City Ballet. The fantstically-named Palme d'Or winner, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, has been roasted by French critics who labelled it boring; it will be interesting to see if London critics are similarly dismissive. There's also the sequel to East Is East, called, obviously, West Is West, while Javier Bardem stars in the new film from 21 Grams director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Biutiful.

Away from the gala screenings, there are some other interesting films to consider. Will Ferrell takes a rare serious role in Everything Must Go, an adaptation of very short (we're talking 1,600 words) Raymond Carver story. Jean-Luc Godard returns with what he's calling his final project, Film Socialisme, while James Franco plays Allen Ginsberg opposite Jon Hamm (Mad Men's Don Draper) in a film about the poet's notorious poem Howl. Fans of Anton Corbijn, who directed the 2007 film about Ian Curtis Control, may be interested to see what he does with George Clooney in The American. Matthew Rhys of the Super Furry Animals appears in Patagonia, which explores the link between the distant Argentine region and Wales. Finally, ace Swedish horror film Let The Right One In has been given the typical Hollywood remake, along with a derisory new name: Let Me In

See the full programme for more details.

BFI London Film Festival, 13th - 28th October 2010, various locations

Last Updated 08 September 2010