The 69th BFI London Film Festival announces record-breaking audiences and reveals the LFF Audience Awards. Did your favourite win?
The 69th BFI London Film Festival, in partnership with American Express, closed on Sunday, 19th October. The event featured the UK Premiere of Julia Jackman’s 100 NIGHTS OF HERO, a bold and beautiful fairytale based on Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel. In addition to Julia Jackman, the event was attended by the all-star cast. This included Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe, Amir-El Masry, Felicity Jones, and Richard E. Grant. The Closing Night Gala took place at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. It returned as the Festival’s Gala venue for a fifth time since its inaugural year in 2021.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
12 days of screenings in London and UK-wide with features, series, shorts, immersive works, LFF for Free events, and the LFF Industry Forum reached highest ever audiences of 235,853.
Occupancy across both free and paid-for in person screenings and events at London venues increased to 94%, up from 92% in 2024, with 47% of these tickets being booked by first-time LFF attendees.
More than 1000 international and UK filmmakers, XR artists and series creatives and their teams presented their work in person at the Festival.
The industry forum welcomed over 3,400 delegates.
Over 860 media were accredited to the LFF and attended P&I screenings of 160 films.
Filmmakers and talent engaged in 44 red carpets packed with photographers and crews, the festival’s signature Filmmaker Afternoon Teas gave a range of media access to over 80 filmmakers and talent, plus 7 emerging writers from underrepresented backgrounds took part in the LFF’s 8th Critics Mentorship Programme.
KRISTY MATHESON
BFI London Film Festival Director Kristy Matheson said:
“Our biggest thanks go to the artists who generously shared their unique views of the world with us this year. Across screenings, talks, exhibitions, immersive experiences, it was a delight to see industry and audiences engage with each other and this programme – proving once again the joy and comfort we all find in screen culture.”
Placing audiences in London and across the UK at the heart of the Festival, the LFF invited them once again to vote for their favourite films. Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao presents a moving period drama, HAMNET, based on Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel. The film won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. The Mayor of London’s Gala of HAMNET took place on 11th October at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, with the Mayor Sadiq Khan, introducing the film with Chloé Zhao and cast and crew members, including Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal.
We attended the festival and were completely blown away by the film. Our editor, Phil Roberts, said this about the film:
Chloé Zhao needs to take a bow. #Hamnet is phenomenal. The film floored me. It’s a breathtaking piece of filmmaking from start to finish. From the beautiful score to the sumptuous cinematography, the film is an emotional triumph.
Jessie Buckley deserves an Oscar for this. #LFF
My feelings on the film were:
#hamnet is the best film of the year, hands down.
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal give the acting and emotional performances of their lives in this stunning and beautiful dramatic tragedy.
Chloe Zhao has created a masterpiece
Expect Oscars coming its way.
#LFF #BFI
4238_D045_00238_R Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release. Credit: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
JUSTINE SIMONS
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said:
“This year’s record-breaking BFI London Film Festival showed why it is one of the world’s best celebrations of cinema. I am delighted that Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Hamnet, which was screened as the Mayor’s Gala, has won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. The Mayor and I are proud to support our capital’s film industry – a global success story – as we build a better London for everyone.”
The winner of the Audience Award for Best British Discovery is Yemi Bamiro’s inspiring documentary BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY. It is a touching tribute to the forgotten photographer, freedom fighter, and activist. He helped popularise the transformative ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement. Bringing his story to light, this film sees family and friends honour his artistry. It also features insights from Gabrielle Union, Alicia Keys, and Jesse Williams. The World Premiere of BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY took place on 9th October at BFI Southbank. In attendance were Yemi Bamiro, producer Joanna Boateng, the film team, and Kwame Brathwaite Jr.
The winners of this year’s BFI London Film Festival Awards were announced at the festival’s close on 19th October. They were chosen by juries, presided over by Elizabeth Karlsen, (Official Competition), Kibwe Tavares (First Feature Competition), Eloïse King (Documentary Competition) and Ming-Jung Kuo (Short Film Competition). The winners of the competitive awards were:
Winner of the Best Film Award in Official Competition – LANDMARKS (Dir. Lucrecia Martel)
Winner of the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition – ONE WOMAN ONE BRA (Dir. Vincho Nchogu)
Winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition – THE TRAVELERS (Dir. David Bingong)
Winner of the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition – COYOTES (Dir. Said Zagha)
AUDIENCES FLOCKED TO THE SOUTH BANK
Audiences flocked to the Festival’s buzzing cultural hubs – the South Bank where the Gala venue Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall sits alongside BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX; and London’s West End, where partner venues Vue West End, the Prince Charles Cinema, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), Curzon Soho and Curzon Mayfair showed an array of titles and Special Presentations from across the programme. 12 features screened at eleven UK-wide partner cinemas in cities across the UK’s nations and regions; nine short film nominees were available digitally on BFI Player, and an Industry Forum took place at Picturehouse Central, a busy hub for industry delegates.
The 69th edition welcomed more than 1000 international and UK filmmakers, immersive art and extended reality artists and series creatives and their teams to present their work at venues across the capital. The festival kicked off with the International Premiere of Rian Johnson’s WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY, attended by Daniel Craig, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Daryl McCormack, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington and Cailee Spaeny.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Daniel Craig in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
FESTIVAL ATTENDEES
Further film talent attending the festival included:
Adam Sandler, Ahmed Alauddin Jamal, Akinola Davies Jr., Alan Bennett, Alex Russell, Alexander Skarsgård, Alexandre O. Philippe, Amanda Seyfried, Andrew Garfield, Aneil Karia, Annapurna Sriram, Annemarie Jacir, Anuparna Roy, Ayo Edebiri, Ben Foster, Ben Mendelsohn, Ben Proudfoot, Ben Rivers, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Banton, Bradley Cooper, Brendan Fraser, Brendan Gleeson, Brittany Shyne, Bruce Springsteen, Cal McMau, Calif Chong, Chai Vasarhelyi, Channing Tatum, Charlie Ahearn, Charles Dance, Christoph Waltz, Christopher Petit, Claire Denis, Clint Bentley, Colin Farrell, Damien Hauser, David Bradley, David Jonsson, David Michôd, Deming Chen, Denise Gough, Derek Cianfrance, Dusty Mancinelli, Dylan O’Brien, Dylan Southern, Ed Guiney, Ed Sayers, Edward Berger, Elle Fanning, Emily Mortimer, Emma Matthews, Emma Stone, Ethan Hawke, Fala Chen, François Ozon, Gabriel Mascaro, Gastón Solnicki, George Clooney, George MacKay, Glenn Leyburn, Guillermo Del Toro.
Harry Lighton, Harry Melling, Hikari, Iain Forsyth, Imogen Poots, Isla Fisher, Jacob Elordi, James Lucas, James Sweeney, Jan Komasa, Jane Pollard, Janus Victoria, Jason Isaacs, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Jesse Brown, Jesse Plemons, Jim Broadbent, Joachim Trier, Jodie Foster, Joel Alfonso Vargas, Joel Edgerton, Jon Landau, Jonatan Etzler, Josh O’Connor, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, Julia Ducournau, Julia Roberts, Kahlil Joseph, Kate Moss, Kazuo Ishiguro, Kei Ishikawa, Kelly Reichardt, Kevin B Lee, Kirsten Dunst, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Kristen Stewart, Kwame Brathwaite Jr., László Nemes, Laura Dern, Laura Poitras, Lee Byung-hun, Lisa Barros D’Sa, Lloyd Lee Choi, Luca Guadagnino, Lucile Hadžihalilović, Lynsey Addario, Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Majid Al Ansari, Mark Jenkin, Mark Obenhaus, Mary Bronstein, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mikayla Joy Brown, Mona Fastvold, Motaz Malhees.
Nastia Korkia, Nia DaCosta, Nicholas Hytner, Nicolas Graux, Noah Baumbach, Odessa Rae, Oliver Hermanus, Oliver Laxe, Oscar Hudson, Oscar Isaac, Pablo Trapero, Park Chan-Wook, Philippa Lowthorpe, Polen Ly, Rachael Abigail Holder, Ragnhild Ekner, Ralph Fiennes, Raoul Peck, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Rebecca Zlotowski, Reid Davenport, Renate Reinsve, Riz Ahmed, Robin Campillo, Robin Petré, Rogern Allam, Ronan Day-Lewis, Rose Byrne, Rowan Athale, Sam Mendes, Samantha Morton, Samuel Abrahams, Scott Cooper, Sean Bean, Shahram Mokri, Shih-Ching Tsou, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Siobhan McCarthy, Sophy Romvari, Stellan Skarsgård, Stephen Graham, Steve Coogan, Steven Spielberg, Stroma Cairns, Sydney Sweeney, Takehiro Hira, Ted Evans, Teesha Cherian, Teona Strugar Mitevska, Théodore Pellerin, Thomas Ngijol, Thomasin McKenzie, Tilda Swinton, Tom Blyth, Toni Servillo, I’ve Wagner Moura, Warren Ellis, Will Arnett, Willem Dafoe and Zain Duraie.
252 TITLES
The Festival featured an exciting range of 252 titles (comprising features, shorts, series and immersive works) hailing from 79 countries, and featured 39 languages with 41% of works from female and non-binary filmmakers. All features and series screened to UK audiences for the first time, including 28 World Premieres (7 features, 1 series, 19 shorts, 1 immersive), 11 International Premieres (11 features, 1 short) and 20 European Premieres (12 features, 7 shorts, 1 immersive).
Across the programme, including events for industry delegates, the immensely popular LFF for Free programme, the Festival had 235,853 attendees. Around half of this year’s bookers for London screenings and events (47%) were new to the LFF. Furthermore, occupancy across the Festival’s London screenings and events has increased to 94%. This is an increase from 92% in 2024.
SCREEN TALKS
This year’s programme of Screen Talks featured in-depth interviews with some of the most exciting voices in cinema, bringing films to this year’s Festival, in-person and also available online on BFI Player exclusively and YouTube. The line-up included acclaimed directors Yorgos Lanthimos (BUGONIA, POOR THINGS, KINDS OF KINDNESS), Richard Linklater (BLUE MOON, NOUVELLE VAGUE, BOYHOOD, DAZED AND CONFUSED), Lynne Ramsay (DIE MY LOVE, MORVERN CALLAR, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN) and Chloé Zhao (HAMNET, THE RIDER, NOMADLAND) and Jafar Panahi (IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, NO BEARS, 3 FACES) alongside actors Daniel Day-Lewis (ANEMONE, PHANTOM THREAD, THERE WILL BE BLOOD) and Tessa Thompson (HEDDA, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, PASSING).
THE BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
The Festival aims to be inclusive, accessible and welcoming, and alongside the major LFF for Free programme, there were limited £10 tickets available for all London screenings and events, as well as £6 tickets for those aged 25 and Under. Young cinema-goers and emerging professionals had the opportunity to enrich their Festival experience through our FAMILY screenings (tickets priced at £6 for children and from £10 for adults). Audiences receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or Jobseekers Allowance were able to book on-the-day tickets for £6, subject to availability.
The 70th BFI London Film Festival dates are Wednesday 7 October – Sunday 18 October 2026.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
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