The British Film Institute (BFI) has released the full programme for the upcoming 70th London Film Festival (LFF).
This year’s festival will include a total of 251 titles, from new feature releases to short films and TV series, from across 88 different countries.
This year’s Opening Night Gala is the European premiere of Simon Stone’s upcoming drama Elisnore, which depicts the life of actor Ian Charleson. The Closing Night Gala is the UK premiere of Jesse Eisenberg’s musical comedy The Debut, starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti.
This year’s LFF will feature 33 world premieres. This includes Wildwood, the latest stop-motion animation from LAIKA Studios and director Travis Knight, and Brad Bird’s upcoming animated adventure Ray Gunn. I Love Boosters, the first film in eight years from Sorry to Bother You (2018) director Boots Riley, will have its International Premiere at this year’s festival.
Also screening during the festival is Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero, the sequel to the Academy Award-winning Godzilla Minus One (2023).
Ben Roberts, the Chief Executive of the BFI, said in a statement that: “This year, the blockbusters, the indie breakouts and the debuts have drawn audiences to cinemas in record numbers […] a reminder that discovering a new film in a room of fellow fans is a thrill like nothing else.”
Pawel Pawlikowski, Martin McDonagh, and Ava DuVernay are among the numerous alumni filmmakers returning for this year’s event. The 2026 festival also includes 109 works by female directors, making up 43% of the total programme.
As in previous years, the feature film programme is divided up into different strands. The strands this year are Love, Debate, Laugh, Dare, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Create, Experimenta, Family, and Shorts.
The 70th BFI London Film Festival runs from 7th October to 18th October 2026. Tickets go on sale from 17th September 2026. You can view the full programme here.
