BFI London Film Festival 2025
Feature by Carlie Newman
Last chance to buy your tickets for this year’s LFF
Over twelve days from 8 – 19 October, the LFF invites audiences to return to its fantastic flagship venues in the heart of London, BFI Southbank and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall.
The LFF Gala programme will screen at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, while BFI Southbank alongside many of Central London’s iconic cinemas will host Special Presentations, Official Competition titles and films and series from all Strands of the Festival, with global film talent from behind and in front of the camera in attendance. A curated selection of features will also be showcased at 11 partner venues across the UK.
The LFF presents a captivating and diverse programme of 247 features, shorts, series and immersive works from 79 countries playing across the 12 days of the festival. This includes 103 works made by female and non-binary filmmakers (42% of the programme) and 27 World premieres.
Lots of films to see, not just out in the festival but showing in our local cinemas now or in the near future while some will be showing in 2026.
Here are some of my favorites on offer, with more to come in the very near future!
THE LOVE THAT REMAINS, directed by Hlynur Palmason, is set in Iceland, and shows a year in the life of a family where the couple are trying to work through their separation. It shows the people who they come in contact with and is humorous with many surreal moments. There’s a super performance from the family dog!
ROMERIA, directed by Carla Simon, is the story of 18-year-old Marina, who needs to find a copy of her father’s death certificate in order to obtain a scholarship to study film. She travels to Galicia in order to meet with her father’s family, and find the missing document. This isn’t as straightforward as it seems initially, and the film gives a tender account of Marina‘s relationship with her re-discovered relations.
Although TWO PROSECUTORS is a fictitious film, it is inspired by a true life story. Set in 1937 Russia, with Stalin in power, Korneyev, a newly appointed prosecutor, sets out to see justice done for an old man who is imprisoned on a corrupt charge. In a thrilling series of events, the young prosecutor faces threats to his own liberty.
Well acted and powerfully directed by Sergei Loznitsa.
SONGS OF FORGOTTEN TREES shows us a Mumbai that we have not seen before. Two young women who appear to be very different have to share an apartment. They begin by being very separate and leading completely different lives. Gradually they come together. We get a good view of a different style of living.
In his first feature debut, director, Cyril Aris give us a romantic comedy set in war-torn Beirut. A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD follows Nino (Hasan Akil) and Yasmina (Mounia Ali) who were sweethearts when very young but lost touch with one another. When they reunite in their 20s, they face the background of extreme unrest in Lebanon. The film is a mixture of romance with a political background.
MOSS AND FREUD gives us the model Kate Moss during her pre-motherhood phase when she sits for the famous painter, Lucien Freud, in 2002. Directed by James Lucas, and produced by Kate Moss, it gives a good intimate portrayal of the growing friendship between the couple and their close working relationship.
One of my top choices is CALLE MALAGA. With a star-studied performance by Carmen Maura, this is one not to missed. Born and living in Tangier, 79 year-old Maria Angeles (Carmen Maura) is devastated when her daughter arrives from Spain and informs her mother that because of her own personal problems she needs to sell the flat where Maria lives. Unfortunately, in order to help the family the father put the apartment in his daughter’s name. She now owns it and wants to sell it so that she can have the money. She suggests that her mother comes to live with her in Madrid or move into a free retirement home in Tangier. Neither option appeals to Maria, but forced by her daughter to sell her possessions to give free access to potential buyers, Maria moves into the retirement home when her daughter returns to Madrid. The enforced lifestyle does not suit Maria at all.
She buys back some of her furniture and arranges with the shop owner that she will purchase more items as and when she gets enough money. Moving back into her home without the daughter’s knowledge, Maria devices a scheme to make money. She also gets friendly and eventually intimate with the shop owner. As well as dealing with mother daughter relationship, the film focuses on older sexuality. It’s a super film and definitely worth catching.
As is ANEMONE, another film with exceptional acting. The story of two brothers reuniting after many years apart, showcases the talents of Sean Bean and Daniel Day-Lewis returning to acting in films. Day-Lewis’s son, Ronan Day-Lewis directs. Daniel is almost unrecognizable as the brother who left his family to go and live in an isolated cabin. When his brother comes to find him to ask him to return because his son is in trouble and really needs his father, the two come to to blows both verbally and physically. This is a powerful film with much tension throughout.
There is another starry performance by Julia Roberts in AFTER THE HUNT, directed by Luca Guadagnino. Roberts players Alma, who finds both her career and personal life turned upside down when one of her star students accuses her close colleague, a fellow professor at a prestigious college. This is an older Roberts who still looks beautiful and has an extra gravitas in her performance. It’s a well-made film apart from some good music played too loudly so that it drowns out the dialogue at times . It is on general release now and well worth a visit.
