London Film Festival 2021
This is a list of everything I have seen at The BFI London Film Festival 2021 in chronological viewing order. I was able to see movies #1 to #15 before the festival; #16-#45 were watched in London during the festival; and #46 onwards are post-festival catch-ups.
Titles are moved from my London Film Festival Interest List to here as I watch them.
Titles are moved from my London Film Festival Interest List to here as I watch them.
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- DirectorFran KranzStarsJason IsaacsMartha PlimptonAnn DowdThe parents of both the shooter and one of the victims of a school shooting tragedy agree to meet and talk in an attempt to move forward.Seen at Sundance 2021
- DirectorRebecca HallStarsTessa ThompsonRuth NeggaAndré Holland"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.Seen at Sundance 2021
- DirectorLyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.StarsMichael GreyeyesChaske SpencerJesse EisenbergTwo men learn to confront a traumatic secret they share involving the savage murder of a schoolmate.Seen at Sundance 2021
- DirectorIvan HerreraStarsClarisse AlbrechtEuris JavielJohnny MoralesAfter being arrested in the Dominican Republic, an Afropean woman escapes and is sheltered by 3 minors, in a dangerous district of Santo Domingo. By becoming their protégée and maternal figure, she will see her destiny change inexorably.Seen at SXSW
- DirectorNatalie MoralesStarsMark DuplassNatalie MoralesDesean TerryA Spanish teacher and her student develop an unexpected friendship.Seen via a Film Independent member’s screening
- DirectorLeyla BouzidStarsSami OutalbaliZbeida BelhajamorDiong-Kéba TacuFollows Ahmed, a 18-year old, French of Algerian origin, who meets Farah, a young Tunisian girl. He discovers a collection of sensual and erotic Arab literature and falls in love with Farah and he tries to resist the desire.Seen via TIFF Industry Selects
- DirectorTea LindeburgStarsFlora Ofelia Hofmann LindahlIda Cæcilie RasmussenPalma Lindeburg LethOn a farm in the late 1800s, an intense wait begins when a mother goes into a complicated labour and 14-year-old Lise must prepare herself for a night that could change her life forever.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorKhadar Ayderus AhmedStarsOmar AbdiYasmin WarsameKadar Abdoul-Aziz IbrahimIn times of misfortune, Guled and his family have to push themselves to the limits in order to reunite with their family.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorFabrice du WelzStarsBenoît PoelvoordeMélanie DouteyAlba Gaïa BellugiThe lives of a wealthy publisher and her novelist husband are changed by the arrival of a mysterious young woman at their country mansion.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorNadav LapidStarsAvshalom PollakNur FibakOded AzulayAn Israeli filmmaker throws himself in the midst of two battles doomed to fail: one against the death of freedom, the other against the death of a mother.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorMichel FrancoStarsTim RothAlbertine Kotting McMillanSamuel BottomleyNeil and Alice Bennett are the core of a wealthy family on vacation in Mexico until a distant emergency cuts their trip short. When one relative disrupts the family's tight-knit order, simmering tensions rise to the fore.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorPaul Andrew WilliamsStarsDavid NellistKevin HarveyMark SpringerBull mysteriously returns home after a 10 year absence to seek revenge on those who double crossed him all those years ago.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorNeus BallúsStarsMohamed MellaliValero EscolarPep SarràA peculiar team of three handymen has to face a series of eccentric clients. Their everyday job becomes a surrealist and exhilarating experience.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorLaura SamaniStarsCeleste CescuttiOndina QuadriIvo BanItaly, 1900. Agata is a young woman who embarks on a desperate journey to reach a mysterious sanctuary to save her daughter's soul from the eternal damnation of Limbo.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorMaureen FazendeiroMiguel GomesStarsCrista AlfaiateCarloto CottaJoão Nunes MonteiroFollows Crista, Carloto and João who are building an airy greenhouse for butterflies in the garden and share household routines, but they are not the only ones.Seen at TIFF
- DirectorJeymes SamuelStarsJonathan MajorsZazie BeetzRJ CylerWhen an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge.
- DirectorHannes Þór HalldórssonStarsAuðunn BlöndalEgill EinarssonSverrir Þór SverrissonIceland's toughest cop will stop at nothing to solve a string of violent bank robberies. But when he is forced to take on a new partner, the pressures of solving the case prove too much for the tough-as-nails renegade.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsKristen StewartTimothy SpallSally HawkinsDiana Spencer, struggling with mental-health problems during her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles.
- DirectorMia Hansen-LøveStarsVicky KriepsTim RothMia WasikowskaA couple retreat to the island that inspired Ingmar Bergman to write screenplays for their upcoming films when the lines between reality and fiction start to blur.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsSimon RexBree ElrodSuzanna SonMikey Saber is a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown, not that anyone really wants him back.
- DirectorMichael PearceStarsRiz AhmedOctavia SpencerLucian-River ChauhanTwo brothers embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.
- DirectorLee Haven JonesStarsAnnes ElwyNia RobertsJulian Lewis JonesFollows a young woman serving privileged guests at a dinner party in a remote house in rural Wales. The assembled guests do not realize they are about to eat their last supper.
- DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsFilippo ScottiToni ServilloTeresa SaponangeloIn 1980s Naples, young Fabietto pursues his love for football as family tragedy strikes, shaping his uncertain but promising future as a filmmaker.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsThomasin McKenzieAnya Taylor-JoyMatt SmithAspiring fashion designer Eloise is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters dazzling wannabe singer Sandie. But the glamour is not as it seems, and the dreams of the past crack and splinter into something darker.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsRenate ReinsveAnders Danielsen LieHerbert NordrumThe chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.
- DirectorNana MensahStarsNana MensahMeekoMadeline WeinsteinGhanaian-American Sarah is all set to abandon her Ivy League doctoral program to follow her married lover across the country.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsBenicio Del ToroAdrien BrodyTilda SwintonA love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch Magazine".
- DirectorMark CousinsStarsMark CousinsMark Cousins offers hope and optimism while he explores different movies and talks about how technology is changing the course of cinema in a new century and how Covid continues the process.
- DirectorAbdullah Mohammed SaadStarsAzmeri Haque BadhonAfia Jahin JaimaKazi Sami HassanAn assistant professor at a local medical college, finds herself in a difficult position after witnessing a sexual assault where she knows both the victim and the perpetrator.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsBenedict CumberbatchKirsten DunstJesse PlemonsCharismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsVincent LindonAgathe RousselleGarance MarillierFollowing a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years.
- DirectorPhilip BarantiniStarsStephen GrahamVinette RobinsonAlice FeethamEnter the relentless pressure of a restaurant kitchen as a head chef wrangles his team on the busiest day of the year.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsJude HillLewis McAskieCaitríona BalfeA young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsCarol BurnettVincent CasselLouis MalleA look at the life, passions, achievements and tragedies surrounding the famous explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, featuring an archive of his newly restored footage.
- DirectorMaggie GyllenhaalStarsOlivia ColmanJessie BuckleyDakota JohnsonA woman's beach vacation takes a dark turn when she begins to confront the troubles of her past.
- DirectorPanah PanahiStarsPantea PanahihaMohammad Hassan MadjooniRayan SarlakFollows a chaotic, tender family that is on a road trip across a rugged landscape and fussing over the sick dog and getting on each others' nerves. Only the mysterious older brother is quiet.
- DirectorClio BarnardStarsAdeel AkhtarClaire RushbrookMacy ShackletonAli and Ava, both lonely for different reasons, meet and sparks fly. Over a lunar month a deep connection begins to grow, despite the legacy of Ava's past relationship, and Ali's emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage.
- DirectorEva HussonStarsOdessa YoungJosh O'ConnorColin FirthJane Fairchild is a maidservant who, between the wars, works for the wealthy Niven family. On Mothering Sunday, Jane is given the day off to spend as she likes. To her surprise, Paul Sheringham, the son of wealthy neighbours, invites her to spend the day with him at his family's house while his parents are out having lunch with the Nivens and the Hobdays.
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsLucie ZhangMakita SambaNoémie MerlantÉmilie meets Camille who is attracted to Nora, who crosses paths with Amber. Three girls and a boy - they're friends, sometimes lovers and often both.
- DirectorReinaldo Marcus GreenStarsWill SmithAunjanue Ellis-TaylorJon BernthalA look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard.
- DirectorTerence DaviesStarsJack LowdenThom AshleyOrlando JoplingLegendary 20th century English war poet Siegfried Sassoon embarks on a life-long quest for personal salvation through his experiences with family, war, his writing, and destructive relationships. True salvation can only come from within.
- DirectorLucile HadzihalilovicStarsPaul HiltonRomane HemelaersRomola GaraiA 50-year-old caretaker is employed to look after 10-year-old girl. His most important task is to maintain her dentures that are made of ice and must be changed several times a day.
- DirectorApichatpong WeerasethakulStarsTilda SwintonAgnes BrekkeDaniel Giménez CachoA woman from Scotland, while traveling in Colombia, begins to notice strange sounds. Soon she begins to think about their appearance.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsVirginie EfiraCharlotte RamplingDaphné PatakiaA 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.
- DirectorJoel CoenStarsDenzel WashingtonFrances McDormandAlex HassellA Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.
- DirectorSarah SmithJean-Philippe VineOctavio E. RodriguezStarsJack Dylan GrazerZach GalifianakisEd HelmsThe story of Barney, an awkward middle-schooler and Ron, his new walking, talking, digitally-connected device. Ron's malfunctions set against the backdrop of the social media age launch them on a journey to learn about true friendship.
- DirectorRyûsuke HamaguchiStarsKotone FurukawaAyumu NakajimaHyunriAn unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding, told in three movements to depict three female characters and trace the trajectories between their choices and regrets.
- DirectorJoana HadjithomasKhalil JoreigeStarsRim TurkiManal IssaPaloma VauthierThe lives of three women are connected by a box that resurfaces containing notebooks, photographs and audiotapes.
- DirectorCéline SciammaStarsJoséphine SanzGabrielle SanzNina MeurisseNelly has just lost her grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother's childhood home. She explores the house and the surrounding woods. One day she meets a girl her age building a tree-house.
- DirectorValdimar JóhannssonStarsNoomi RapaceHilmir Snær GuðnasonBjörn Hlynur HaraldssonA childless couple discovers a mysterious newborn on their farm in Iceland.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsBen AffleckTye SheridanDaniel RanieriA boy growing up on Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle's bar.
- DirectorJoanna HoggStarsTilda SwintonHonor Swinton ByrneJames Spencer AshworthIn the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction.
- DirectorPeter MiddletonJames SpinneyStarsPearl MackieJeff RawlePaul RyanA look at the life and work of Charlie Chaplin in his own words featuring an in-depth interview he gave to Life magazine in 1966.
- DirectorMatthew HeinemanStarsNathalie DougeA documentary following nurses, doctors, and administrators in a New York City hospital as they respond to the victims from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- DirectorRyûsuke HamaguchiStarsHidetoshi NishijimaTôko MiuraReika KirishimaA renowned stage actor and director learns to cope with a big personal loss when he receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima.
- DirectorHarry WootliffStarsRuth WilsonTom BurkeHayley SquiresIt follows a young woman living on the fringes of society who becomes intoxicated by a stranger who overwhelms her quiet life.
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsJohn WatersMary WoronovBarbara WaltersThe Velvet Underground explores the multiple threads that converged to bring together one of the most influential bands in rock and roll.
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsLin GallagherA close-up portrait of the daily lives of two cows.
- DirectorJonas Poher RasmussenStarsDaniel KarimyarFardin MijdzadehMilad EskandariFLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
- DirectorJan P. MatuszynskiStarsTomasz ZietekSandra KorzeniakJacek BraciakIn 1983, communist Poland is shaken by the case of high school student Grzegorz Przemyk, who is beaten to death by police. The only witness of the beating becomes the number one enemy of the state.
- DirectorRadu JudeStarsKatia PascariuClaudia IeremiaNicodim UngureanuEmi, a school teacher, finds her career and reputation under threat after a personal sex tape is leaked on the Internet. Forced to meet the parents demanding her dismissal, Emi refuses to surrender to their pressure.
- DirectorKirill SerebrennikovStarsSemyon SerzinChulpan KhamatovaVladislav SemiletkovA day in the life of a comic book artist and his family in post-Soviet Russia. While suffering from the flu, Petrov is carried by his friend Igor on a long walk, drifting in and out of fantasy and reality.
- DirectorMahamat-Saleh HarounStarsAchouackh Abakar SouleymaneRihane Khalil AlioYoussouf DjaoroAmina, a practicing Muslim, lives with her daughter, 15-year-old Maria. When Amina learns Maria is pregnant and wants to abort the child, they face an impossible situation in a country where abortion is legally and morally condemned.
- DirectorSadie FrostStarsKate MossCamilla RutherfordVivienne WestwoodThe life and legacy of 1960s fashion icon, Mary Quant.
- DirectorMark CousinsStarsJeremy ThomasDebra WingerTilda SwintonAn off-beat grand tour that will take in landmarks and people connected to the producer's life and films.
- DirectorSebastian MeiseStarsFranz RogowskiGeorg FriedrichAnton von LuckeIn post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans is repeatedly imprisoned under Paragraph 175, which criminalizes homosexuality. Over the decades, he develops an unlikely bond with his cellmate Viktor.
- DirectorRoshan SethiStarsKaran SoniGeraldine ViswanathanGita ReddyAs if their pre-arranged date, organized by their traditional Indian parents, wasn't uncomfortable enough, Ravi and Rita are forced to shelter in place together as COVID-19's reach intensifies.
- DirectorJuho KuosmanenStarsSeidi HaarlaYura BorisovDinara DrukarovaAs a train weaves its way up to the arctic circle, two strangers share a journey that will change their perspective on life.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsAmir JadidiMohsen TanabandehSahar GoldoostRahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don't go as planned.
- DirectorBriar MarchStarsGeorgie OultonAmelia ReynoldsJacque DrewMothers of the Revolution is a feature-length documentary being directed by Briar March (A Place to Call Home and There Once was an Island: Te Henua e Nnoho). This film will tell the moving true story of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp and how it changed the world.
- DirectorRex MillerSam PollardStarsJohnnie AsheBeth BarnesLoretta BurnetteExplores the tennis career of Arthur Ashe and his impact on tennis and HIV activism.
- DirectorMamoru HosodaStarsKaho NakamuraRyo NaritaShôta SometaniSuzu is a shy high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters "U", a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a globally-beloved singer.
- DirectorTatiana HuezoStarsGuillermo VillegasMayra BatallaTeresa SánchezLife in a town at war seen through the eyes of three young girls on the path to adolescence.
- DirectorChristian SchwochowStarsGeorge MacKayJannis NiewöhnerJeremy IronsA British diplomat travels to Munich in the run-up to World War II, where a former classmate of his from Oxford is also en route, but is working for the German government.
- DirectorCatherine CorsiniStarsValeria Bruni TedeschiMarina FoïsPio MarmaïTwo women on the verge of a breakup, in a hospital, are further stressed on the night of a big demonstration by the overwhelmed staff and by angry, injured protestors who land up besieging the building.
- DirectorMarcos MerelesStarsSid PhoenixYaseen AroussiIsabelle BonfrerAn eccentric photographer, his eager assistant, a jaded make-up artist and a bored model gather for a fashion shoot in a London warehouse. But when one of their number disappears, events take a turn for the bizarre.
- DirectorBassel GhandourStarsEmad AzmiBaraka RahmaniMonzer ReyahnahA crime caper set in the labyrinthine alleys of East Amman where a blackmailing voyeur sets off a series of unintended events, causing the lives of residents to collide and spiral into chaos.
- DirectorAndrew GaynordStarsGeorgina CampbellChristopher FairbankJoshua McGuirePete is cautiously excited about reuniting with his college crew for a birthday weekend. But, one by one, his friends slowly turn against him. Is he being punished, is he paranoid, or is he part of some sick joke?
- DirectorRuth PaxtonStarsSienna GuilloryJessica AlexanderRuby StokesA widowed mother is radically tested when her teenage daughter insists a supernatural experience has left her body in service to a higher power.
- DirectorFernando León de AranoaStarsJavier BardemManolo SoloAlmudena AmorAwaiting a visit by a committee that could give his company an award for excellence, the owner of an industrial scales manufacturing business tries to resolve any problems from his workers in enough time.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsCaleb Landry JonesJudy DavisSean KeenanEvents leading up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre on Tasmania in an attempt to understand why and how the atrocity occurred.
- DirectorCraig RobertsStarsMark RylanceIan PorterTommy FallonMaurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, manages to gain entry to the 1976 British Open Golf Championship qualification round despite being a complete novice.
- DirectorRandall OkitaStarsKim CoatesJessica Parker KennedyLaura VandervoortWhen blind former skier Sophie cat-sits in a secluded mansion, three thieves invade for the hidden safe. Sophie's only defense is army veteran Kelly. Kelly helps Sophie defend herself against the invaders to survive.
- DirectorCharlotte ColbertStarsJonathan ArisJoanna BaconHeidi BrownAn aging film star retreats to the Scottish countryside with her nurse to recover from surgery. While there, mysterious forces of revenge emerge from the land where witches were burned.
- DirectorLaura WandelStarsMaya VanderbequeGünter DuretElsa LaforgeWhen Nora witnesses Abel being bullied by other kids, she rushes to protect him. But Abel forces her to remain silent. Caught in a conflict of loyalty, Nora tries to find her place, torn between children's and adults' worlds.