London Film Festival 2023
This is a list of everything I have seen at The BFI London Film Festival 2023 in chronological viewing order. I was able to see movies #1 to #32 before the festival; then #33 to #61 at the festival
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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- DirectorRandall ParkStarsJustin H. MinSherry ColaAlly MakiFollows a trio of young, Bay Area urbanites--Ben Tanaka, Miko Hayashi and Alice Kim--as they navigate a range of interpersonal relationships while traversing the country in search of the ideal connection.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorWilliam OldroydStarsThomasin McKenzieShea WhighamSam NivolaA woman's friendship with a new co-worker at the prison facility where she works takes a sinister turn.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorRaven JacksonStarsKaylee Nicole JohnsonChris ChalkJayah HenryA decades-spanning exploration of a woman's life in Mississippi and an ode to the generations of people, places, and ineffable moments that shape us.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorAdura OnashileStarsDéborah LukumuenaDanny SapaniLe'Shantey BonsuAma and Grace and they only have each other and that's all they need. They live confined to their Glasgow apartment. Only Grace goes out to work as a cleaner, forbidding Ama to go out.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorErica TremblayStarsLily GladstoneIsabel Deroy-OlsonRyan BegayFollowing her sister's disappearance, a Native American hustler kidnaps her niece from the child's white grandparents and sets out for the state powwow in hopes of keeping what is left of their family intact.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorNoora NiasariStarsLeah PurcellZar Amir EbrahimiMojean AriaA young Iranian mother and her six-year-old daughter find refuge in an Australian women's shelter during the two weeks of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz).Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorJoe BrewsterMichèle StephensonStarsNikki GiovanniTaraji P. HensonJames BaldwinA look at the life of poet, Nikki Giovanni and the revolutionary historical periods through which she lived, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter.Originally seen at Sundance
- DirectorWim WendersStarsAnselm KieferDaniel KieferAnton WendersAnselm Kiefer is one of the greatest contemporary artists. His past and present diffuse the line between film and painting, thus giving a unique cinematic experience that dives deep into an artist's work and reveals his life path.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsSakura AndôEita NagayamaSoya KurokawaA mother demands answers from her son's teacher when her son begins acting strangely.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsNatalie PortmanChris TenzisCharles MeltonTwenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioRobert De NiroLily GladstoneWhen oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one - until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorAnh Hung TranStarsJuliette BinocheBenoît MagimelEmmanuel SalingerThe story of Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin - the fine gourmet chef she has been working for over the last 20 years.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsAlma PöystiJussi VatanenJanne HyytiäinenIn modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles - from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsPaolo PierobonFausto Russo AlesiBarbara RonchiA Jewish boy is kidnapped and converted to Catholicism in 1858.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorJonathan GlazerStarsChristian FriedelSandra HüllerJohann KarthausAuschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden beside the camp.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorCatherine BreillatStarsLéa DruckerSamuel KircherOlivier RabourdinFollows Anne, a brilliant lawyer who lives with her husband Pierre and their daughters. Anne gradually engages in a passionate relationship with Theo, Pierre's son from a previous marriage, putting her career and family life in danger.Originally seen at Cannes
- DirectorWarwick ThorntonStarsCate BlanchettAswan ReidDeborah MailmanA nine-year-old Aboriginal Australian orphan boy arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery run by a renegade nun.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsSoma SantokiMasaki SudaKô ShibasakiIn the wake of his mother's death and his father's remarriage, a headstrong boy named Mahito ventures into a dreamlike world shared by both the living and the dead.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorFawzia MirzaStarsAmrit KaurHamza HaqNimra BuchaAgainst the backdrop of a shared obsession with Bollywood fantasy, Mariam, a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter Azra come of age in two different eras.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsGlen PowellAdria ArjonaRettaA professor moonlighting as a hit man of sorts for his city police department, descends into dangerous, dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to a woman who enlists his services.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorKitty GreenStarsJulia GarnerJessica HenwickHerbert NordrumBackpackers Hanna and Liv take a job in a remote Australian pub for some extra cash and are confronted with a bunch of unruly locals and a situation that rapidly leaps out of their control.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorChris PineStarsChris PineJennifer Jason LeighDanny DeVitoDarren Barrenman is an unwavering optimist and native Angeleno who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block and fighting to make his hometown a better place to live.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorMichel FrancoStarsAlan NehamaDutch WelchAliya CampbellSylvia is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life. This is blown open when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorChristos NikouStarsJessie BuckleyRiz AhmedJeremy Allen WhiteAnna and Ryan have found true love, and it's proven by a controversial new technology. There's just one problem, as Anna still isn't sure. Then she takes a position at a love testing institute and meets Amir.Originally seen at TIFF
- DirectorLaura MossStarsMarin IrelandJudy ReyesA.J. ListerA morgue technician successfully reanimates the body of a little girl, but to keep her breathing, she will need to harvest biological materials from pregnant women. When the girl's mother, a nurse, discovers her baby alive, they enter into a deal that forces them both down a dark path of no return.
- DirectorGeorge JaquesStarsPaul KayeJason FlemyngRuby StokesTwo teenage boys from very different London backgrounds embark on a road trip North together. As they start to open up about their pasts, the boys learn they have far more in common than they first thought.
- DirectorMichael Lukk LitwakStarsZosia MametAristotle AthariErin DarkeA sci-fi romantic comedy about a man and woman whose orbits repeatedly collide over the course of 12 years, 4 planets, 3 dimensions, and one space-cult.
- DirectorGiorgio DirittiStarsFranz RogowskiValentina BellèJoel BasmanLubo loses his family at the hands of an organization based on the principles of eugenics. His revenge will have unexpected implications, reconsidering the blurred lines between good and evil.
- DirectorClaire SimonStarsClaire SimonFollows doctors and patients at a gynecology ward in France.
- DirectorPat CollinsStarsBarry WardAnna BederkeRuth McCabeBased on internationally acclaimed Irish author John McGahern's award winning novel of the same name, That They May Face the Rising Sun is a vivid evocation of nature, humanity and life itself, set in a 1980's rural community in Ireland.
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsDouglas BoothIrina StarshenbaumHarry MellingFollows two Brit police officers Thomas Wilkin and Geoffrey Morton in their hunt for charismatic poet and Zionist freedom fighter Avraham Stern, who was plotting to evict British authorities.
- DirectorMika GustafsonStarsBianca DelbravoDilvin AsaadSafira MossbergThree sisters aged 7 to 16, live alone after their mother vanishes for whole swathes of time. When the social services demand a family meeting, oldest sister Laura plans to find a stand in for their mother.
- DirectorLila AvilésStarsNaíma SentíesMontserrat MarañonMarisol GaséSeven-year-old Sol is spending the day at her grandfather's home, for a surprise party for Sol's father, Tonatiuh. As daylight fades, Sol comes to understand that her world is about to change dramatically.
- DirectorSacha PolakStarsVicky KnightEsme Creed-MilesCharlotte KnightFifteen years after she got burnt when the pub where she slept as a child caught fire, Franky (23) seeks revenge because she still hasn't found any answers.
- DirectorThien An PhamStarsLe Phong VuNguyen ThinhVu Ngoc ManhA man returns to his hometown, where he's haunted by past memories and desires.
- DirectorTarsem SinghStarsPavia SidhuYugam SoodGourav SharmaFollows the story of a young couple who desperately want to be together but are separated due to time, distance, and societal expectations.
- DirectorEmerald FennellStarsBarry KeoghanJacob ElordiRosamund PikeA student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael FassbenderTilda SwintonCharles ParnellAfter a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsJodie ComerAustin ButlerTom HardyAfter a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
- DirectorLuna CarmoonStarsTim BowieJames CooperCeara CoveneyThe story follows Maria - a teenager whose mother used to be a hoarder. Now (set in the 90s) she lives in a foster home where a previous resident Micheal inspires her to revisit her childhood memories and passions that she has repressed.
- DirectorJoe LawlorChristine MolloyStarsImogen PootsTom Vaughan-LawlorLewis BrophyBased on the life of Rose Dugdale, a former debutante who rebelled against her wealthy upbringing, becoming a volunteer in the militant Irish republican organization, the Provisional Irish Republican Army.
- DirectorErnst De GeerStarsAsta Kamma AugustHerbert NordrumAndrea EdwardsA hypnotherapist sees Vera throw off the trappings of civilized behaviour. For a event She attends with André, Vera's behaviour holds a mirror up to the faux-authenticity, virtue signalling and hypocrisy of her fellow entrepreneurs.
- DirectorAndrew HaighStarsAndrew ScottPaul MescalCarter John GroutA screenwriter drawn back to his childhood home enters into a fledgling relationship with his downstairs neighbor while discovering a mysterious new way to heal from losing his parents 30 years ago.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsAdam DriverShailene WoodleyGiuseppe FestineseSet in the summer of 1957, with Enzo Ferrari's auto empire in crisis, the ex-racer turned entrepreneur pushes himself and his drivers to the edge as they launch into the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy.
- DirectorGeorge AmponsahStarsStephen OdubolaTaz SkylarCraige MiddleburgAsh, who is trying to earn money to raise his 14-year-old sister and send his mother to rehab, gets caught up with an organized crime ring led by a young and charismatic Albanian immigrant.
- DirectorWei ShujunStarsYilong ZhuChloe MaayanHou TianlaiChief police investigates a series of murders in a riverside town in rural China in the 1990s. An arrest is made quickly, clues push the policeman to dive deeper into the hidden behaviour of the locals
- DirectorBradley CooperStarsCarey MulliganBradley CooperMatt BomerThis love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsPierre NineyBlanche GardinFrançoise LebrunFollows a man, a director who tries to vanquish his demons, which are oppressing his creativity.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsCailee SpaenyJacob ElordiAri CohenWhen teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsAnnette BeningJodie FosterAnne Marie KempfThe remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach, commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.
- DirectorDaniel KokotajloStarsMatt SmithMorfydd ClarkErin RichardsAn idyllic rural family life of a couple is thrown into turmoil when their son starts acting out of character.
- DirectorGarth DavisStarsSaoirse RonanPaul MescalAaron PierreHen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior's family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger shows up at their door with a startling proposal.
- DirectorJeymes SamuelStarsLaKeith StanfieldOmar SyAnna DiopStruggling to find a better life, Clarence is captivated by the power of the rising Messiah and soon risks everything to carve a path to a divine existence.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsPaul GiamattiDa'Vine Joy RandolphDominic SessaA cranky history teacher at a prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a grieving cook and a troubled student who has no place to go.
- DirectorJames HawesStarsAnthony HopkinsLena OlinJohnny FlynnSir Nicholas 'Nicky' Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued over 600 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.
- DirectorAli CatterallJane GilesStarsBarry AdamsonJohn AkomfrahRick BakerA feature-length big screen documentary telling the riotous inside story of the infamous sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll repertory cinema which inspired a generation during Britain's turbulent Thatcher years.
- DirectorMahalia BeloStarsJodie ComerJoel FryYves RassouA woman tries to find her way home with her newborn while an environmental crisis submerges London in floodwaters.
- DirectorSam FellStarsThandiwe NewtonZachary LeviBella RamseyHaving pulled off an escape from Tweedy's farm, Ginger has found a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new threat, and Ginger and her team decide to break in.
- DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsEmma StoneMark RuffaloWillem DafoeAn account of the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.
- DirectorLois PatiñoStarsAmid KeomanyToumor XiongSimone MilavanhIn the temples of Laos, teenage monks accompany a soul in transit from one body to another through the bardo. A luminous and sonorous journey leads to reincarnate on the beaches of Zanzibar, where groups of women work in seaweed farms.
- DirectorDaniel KaluuyaKibwe TavaresStarsKanoJedaiah BannermanHope Ikpoku JnrIn a dystopian future London where all social housing has been eliminated, Izi and Benji fight to navigate the world as residents of The Kitchen, a community that refuses to abandon their home.
- DirectorElene NaverianiStarsEka ChavleishviliTemiko ChichinadzeLia AbuladzeEtero, 48, single in a Georgian village, encounters gossip. She unexpectedly falls for a man, caught between a relationship or independence. She navigates her emotions while grappling with societal norms, searching for happiness.
- DirectorEstibaliz Urresola SolagurenStarsSofía OteroPatricia López ArnaizAne GabarainDuring a summer in a village house linked to beekeeping, an eight-year-old and her mother experience revelations that will change their lives forever.FilmBath
- DirectorMolly Manning WalkerStarsAnna AntoniadesMia McKenna-BruceLara PeakeThree British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday - drinking, clubbing and hooking up, in what should be the best summer of their lives.
- DirectorKaouther Ben HaniaStarsOlfa HamrouniEya ChikhaouiTayssir ChikhaouiBetween light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses to fill in their absence.
- DirectorRadu JudeStarsIlinca ManolacheOvidiu PîrsanNina HossAn overworked and underpaid production assistant drives around Bucharest to shoot the casting for a workplace safety video commissioned by a multinational company.
- DirectorFelipe Gálvez HaberleStarsSam SpruellMark StanleyAlfredo CastroIn Chile in 1901, three horseman are paid to protect a vast estate. Accompanying a British soldier and an American mercenary is a mixed-race sniper, who realizes that his true mission is to kill the indigenous population.
- DirectorNaqqash KhalidStarsJosie WalkerAntonio AakeelWilson BeneditoIn Camera follows Aden - played by Rizwan - a young Actor whose in a cycle of nightmarish auditions. After he receives multiple rejections, Aden takes it upon himself to find a new part to play.
- DirectorRodrigo MorenoStarsDaniel ElíasEsteban BigliardiMargarita MolfinoBank employee Morán schemes to steal enough money to never work again, then confess and serve prison time while his colleague hides the cash. Soon under investigative pressure, accomplice Román meets a woman who transforms him forever.
- DirectorJulia JackmanStarsJoe AndersSamuel Paul SmallSusan WokomaCharming teen, an aspiring musician teams up with the son of a rock star to try and win the school talent show.
- DirectorSav RodgersStarsJoey Lauren AdamsAndrew AhnTrish BendixA documentary that examines the complex legacy of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy (1997) on LGBTQ+ people and its life-saving impact on director Sav Rodgers.
- DirectorRyûsuke HamaguchiStarsHitoshi OmikaRyô NishikawaRyûji KosakaTakumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a camping site near Takumi's house offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to nature.
- DirectorAmanda Nell EuStarsZafreen ZairizalDeena EzralPiqaAn 11-year-old girl who is carefree until she starts to experience horrifying physical changes to her body.
- DirectorAmat EscalanteStarsVicky AraicoBianca GonzalezLuis Fernando MarroquínEmiliano lives in a small mining town in Mexico. Driven by a deep sense of justice, he seeks those responsible for the disappearance of his activist mother.
- DirectorSavanah LeafStarsTia NomoreErika AlexanderKeta PriceAn intimate coming of age story of a pregnant single mother who embraces her Bay Area community as she determines the fate of her family.
- DirectorAgniia GaldanovaStarsGena MarvinGena, an artist from a small town in Russia, dresses in otherworldly costumes and protests on the streets of Moscow. She stages radical performances in public, which becomes a new form of art and activism and puts her life in danger.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsJake DoveCharlotte HamblinGarry CooperSpans six decades as le Carré gives his final and most personal interview, interrupted with rare archival footage and dramatic anecdotes. It is set against the stormy Cold War backdrop that extends into the present day.
- DirectorLea GlobStarsApolonia SokolLea GlobOksana ShachkoThe talented Apolonia grows up seeking her place in the art world while grappling with the agonies and joys of womanhood and relationships in a world dominated by patriarchy, capitalism, and war.
- DirectorAmanda McBaineJesse MossStarsPam ArlundDan DavisLevi Davis26-year-old American missionary John Chau was killed as he attempted to make contact with an Indigenous group off the coast of India, one of the last communities on the planet still living in isolation.
- DirectorDK WelchmanHugh WelchmanStarsKamila UrzedowskaRobert GulaczykMiroslaw BakaJagna is a young woman determined to forge her own path in a late 19th century Polish village - a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by adherence to colorful traditions and deep-rooted patriarchy.
- DirectorGoran StolevskiStarsSamson SelimMia MustafiDzada SelimDespite never aspiring to be a mother, Dita finds herself compelled to raise her girlfriend's two daughters. As their individual wills clash, a heartwarming story unfolds about an unlikely family's struggle to stay together.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsKing Willem-AlexanderQueen Máxima of the NetherlandsMelanie HyamsThe past collides with the present in this excavation of the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam: a journey from World War II to recent years of pandemic and protest and a provocative, life-affirming reflection on memory, time and what's to come.
- DirectorMaite AlberdiStarsAugusto GóngoraPaulina UrrutiaGustavo CeratiAugusto and Paulina have been together for 25 years. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Both fear the day he no longer recognizes her.
- DirectorPablo BergerStarsIvan LabandaAlbert Trifol SegarraRafa CalvoThe adventures and misfortunes of Dog and Robot in New York City during the 1980s.