The 62^nd BFI London Film Festival (LFF) in partnership with American Express has announced its full programme of 225 feature films from both established and emerging talent. This year, the festival will host 21 world, nine international and 29 European premieres. There are 46 documentaries, four animations, 18 archive restorations and seven artists’ moving-image features. 39 of the feature films are either UK films or UK co-productions. The programme also includes 160 short films, and 77 countries are represented across short films and features.

In an attempt to increase the exposure of the films in the official competitions, the festival has reduced the number of competing movies in each category to ten. It has also made the presentation ceremony a public event. The winners in each competition will be selected by handpicked juries, and for the first time this year, the winners will be revealed in front of a public audience on the evening of Saturday 20 October. Each winning film will be presented as a surprise screening in each category at the Vue Leicester Square, preceded by the presentation of the festival’s official award, the bronze Star of London, on stage in the presence of artistic director Tricia Tuttle, the president of the jury in question and the winning filmmaker.

Tuttle, standing in for a year while Clare Stewart is on sabbatical, says, “This year, a key difference is what we want to do with the award sections. We have trimmed them down. There are now just ten films in each section: Best Film, Best Documentary and the Sutherland Trophy for Best First or Second Feature.” 

Three British world premieres to look out for are Evelyn, which is in the Documentary Competition, by Academy Award-nominated director Orlando von Einsiedel (Virunga [+lee también:
tráiler
ficha de la película]), who turns the camera on his own family as they attempt to cope with a devastating loss; Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. [+lee también:
crítica
ficha de la película], Ben Wheatley’s poignantly funny and razor-sharp observation of English family dysfunction, which is playing in the Official Competition; and Stan & Ollie, which will bring the festival to a close on Sunday 21 October. The latter film, starring delightfully bang-on-target performances from Steve Coogan and John C Reilly as the legendary movie comedy duo, is a truly funny and touching story about the tender, life-long friendship of Hollywood’s greatest comedy double act, Laurel and Hardy.

Another notable aspect of the programme is the number of female filmmakers who will be showing their wares. “We are seeing lots of really exciting female filmmakers,” says Tuttle. “Across the whole programme, 38% of filmmakers are female, 30% of the feature films are by female directors, which is up from 24% last year, and in three of the four competitive strands, we have gender parity.”

Several key events will also be cinecast to cinema venues around the UK, including the world premiere of Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
ficha de la película], which will be simultaneously screened, in 2D and 3D, in cinemas and special venues across the UK. Also, for the first time ever, there will be an LFF premiere outside London – the LFF Special Presentation of Mike Leigh’s Peterloo [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Mike Leigh
ficha de la película] will take place at HOME, Manchester.

The London Film Festival will run from 10-21 October.

Here is the full list of selected titles:

Official Competition  

Birds of Passage [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
ficha de la película] – Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra (Colombia/Denmark/Mexico)
Destroyer – Karyn Kusama (USA)
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. [+lee también:
crítica
ficha de la película] – Ben Wheatley (UK)
Happy as Lazzaro [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Alice Rohrwacher
ficha de la película] – Alice Rohrwacher (Italy/Switzerland/France/Germany)
In Fabric [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Peter Strickland
ficha de la película] – Peter Strickland (UK)
Joy [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Sudabeh Mortezai
ficha de la película] – Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria)
The Old Man & the Gun – David Lowery (USA) 
Shadow – Zhang Yimou (USA)
Sunset [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: László Nemes
ficha de la película] – László Nemes (Hungary/France)
Too Late to Die Young [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
ficha de la película] – Dominga Sotomayor (Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands/Qatar)

First Feature Competition – Sutherland Award

The Chambermaid – Lila Avilés (Mexico/USA)
The Day I Lost My Shadow [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Soudade Kaadan
ficha de la película] – Soudade Kaadan (Syria/Lebanon/France/Qatar)
Dead Pigs – Cathy Yan (China)
Girl [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Lukas Dhont
ficha de la película] – Lukas Dhont (Belgium/Netherlands)
Holiday [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Victoria Carmen Sonne
ficha de la película] - Isabella Eklöf (Denmark/Netherlands/Sweden/Turkey)
Journey to a Mother's Room [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Celia Rico Clavellino
ficha de la película] – Celia Rico Clavellino (Spain/France)
Only You [+lee también:
crítica
ficha de la película] – Harry Wootliff (UK)
Ray & Liz [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Richard Billingham
ficha de la película] – Richard Billingham (UK)
Soni – Ivan Ayr (India)
Wildlife – Paul Dano (USA)

Documentary Competition – Grierson Award

Bisbee ‘17 – Robert Greene (USA)
Dream Away [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
ficha de la película] – Marouan Omara, Johanna Domke (Germany/Egypt/Qatar)
Evelyn – Orlando von Einsiedel (UK)
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
ficha de la película] – Julien Farau (France)
The Plan That Came From the Bottom Up [+lee también:
tráiler
ficha de la película] – Steve Sprung (Portugal/UK)
Putin’s Witnesses [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Vitaly Mansky
ficha de la película] – Vitaly Mansky (Latvia/Switzerland/Czech Republic)
The Raft [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Marcus Lindeen
ficha de la película] – Marcus Lindeen (Sweden)
Theatre of War [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
ficha de la película] – Lola Arias (Argentina/Spain/Germany)
What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Roberto Minervini
ficha de la película] – Robert Minervini (Italy/USA/France)
Young and Alive [+lee también:
crítica
tráiler
entrevista: Matthieu Bareyre
ficha de la película] – Matthieu Bareyre (France) 

Short Film Award

Another Decade – Morgan Quaintaince (UK)
De Natura – Lucile Hadžihalilovic (Romania)
The Field (Le Champ de mais) – Sandhya Suri (France/UK/India)
Hello, Rain – C J ‘Fiery’ Obassi (Nigeria)
Lasting Marks – Charlie Lyne (UK)
Leash – Harry Lighton (UK)
Monelle – Diego Marcon (Italy)
Salam – Claire Fowler (UK/USA)
Solar Walk – Réka Bucsi (Denmark) 
Veslemøy’s Song – Sofia Bohdanowicz (Canada)