Skills Fund contributors confirmed for London Film Festival

The screen version of the award-winning stage production, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, will open this year’s BFI London Film Festival.

The film, starring Emma Thompson and Stephen Graham, is one of 12 announced as playing at the festival that contributed to ScreenSkills’ Film Skills Fund.

It joins Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light as a headline gala, alongside fellow contributors Living and The Son. Allelujah, starring Judi Dench, Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daughter and the Cannes-winning Triangle of Sadness all feature as special presentations during the festival while British dramas Blue Jean and Medusa Deluxe will both play as part of the First Feature Competition.

The festival will also feature premieres for period-horror, The Origin, and London-set family drama Pretty Red Dress.

Of the 12 titles that contributed to the Film Skills Fund, 10 of them welcomed trainees on production from ScreenSkills Film Trainee Finder, a paid placement programme for new entrants. A total of 32 trainees worked in a range of roles across the costume, sound, art, production, hair and make-up and camera departments.

The festival runs from 5 – 16 October throughout London and will extend to venues across the country.