BFI announces LFF For Free programme

The 67^th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express reveals a host of exciting events for its 2023 LFF For Free programme. Taking in blockbuster superheroes,  secret film locations and the wilds of cult cinema, LFF For Free is open to everyone, offering engaging, one-of-a-kind events for audiences of all tastes. From family-focused activities to talks with household names and visionary new talent, to multidisciplinary short film screenings, Augmented Reality walks and film-inspired music nights – all events are available totally free of charge, ensuring the Festival is accessible to the widest range of audiences possible.

The majority of LFF For Free will take place at BFI Southbank over the two weekends of the BFI London Film Festival: 7-8 October and 14-15 October, with further free experiences available at other venues across London and online outside of these dates.

Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival Director, said: “We can’t wait to invite film fans across London to dive into these fantastic events that explore so many facets of moving image culture and allow audiences to meet the makers and even make their own robot! Our LFF Free programme has events for all ages from family workshops, screenings, club nights and fascinating talks – so mark your calendars and make some time to pop by and celebrate LFF with us.”

Kicking things off with a cinematic scramble across the multiverse, LFF For Free is delighted to announce a special preview screening of Episodes 1 & 2 of Marvel Studios’ Loki Season 2, at an event which will be introduced by Director of Episode 2, Dan DeLeeuw and Executive Producer, Kevin R Wright.

As ever, the Festival offers a host of free family-focused screenings and events. This year’s programme includes two unmissable Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Model-Making Workshops. Join Aardman and Netflix for family-friendly model-making sessions in celebration of the World Premiere of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget at the BFI London Film Festival, coming to Netflix later this year. Run by an expert model maker, who has worked on some of Aardman’s best loved productions, lucky attendees will be able to get creative with clay and make their very own character from the film to take home. Also for families, a Dancing Queen Hip Hop Dance Class, offering 8 – 15 year olds the chance to join Danceworks’ Ezzy Nzewi for a class inspired by Aurora Gossé’s new film Dancing Queen and Robot Dreams: Make Your Own Robot Friend, a workshop offering attendees the chance to construct their very own robotic companion.

From anime legends and children’s classics, to queer representation, activism and the subcultures of cult cinema, this year’s free festival Talks include a special conversation between Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE and Frank Cottrell Boyce, the writer of Kensuke’s Kingdom and screenwriter of its film adaptation, and The Ghibliotheque Guide to Hayao Miyazaki; a guided tour through the work and worldview of the Studio Ghibli co-founder and legendary animation director –  an essential companion event  to the festival screening of The Boy and the Heron, the first film in a decade from director Hayao Miyazaki. Legendary African-American poet and activist Nikki Giovanni will join the directors of new documentary Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, to reflect on her life and legacy, while Chasing Identity: Queerness and Empowering Ourselves Through Film will be a discussion with the director of Chasing Chasing Amy, Sav Rodgers, reflecting on the 1997 cult hit film and the act of reclaiming polarising queer representation on screen.

LFF For Free @ The Festival Café presented by American Express will take audiences from the back row to behind the scenes with Lights, Camera, Action! Who’s Who On Set, a series of ten drop-in lunchtime talks that take a peek into the roles of behind-the-camera creatives and talent. This year’s programme includes talks by Polly Bennett (Choreographer, Saltburn), Shaheen Baig (Casting Director, The End We Start From), Begona Fernandez Martin (SFX Make-up Artist, Stopmotion, Aquaman), Joanna Fahy (Home Economist, Sky Peals), Guiomar Alonso (Stunt Coordinator, Stopmotion, Bourne Ultimatum), Louise Kempton (Intimacy Coordinator, Hoard), Ian Baillie (Production Designer, Expats, Atonement), Zac Nicholson (Cinematographer, One Life, The Personal Story of David Copperfield) and Phil Canning (Music Supervisor, In Camera). Also at the Festival Café will be an opportunity for audiences to sharpen that encyclopaedic film knowledge at the BFI London Film Festival Film Quiz.

Looking at the role of women in film, host Anna Smith will present a special fifth birthday edition of the much-loved Girls On Film podcast, bringing together a panel of female filmmakers and critics for a special edition examining the progress of women in film in recent years, while Nicole and Liza, founders of the Female Film Club, an online community for international female filmmakers, will present a talk on Demystifying the Film Industry, breaking down myths and misconceptions, while empowering attendees to start their own filmmaking journey.

Dynamic Storytelling, hosted by The British Blacklist and We Are Parable brings behind-the-scenes conversation with filmmakers Adura Onashile (Girl), Jeymes Samuel (The Book of Clarence) and Savannah Leaf (Earth Mama), who will each delve into their incredible film journeys, while Location, Location, Location: The Screen Traveller’s Guide offers the ultimate travel guide for every screen geek: taking audiences on a virtual trip to the real-life locations behind favourite movies and TV shows, without having to leave their seats.

For music aficionados, the 2023 LFF For Free programme dives ears first into the sonic worlds of two legends of contemporary music – Paul Simon and Ryuchi Sakamoto – inspired by festival screenings of new documentaries, Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and Ryuchi Sakamoto | Opus. Pitchblack Playback’s album listening sessions in the dark invite audiences to lose themselves in the sounds of Paul Simon’s classic, Graceland, whilst the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto is celebrated through a playback of Travesía, an album of music curated by award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

Alongside these deep listening album nights, come further sonic sessions, in the form of DJ nights inspired by film. Whatever your tempo of choice, the BFI’s cinematic wheels of steel will be brought to life at regular intervals across the festival, from Anita! – featuring music inspired by the original It Girl, Anita Pallenberg, subject of the documentary Chasing Fire: The Anita Pallenberg Story, and a playlist including The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Doors and Bowie; to a night of Dominican music that will transport you straight to the heart of the Caribbean, led by DJ Cano, who brings a vibrant night of pulsating rhythms, from merengue, to bachata, reggaeton and more. Club Kali’s legendary DJ Ritu, co-founder of the UK’s longest-running South Asian club nights – brings her ‘Hollywood to Bollywood’ soundtrack to the Festival while Scala!!! The Mix is a DJ night inspired by all-night clubs, which took place at The Scala in the 1980s. Prepare for a dance-off as DJ Mike Menace spins a sonic kaleidoscope of 80s synth, hi-NRG and queer anthems, from Pet Shop Boys, Yazoo and Erasure, to Depeche Mode, The Communards, The Cure and Divine.

The Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World’s Wildest Cinema and How It Influenced a Mixed-up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits hones in on another iconic location in film – London’s beacon of subculture, the Scala cinema, which inspired a generation of filmmakers and artists. Framing the premiere of new documentary, Scala!!!, this panel brings to life London’s infamous sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll repertory cinema.

As LFF Expanded’s groundbreaking extended reality programme launches at its new home Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf (runs 6 – 22 October), audiences are invited to reimagine iconic London locations through two free augmented reality walks, available to download via their mobile phone. Virtually connecting BFI Southbank with Bargehouse, Fleeting Figures is an outdoor exhibition along the South Bank, experienced through a collection of interactive artworks by Sweden-based artists, created specifically for the Festival. A second walk which starts in Trafalgar Square, Ghosts of Solid Air invites you to explore the activities of historical figures during periods of civil unrest, unfolding against the backdrop of the monuments of state power in central London.

Further free immersive experiences include the launch of contemporary artist Bjarne Melgaard’s My Trip 2023 in a new partnership with The Outernet, which takes audiences on a psychedelic journey to the outreaches of the web (Monday nights for 8 weeks from 9 October) as well as the return of acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin’s Haunted Hotel – A Melodrama in Augmented Reality. Back by popular demand, this fascinating immersive exhibition at Gallery @OXO Tower, ruminates on the manifold permutations of desire, deception and death, enfolding the audience in surreal paper worlds. Elsewhere in India, presented in partnership with the London Science Gallery, is a free audiovisual electronica performance about a future world where global cultures are nearing extinction. Witness immersive 3D worlds, generative AI art and rare moving images from the BFI National Archive’s India on Film collection.

Free LFF Expanded talks include Letters From The Past,  in which Holocaust survivor Marion Deichmann and director Darren Emerson (Letters from Drancy) share the story behind their heart-breaking VR documentary, a 360 film which tells a story of courage from those who embraced the compassion of humanity in the face of hatred.

Also at Gallery @OXO Tower is Little White Lies 100 Exhibition, which celebrates two decades and 100 issues of the illustrated film magazine with an exhibition of iconic covers. There will also be a talk presented by editor David Jenkins on How to Make 100 Editions of a Magazine in the 21st Century, as well as a live edition of the magazine’s much-loved Truth and Movies Podcast, featuring interviews with filmmakers from the Festival.

LFF For Free celebrates short film in all its richness this year through extensive free screenings that draw audiences’ attention to the extraordinary range of imaginative storytelling embraced by short-form filmmaking. Amongst a host of specially curated programmes are Big Little Lives, showcasing outstanding debut shorts from filmmakers who have made a name for themselves in another creative field. Narratively exploring the big emotional dramas of small everyday lives, photographer Misan Harriman, novelists Eimear McBride and Caleb Azmah Nelson, actor Mackenzie Davis, and actor and playwright Simon Woods reveal themselves to be thrilling new filmmaking talents.

As part of the BMW Filmmaking Challenge in partnership with the BFI, LFF For Free presents an exclusive preview screening and panel event, focused on supporting the creativity of the UK’s future filmmaking talent. The five films created from the Challenge were judged by industry experts Ncuti Gatwa, Terri White and Asif Kapadia and at this event, host Edith Bowman will interview the filmmaking teams, inspired by the theme of evolving perspectives and their mentorship from Michaela Coel. The final winning film will then receive its premiere at the Closing Night Gala of the Festival.

Now in its tenth year, BFI NETWORK@LFF is a talent development programme centred around the BFI London Film Festival which presents shorts by this year’s selected filmmakers: 15 outstanding UK-based writers, directors and producers, who are poised to make a significant impact in the film industry. The National Film and Television School’s (NFTS) new short films incubator, Star Imagine UK, has been developed to help springboard underrepresented filmmakers on the cusp of their careers, and amplify the scale and ambition of their work both culturally and creatively. The six teams chosen will screen their uniquely personal stories centred on the theme of ‘Evolve’, featuring everything from a Dungeons & Dragons club, to a Friday night in A&E.

Further shorts programmes include 4Love: four groundbreaking short films from disabled and neurodivergent filmmakers that explore the theme of love; and London Calling, two compilations from some of London’s most exciting new voices, funded by BFI NETWORK and delivered by Film London. Brave Faces brings together stories of people trying to be their best selves, whether ‘faking it ‘til they make it’ or wearing a mask to protect themselves, while Being Seen examines the nature and impact of truly being oneself. Audiences can also enjoy free short films from this year’s BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express from the comfort of home, via the BFI Player.

Film Academy Young Programmer events will bring a multi-sensory consideration of cinema, including the introduction of Frame Of Mind: Cinematic Safe Space. Acting as a break from the hustle and bustle of the Festival, this is a space for anyone attending the festival, neurodivergent or otherwise, to unwind and process, or simply escape for a little while, featuring a looped video essay, with relaxing visuals and art stations.

Have you ever lied about your favourite film? Guilty Pleasures invites audiences to ‘fess up and celebrate our love of cinema in all its forms. Exploring how we can make festivals and independent films feel fun and accessible to movie lovers of all kinds, Guilty Pleasures playfully prods at cultural tastes and how we talk about ‘important’ cinema. Meanwhile Nourishing Connections: Food In Diasporic Cinema traces a diasporic history of food on film – from a love letter to ramen in Tampopo, to the expropriated orange orchards of Palestinian farmers in Jaffa: the Orange’s Clockwork. Identity and place is also explored in This Is Northern England, a panel exploring filmmaking in the North. Commemorating the significance of Northern Cinema to date, from themes of de-industrialisation to working-class storylines, it will also highlight the underrepresentation of diverse stories and absent narratives.