LFF announces films selected to screen in official competition

The 68^th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express announce the films screening in Official Competition and contending for the Best Film Award.

The 2024 nominated films showcase innovative filmmaking and an incredible range of talent from across the world, with 13 countries represented across the selection.

From a gripping Irish portrait of deep-rooted generational rivalry to a stop-motion animated tale of self-discovery; a moving portrait of living with deaf parents in Tokyo to a follow up feature from one of Zambia’s most distinctive voices, the films selected for Official Competition celebrate and recognize inspiring and inventive global filmmaking.

Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard for A Prophet, recent winners of the Best Film Award include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist in 2023 and Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage in 2022.

The 11 films in Official Competition are:

• APRIL (France-Georgia-Italy, dir-scr. Dea Kulumbegashvili)
• BRING THEM DOWN (Ireland-UK-Belgium, dir-scr. Christopher Andrews)
• THE EXTRAORDINARY MISS FLOWER (UK, dir. Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard)
• FOUR MOTHERS (Ireland-UK, dir. Darren Thornton)
• LIVING IN TWO WORLDS (Japan, dir. Mipo O)
• MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (Australia, dir-scr. Adam Elliot)
• ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL (Zambia-UK-Ireland, dir-scr. Rungano Nyoni)
• THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US (State of Palestine-Germany, dir-scr. Laila Abbas)
• THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT (Australia-Mongolia-Germany, dir. Gabrielle Brady)
• UNDER THE VOLCANO (Poland, dir. Damian Kocur)
•  VERMIGLIO (Italy-France-Belgium, dir-scr. Maura Delpero)

BFI Southbank will once again be home to the Official Competition titles this year, as the 68^th BFI London Film Festival continues to celebrate the power of film in the heart of London. The films shortlisted for the Festival’s other competitive categories, the Grierson Award for Best Documentary, the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature and the Short Film Award will be revealed on 4 September. Winners in all four categories will be chosen by LFF Awards Juries, the members of which will be announced in the coming weeks. The ever-popular Audience Awards will also return for 2024, with Best Feature won last year by UK director George Amponsah’s thriller Gassed Up, while Best Documentary went to Chloe Abrahams’ The Taste of Mango.

This year’s Official Competition selection includes gifted and exciting filmmakers from across the world including the UK, Zambia, Ireland, Italy and Australia.

Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival Director, said: “We have a stellar line up for audiences and our jury’s consideration. We’re immensely proud to have UK and Irish works alongside films from across the globe. Boasting an enormous breadth in terms of cinematic styles, there’s a world of cinema to be enjoyed in our 2024 Official Competition.”

The winner of the Best Film Award will be announced on Sunday 20 October.

The 68^th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express takes place from Wednesday 9^th October – Sunday 20^th October, 2024. The BFI LFF Programme Launch will take place on Wednesday 4^th September, 2024.