LFF announces speakers and events programme

This year’s BFI London Film Festival Industry Forum is centred around the fundamental proposition facing the UK and international film and screen industries in developing and growing businesses, audiences and talent. Within a climate that is challenging in many ways, particularly where the bottom line is concerned but where new opportunities are also exciting and growing, how do we balance creativity, that is synonymous with working with and nurturing filmmaking talent, and risk?   

The Festival has increased attendance of international talent and industry professionals delegates by 63% over the last four years and once again this year it welcomes a host of international speakers who will share their experience and knowledge in considering this central question in the conversations and panel discussions.

The Forum is hosting three headlining Spotlight conversations with international industry leaders.

Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are co-chairs of Working Title Films, one of the world’s leading film production companies with a slew of commercial and critical hits which have grossed over $8.5 billion worldwide, in conversation with BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts. 

Katie Goodson-Thomas, who has overseen a prestigious slate of UK and international features as Head of International Production and Development at Searchlight Pictures discusses international production, creativity and talent with journalist and film festival consultant Wendy Mitchell.  

 Jay Hunt OBE, Chair of the British Film Institute, the only person to have been creative head of BBC1, Channel 4 and Channel 5, gives an exclusive career interview with broadcaster and writer Claudia Winkleman. 

Celebrated Oscar and BAFTA award-winning film sound designer, supervisor and mixer Johnnie Burn (The Zone of Interest, Poor Things, Nope) will also be discussing how sound contributes to immersive cinematic storytelling in conversation with filmmaker and producer Charlotte Matheson. 

Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival Director, said: “We’re excited about this year’s line-up of events for our Industry Forum and our heartfelt thanks go to the incredible talent and speakers  for generously sharing their knowledge and experience. Working and learning together is increasingly vital in our evolving industry as we look to forge new connections for collaboration and storytelling.”  

Silvia Angrisani, BFI London Film Festival, Industry Programme Manager, said: “This year’s industry programme of talks and events is setting out to provide insights and inspiration. We are welcoming conversations with writers, directors, producers, financiers and sound designers as well as the business of international sales and marketing, whilst considering the questions around how we balance creativity and risk.  Our sessions will offer delegates the opportunity to be in the room and hear international industry leaders as well as new voices.   In addition, our networking and business meetings will foster international collaborations and hopefully create and informal and warm setting to discover new talent and new partners, locally and internationally.”

The Festival’s programme and events create valuable opportunities for UK creatives and industry professionals to meet and make new connections with UK and international industry professionals seeing potential creative and business collaboration.

In addition to the programme of in-person panel discussion events, the LFF Industry Forum offers a targeted range of events for industry.  A group of 12 experienced producers from France will be participating in the third edition of New Waves co-production meetings with UK producers at the LFF organised by the Institut français UK, the BFI and the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) in partnership with Unifrance.  The day (Saturday 12 October) will conclude with a networking reception for industry delegates hosted by Institut français UK to celebrate UK-France co-productions and to meet representatives from the CNC. 

The BFI, the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture in Italy (DGCA-MiC), Cinecittà, and the Italian Cultural Institute of London are collaborating on the first edition of Cinematic Bridges, a day of co-production meetings between experienced UK and Italian producers (Friday 11 October). Selected feature film and TV producers (both fiction and documentary) will participate in a series of events and business meetings aimed at encouraging bilateral collaboration and co-production.  

Supporting UK screen-based businesses and talent, and increasing opportunities for international collaboration, the 2024 Industry Forum features a variety of talent development initiatives, as part of the UK Talent Days focus in partnership with the British Council. These include the fifth edition of the Works-in-Progress showcase for new UK work; the BFI NETWORK@LFF programme for UK-based writers, directors and producers; and the LFF Critics Mentorship Programme.

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INDUSTRY FORUM CONVERSATIONS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS 

SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATIONS WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS – TIM BEVAN AND ERIC FELLNER, KATIE GOODSON-THOMAS AND JAY HUNT 

SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATION WITH WORKING TITLE’S TIM BEVAN AND ERIC FELLNER
Working Title’s contribution to the UK film industry locally and internationally is unparalleled. Co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner Working Title has forged a reputation as a world leading British production company having created well-loved and critically acclaimed film and TV content for 40 years. With an eye to developing talent, they recently announced with Universal its Global Writers Program, the studio’s first internationally-run talent initiative, and they also co-founded the London Screen Academy, a state-funded sixth form academy for young people of all backgrounds. 

With more than 130 films that have grossed over $8.5 billion worldwide, Working Title’s films have been critically acclaimed winning 14 Academy Awards^®, 10 Golden Globes, over 40 BAFTA Awards and numerous prizes at the Cannes and Berlin film festivals.  Working Title’s upcoming slate includes Blitz (Apple TV+) written and directed by Steve McQueen, starring Saoirse Ronan and produced with New Regency and Lammas Park (the LFF’s Opening Gala); Pressure directed by Anthony Maras and starring Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser, The Substance (MUBI), directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley; Lena Dunham’s eagerly anticipated series, Too Much (Netflix), starring Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe; Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s Honey Don’t (Focus Features) starring Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans; Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Universal Pictures) with Renée Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson; Three Bags Full (Amazon MGM) starring Hugh Jackman, Nicolas Braun, Nicolas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau and Emma Thompson; season 2 of We Are Lady Parts; and Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole (Netflix) series adapted by leading crime-writer Jo Nesbø, directed by Øystein Karlson, starring Tobias Santelmann and Joel Kinnaman. 

In this event hosted by BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts, Bevan and Fellner will discuss UK film production, the transformations of the industry, their relationship to talent, and how to open new paths for a new generation of filmmakers.
Tuesday 15 October, 15:30, Picturehouse Central 

SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATION WITH KATIE GOODSON-THOMAS, SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
For over a decade, Katie Goodson-Thomas has overseen a prestigious slate of UK and international features at Searchlight Pictures, including The Banshees of Inisherin, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Poor Things and All of Us Strangers. As  Head of International Production and Development for Searchlight’s UK operation, she has been supporting both established and new filmmakers, as well as nurturing multiple relationships in the UK film industry. Prior to her role at Searchlight, Goodson-Thomas was Head of Film at Chris Coen’s Unanimous Pictures, having previously worked at companies including Origin Pictures and Working Title Films, and with some of the UK’s best producing and directing talent, including Graham Broadbent, Lynne Ramsay, James Marsh and Danny Boyle.  

On the 30th anniversary of Searchlight Pictures, Katie Goodson-Thomas joins us to talk about her career and her approach to scouting talent, nourishing a slate of projects, and identifying the right partners for each work, while taking into account the diversity of audiences across countries and media. The conversation will be moderated by journalist and film festival consultant Wendy Mitchell.
Tuesday 15 October, 11:45, Picturehouse Central 

SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATION WITH JAY HUNT
With an impressive career spanning over 30 years, Jay Hunt has been championing UK talent throughout her whole professional journey. The only person to have been the creative head of BBC1, Channel 4 and Channel 5, she has commissioned such contemporary classics as Slow Horses, Luther, Sherlock, Black Mirror, Derry Girls and Gogglebox.  In this exclusive conversation with BAFTA award-winning television presenter, radio personality and journalist, Claudia Winkleman, Jay will talk about her career and its key moments, including working in the public and private sectors and how they can work together. 
Wednesday 16 October, 15:30, Picturehouse Central 

The art of sound.  Johnnie Burn In conversation in association with Variety
The LFF is thrilled to welcome Oscar and BAFTA award-winning sound designer Johnnie Burn for an exceptional opportunity to delve into the art of sound with filmmaker and producer Charlotte Matheson. With a portfolio of films spanning Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest and Under the Skin, Jordan Peele’s Nope and many of Yorgos Lanthimos’s projects including The Lobster and Poor Things, Johnnie will guide the audience through key scenes from his celebrated work and analyse how sound contributes to creating immersive landscapes and enriching the film experience. He will also shine a light on the work of sound professionals and their relationships with directors and heads of departments.
Thursday 10 October, 11:45, Picturehouse Central 

New voices in DOCUMENTARY filmMAKING
Documentary film has long been an important part of the LFF and this year three filmmakers with backgrounds in documentary filmmaking, photography and fine arts will share their creative processes and production journeys in bringing their distinctive non-fiction films to screen. Programmed by the LFF in collaboration with Sheffield DocFest, filmmakers Cécile Embleton for Mother Vera and Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter for Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other will be joined in the discussion by Raul Niño Zambrano, Creative Director, Sheffield DocFest.
Friday 11 October, 11:45, Picturehouse Central 

Good stories: Originals, adaptations and remakes in association with The Hollywood Reporter
The ultimate search for success – finding and acquiring good stories? Across big and smaller screens, the story plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the final project. Our panel of experts in film finance, remake rights, film production and writing talent will share their insights in scouting stories and dealing with originals, adaptations and remakes whilst assessing risk on new or pre-existing IP; the part played by data and instinct decision-making; and evaluating potential against different platforms and markets.  Kevin Loader (producer and Co-Founder, Free Range Film), Tolu Stedford (executive producer and CEO, Story Compound), Meg Thomson (EVP Worldwide Content, Globalgate Entertainment) and Alex Walton (Co-Head, WME Independent) will be joined by the discussion chair, Rowan Woods, Creative Director of the Edinburgh TV Festival.
Wednesday 16 October, 11:45, Picturehouse Central 

Navigating the international markets: SALES AGENTS IN CONVERSATION in association with Screen International
The international market is an ever-changing landscape, where major disruptions alternate with periods of slighter shifts. Sales companies navigate these waters with different approaches, impacting acquisitions and sales. Our panel of international sales agents all of whom have films in this year’s LFF discuss the main challenges they face and the strategies they adopt to help new talent, English and foreign language works circulate across national borders. The LFF welcomes Sata Cissokho, Head of acquisitions, Memento International and Virginie Devesa, Founder, Alpha Violet, from France, Madeleine Tangney Director of Sales, Visit Films from the US and Sophie Green, Head of Acquisitions and Development, Bankside Films in the UK to share their insights with journalist and film festival consultant Wendy Mitchell.
Monday 14 October at 11:45, at Picturehouse Central

A MAP TO THE STARS: CASE STUDIES IN MARKETING AND PROMOTION OF INDEPENDENT FILMS
How did a black-and-white drama set in Rome in 1946, amid the ruins left by the war, directed by an actress working behind the camera for the first time – Paola Cortellesi’s There is Still Tomorrow – reach the top of Italian box office for 2023, ahead such giants as Barbie and Oppenheimer? And how did an independent first film in the Irish language – Colm Bairéad’s The Quiet Girl  – become a best international feature film contender at the Academy Awards? Marketing and promotion specialists Mathias Noschis (Founder of Alphapanda, Berlin) and Laura Mirabella (Chief Marketing Officer at Vision Distribution, Rome) will discuss how the films made European cinema history with film and industry programmer Nadia M Oliva.
Monday 14 October, 15:30, Picturehouse Central 

Fade in. Emerging writers in conversation supported by WGGB – The Writers’ Union
Bringing new talent into the industry spotlight, six passionate emerging writers from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will discuss their journey into screenwriting, their sources of inspiration and their writing process in discussion with producer and consultant Anna Higgs. Having developed their skills in writers’ rooms, talent labs, and screenwriting competitions, they have built up their credits in short films, children shows, theatre and TV drama and they are now stepping into feature films. With references ranging from Amadeus to Ghost in the Shell, the speakers will share their personal themes and obsessions, and how they are sharpening their style. Join us to celebrate the power of storytelling. They are Alys Metcalf, Andrew Wong, Angela Franklyn, Carley Magee, Celia Morgan, and Shannon Welby.
Friday 11 October, 15:30, Picturehouse Central 

ANATOMY OF A DEBUT: LAST SWIM 
After their success at the Berlinale, the Last Swim team will offer a deep dive into the making of the film, its creative genesis and business journey, from assembling the creative team and casting, to raising finance, securing sales representation and eventually arriving to that magic moment where the film eventually meets its audience. Writer-director Sasha Nathwani will be joined by co-writer and executive producer Helen Simmons (co-producer Hoard), cinematographer Olan Collardy (Rye Lane) and producers Campbell Beaton (Hot Property, Bonus Track and many commercial and music videos) and Nisha Mullea (videos – The Heist Not One is Talking About, Save the Children: Still the Most Shocking Second a Day) in discussion with Mariayah Kaderbhai, Head of Programmes, BAFTA.
Thursday 10 October at 15:30 at Picturehouse Central

Additional events  

The Good Work programme: supporting a cultural shift in the UK screen industries
This networking breakfast will launch the Good Work programme backed by BFI National Lottery funding to support the industry bring about positive change and address long-standing practices negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of the industry’s workforce.   Sara Whybrew, BFI Director of Skills and Workforce Development, and Keith Arrowsmith, Solicitor and Programme Director, will announce new free-to-access resources, guidance and training, all specifically designed for screen-sector businesses and employers, including navigating changes to employment law through to strengthening labour practices, inclusive recruitment, and mental health and wellbeing support, all of which promote equity and respect in the workplace.
Tuesday 15 October, 09:30-11:30 at Picturehouse Central, Members’ Bar 

LFF UK TALENT DAYS
The Festival’s UK Talent Days (11-14 October), an in-person programme presented in partnership with the British Council, will connect major international industry professionals with UK creative talent and emerging professionals from across the screen sectors to support the development of new and future UK films, create opportunities for investment and partnership. Strands of activity include the Festival’s fifth edition of a Works-in-Progress showcase, which presents feature films and documentaries made by emerging talent to invited international buyers, commissioners, producers and programmers with the opportunity to meet the teams behind the featured works.  The LFF and the UK Global Screen Fund will be co-hosting a Producers Networking lunch for invited UK and international delegates. BFI NETWORK@LFF will host masterclasses and events for 15 emerging UK-based writers, directors and producers to learn from leading filmmakers and industry executives at the Festival. A UK Talent reception will celebrate new UK work and creative talent involved in the Festival; and the Festival’s Buyers & Sellers event will provide a unique opportunity for international sales agents to meet UK buyers. Producers from France and the UK will be participating in the New Waves co-production meetings and networking events organised by the Institut français UK, the BFI and the CNC in partnership with Unifrance, and Cinematic Bridges will welcome delegation of Italian producers at the festival for the first time through a BFI International partnership with the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture in Italy (DGCA-MiC), Cinecittà, and the Italian Cultural Institute of London.  

Private View, LFF Expanded offers accredited press the chance to attend the Festival’s immersive, XR and gaming showcase to see new UK work in the programme on 11 October (10am – 1pm). 

LFF CRITICS MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME 2024
Now in its seventh year, the BFI LFF Critics Mentorship 2024 programme aims to address the lack of diversity in film criticism offering opportunities to a range of talented emerging writers with a particular emphasis this year for those who self-identify as Black, MENA (Middle East and North African), South Asian, South East Asian or East Asian backgrounds, including mixed ethnicity applicants, as well as D/deaf and disabled applicants, and those who are neurodivergent, or have a long-term health condition.

Successful applicants take part in a four day intensive programme (9-12 October) at the Festival as accredited press with lead mentors Akua Gyamfi, journalist, commentator and founder of The British Blacklist, and Amon Warmann, Empire’s Contributing Editor, Talk Sport film critic and Fade To Black podcast co-host. Participants will also be individually paired with a mentor from each LFF media partner who will support them produce pieces of film journalism for publication on their websites and bfi.org.uk.

Participating media partner mentors include the Evening Standard, Time Out, Sight and Sound, Empire, Little White Lies, Screen The Face and bfi.org.uk.

BFI NETWORK@LFF
A talent development programme at the very heart of the BFI London Film Festival, BFI NETWORK@LFF is now in its 10th year. Fifteen new UK-based writers, directors and producers will participate in an intensive programme of masterclasses, screenings and events with industry professionals. This year’s selected participants are ambitious writers, directors and producers across fiction and documentary, who have demonstrated a distinct quality in their short form work. The programme is delivered by BFI NETWORK with support from BFI Doc Society Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery funding.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presentation ceremony for its annual international student film competition, the Student Academy Awards, will be held in London this year.  In partnership with the BFI London Film Festival, Student Academy Award winners will have access to panels and networking opportunities.  In addition, winners will have exclusive access to Academy members to support their career advancement.  The event, traditionally held at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, will take place at London’s Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on Monday, 14 October.

MARKET  

BUYERS AND SELLERS
The LFF’s annual Buyers & Sellers event presents a number of films which have yet to secure UK distribution or sales representation. Organised by the Festival team and hosted this year at Picturehouse Central, the event is designed to support these films in securing UK theatrical, digital platforms or home entertainment releases. The annual event returns for a day of bespoke, 20-minute speed-dating style meetings during which international sales agents meet with UK buyers. This year’s meetings have been arranged and will take place on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 October.

FILM LONDON PRODUCTION FINANCE MARKET
The Festival industry programme also includes the 18^th edition of the two-day Film London Production Finance Market (8-9 October), which connects filmmakers and financiers from around the world and is funded and supported by the Mayor of London, the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding) and the Department for Business and Trade.   The market’s focused programme complements an intensive business meetings schedule with a keynote address and a case study on a new independent film. Industry delegates are welcome to attend the keynote and case study and should contact pfm@filmlondon.org.uk to add their name to the attendee list for these two sessions.  

PRESS & INDUSTRY SCREENINGS, NETWORKING EVENTS AND DELEGATE SERVICES
The Festival will be hosting in-person Press and Industry screenings at BFI Southbank and Picturehouse Central. Thanks to our partnership with Cinando, the Festival will also present online screenings for accredited delegates through the digital viewing library. For the first time, this year will see the introduction of a booking system for Press and Industry Screenings and Industry Events, with the aim to improve delegates ability to plan their time at the festival.

The BFI LFF Industry Forum will also be hosting networking events in partnership with the Alliance for Women Film Composers, AMPAS, BFI NETWORK, the British Council, Directors UK, FOCUS – The meeting place for international Production, Reddit, Tongues on Fire – UK Asian Film Festival and Women in Film and Television. Open to all industry delegate pass holders.

Other services for delegates available on the Press and Industry platform include discounted tickets to the LFF events in the public programme (excluding first screening Galas and Special Presentations), Screen Talks and LFF Expanded (Industry+ pass only), exclusive discounts around BFI Southbank and Picturehouse Central, and access to the delegate directory for networking.  Delegates will also be able to view films available for sales deals in the UK market through a regularly updated resource, accessible through their Personal Delegate Page.

Picturehouse Central on Shaftesbury Avenue will return as the main Delegate Hub for 2024.