The 67th BFI London Film Festival is a film festival took place from 4–15 October 2023. The competition films were announced on 29 August 2023 while the films for the galas and the strands were revealed on 31 August 2023. The juries for the various sections of the festival were announced on 19 September 2023.
The festival opened with Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell, and closed with The Kitchen, directed by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya.
Juries
Main Competition
Amat Escalante, Mexican film director, producer and screenwriter
Kate Taylor, programme director of the 2023 Edinburgh International Film Festival Niven Govinden, British novelist
First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award)
Raine Allen-Miller, British film director
Vanja Kaludjercic, festival director of International Film Festival Rotterdam
Barry Adamson, British musician, composer, filmmaker and photographer
Documentary Competition
Rubika Shah, British writer and director
Jeanie Finlay, British documentary filmmaker
Paul Tonta, general manager theatrical acquisitions and film festivals at Madman Entertainment
Short Film Competition
Charlotte Regan, British writer and director
Francesca Tomlinson, BFI Film Academy Young Programmer
Rina Yang, cinematographer
Venues
The partner venues for the festival include:
London cinemas
BFI Southbank
Curzon Soho
Curzon Mayfair
Institute of Contemporary Arts
Vue West End
Prince Charles Cinema
Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall
Odeon Luxe Leicester Square - Press and industry screenings
Picturehouse Central - Press and industry screenings
Expanded venues
Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf
UK-wide cinemas
HOME, Manchester
Watershed, Bristol
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow
Broadway Cinema, Nottingham
Showroom Cinema, Sheffield
Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast
Chapter, Cardiff
Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle upon Tyne
Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham
Official Selection
Galas
The following films were selected for the Galas section, which screens world, European, and British premieres of the most anticipated films.
Special Presentations
The following films were selected for the Special Presentations section.
In Competition
There were five competition sections, each with a different selection of films and different juries.
Official Competition
The following films competed for the Best Film Award.
First Feature Competition
The following films competed for the Sutherland Award, which is awarded to a directorial debut.
Documentary Competition
The following films competed for the Grierson Award, which is awarded to a feature-length documentary.
Short Film Competition
The following films competed for the Short Film Award.
Strands
Most of the out-of-competition films have been organised into strands, each based on a different mood or emotion.
Love
Debate
Laugh
Dare
Thrill
Cult
Journey
Create
Experimenta
Family
Treasures
Shorts
The short film programme was divided into the following nine sections.
Dialogues Between Past, Present and Future
Stories We Tell
What Makes Us
Right Here, Right Now
For the Haunted and Possessed
The Creeps
No Place Called Home
The Land is the Living Witness
Animated Shorts for Young Audiences
LFF for Free: Shorts
The following films were screened during the LFF for Free programme.
Big Little Lives
Star Imagine UK
London Calling: Brave Faces
London Calling: Being Seen
Network@LFF Shorts
This year, the Network@LFF short films were split into three programmes.
4Love
Surprise Film
Ferrari, dir. Michael Mann
Awards
Competition
Best Film Award: Evil Does Not Exist, dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Sutherland Award (First Feature): Paradise Is Burning, dir. Mika Gustafson
Grierson Award (Documentary): Bye Bye Tiberias, dir. Lina Soualem
Short Film Award: The Archive: Queer Nigerians, dir. Simisolaoluwa Akande
Audience Awards (to be announced)
Best Feature: Best Documentary: Best British Film or Work: Best XR: