The 69th BFI London Film Festival (LFF, October 8-19) has unveiled its full line-up, with six world premiere features, including Rowan Athale’s UK boxing drama Giant and James Lucas’ Moss & Freud.
Amir El-Masry and Pierce Brosnan star in Giant, a biopic of boxer Prince Naseem ‘Naz’ Hamed that follows his rise from the working-class streets of Sheffield and is produced by Tea Shop and AGC Studios. True Brit Entertainment will release in UK-Ireland from January 9 2026.
Moss & Freud is a dramatised account of when, at the peak of her celebrity in the early 2000s, model Kate Moss decided to sit for famed British artist Lucian Freud. Ellie Bamber and Derek Jacobi star, and Embankment Films represents sales.
The line-up contains 162 feature films, slightly down on last year’s 168. The number of world premieres is also down from last year, from 15 features to this year’s six.
There are 247 works in total, comprising features, shorts, series and immersive works from 79 countries; 42% are from female and non-binary filmmakers, slightly down from 44% in 2024.
The number of headline galas is up this year, with 24 versus 2024’s 15, but there are fewer special presentations, with six versus 2024’s 15.
Previously unannounced galas include Bradley Cooper’s New York Film Festival premiere Is This Thing On?, inspired by the life of Liverpudlian comedian John Bishop and starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern; Philippa Lowthorpe’s H Is For Hawk starring Claire Foy and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, both first bowing at Telluride; and a raft of Cannes premieres including Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love, Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just An Accident, Harry Lighton’s Pillion, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and Oliver Hermanus’ The History Of Sound.
Richard Linklater has two gala screenings: Cannes premiere Nouvelle Vague and Berlinale title Blue Moon.
The first feature competition will include three UK-based filmmakers: Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s Berlin premiere Dreamers, Imran Perretta’s Venice Critics’ Week selection Ish and Akinola Davies’ Cannes Un Certain Regard title My Father’s Shadow.
New for 2025, the festival will also host an LFF Expanded industry day on October 15, supported by Southbank Centre. The rest of the industry line-up will be announced in due course.
The Screen Talks series includes Yorgos Lanthimos, Daniel Day-Lewis, Linklater, Panahi, Ramsay, Tessa Thompson and Zhao.
The festival once again takes place at BFI Southbank and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, and will also run in cinemas and venues across central London. LFF On Tour will visit 11 UK-wide partner venues with two new venues, the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford (the 2025 City of Culture) and the Filmhouse in Edinburgh.
LFF 2025 line-up
*Denotes world premiere
Headline galas
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (US) – opening night
Dir. Rian Johnson
100 Nights Of Hero (UK-US) – closing night
Dir. Julia Jackman
After The Hunt (US)
Dir. Luca Guadagnino
Ballad Of A Small Player (UK)
Dir. Edward Berger
Blue Moon (US-Ire)
Dir. Richard Linklater
Bugonia (UK)
Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
The Choral (UK)
Dir. Nicholas Hytner
Christy (US)
Dir. David Michôd
Die, My Love (Can)
Dir. Lynne Ramsay
Frankenstein (US)
Dir. Guillermo del Toro
H Is For Hawk (UK)
Dir. Philippa Lowthorpe
Hamnet (UK)
Dir. Chloé Zhao
The History Of Sound (US-UK-It)
Dir. Oliver Hermanus
Is This Thing On? (US)
Dir. Bradley Cooper
It Was Just An Accident (Iran-Fr-Lux)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Jay Kelly (US-UK-It)
Dir. Noah Baumbach
The Mastermind (US)
Dir. Kelly Reichardt
No Other Choice (S Kor)
Dir. Park Chan-wook
Nouvelle Vague (Fr)
Dir. Richard Linklater
Pillion (UK)
Dir. Harry Lighton
Rental Family (US)
Dir. Hikari
Roofman (US)
Dir. Derek Cianfrance
Sentimental Value (Nor-Fr-Ger)
Dir. Joachim Trier
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (US)
Dir. Scott Cooper
Special presentations
Afterlives (Ger-Belg-Fr)
Dir. Kevin B. Lee
Broken English (UK)
Dirs. Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
The Death Of Bunny Munro eps 1 & 2 (UK) – series
Dir. Isabella Eklöf
Maspalomas (Sp)
Dirs. Aitor Arregi, Jose Mari Goenaga
Now Is When We Are (The Stars) (US)
Dir. Andrew Schneider
Sholay – Director’s Cut (India)
Dir. Ramesh Sippy
Official competition
Bad Apples (UK)
Dir. Jonatan Etzler
Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story (UK-US)*
Dir. Yemi Bamiro
Black Rabbit, White Rabbit (Tajikistan-UAE)
Dir. Shahram Mokri
Hair, Paper, Water (Belg-Fr-Viet)
Dirs. Nicolas Graux, Trương Minh Quý
Hedda (US)
Dir. Nia DaCosta
Landmarks (Arg-US-Mex-Fr-Neth)
Dir. Lucrecia Martel
Rose Of Nevada (UK)
Dir. Mark Jenkin
The Testament Of Ann Lee (UK)
Dir. Mona Fastvold
The Voice Of Hind Rajab (Tun-Fr)
Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
The World Of Love (S Kor)
Dir. Yoon Ga-eun
First feature competition
Becoming Human (Camb)
Dir. Polen L
Diamonds In The Sand (Philippines)
Dir. Janus Victoria
Dreamers (UK)
Dir. Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
Ish (UK)
Dir. Imran Perretta
Mad Bills To Pay (US)
Dir. Joel Alfonso Vargas
My Father’s Shadow (UK-Nigeria)
Dir. Akinola Davies
One Woman One Bra (Kenya-Nigeria)
Dir. Vincho Nchogu
Sink (Jor-Saudi-Qat-Fr)
Dir. Zain Duraie
Songs Of Forgotten Trees (India)
Dir. Anuparna Roy
A Useful Ghost (Thai-Fr-Sing)
Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Documentary competition
Always (US-China-Fr-Tai)
Dir. Deming Chen
The Eyes Of Ghana (US)
Dir. Ben Proudfoot
Life After (US)
Dir. Reid Davenport
Only On Earth (Den-Sp)
Dir. Robin Petré
Seeds (US)
Dir. Brittany Shyne
Singing Wings (Iran-Geo-Belg)
Dir. Hemen Khaledi
Super Nature (UK)*
Dir. Ed Sayers
The Travelers (Cameroon-Sp)
Dir. David Bingong
Love
& Sons (UK-Can)
Dir. Pablo Trapero
Calle Malaga (Mor-Fr-Sp-Ger-Belg)
Dir. Maryam Touzani
D Is For Distance (Fin)
Dirs. Christopher Petit, Emma Matthews
Endless Cookie (Can)
Dirs, Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver
Father Mother Sister Brother (US-Ire-Fr)
Dir. Jim Jarmusch
The Girls (Sri)
Dir. Sumitra Peries
Human Resource (Thai)
Dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
Kim Novak’s Vertigo (US)
Dir. Alexandre O.Philippe
Left-Handed Girl (Tai)
Dir. Shih-Ching Tsou
Love, Brooklyn (US)
Dir. Rachael Abigail Holder
Love Me Tender (Fr)
Dir. Anna Cazenave Cambet
The Love That Remains (Ice)
Dir. Hlynur Pálmason
Resurrection (China-Fr)
Dir. Bi Gan
Romeria (Sp-Ger)
Dir. Carla Simón
A Sad And Beautiful World (Leb-US-Ger-Saudi-Qat)
Dir. Cyril Aris
The Thing With Feathers (UK)
Dir. Dylan Southern
Debate
Cover-Up (US)
Dirs. Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
The Deal eps 1&2 (Switz-Fr-Lux-Belg) – series
Dir. Jean-Stéphane Bron
Island Of The Winds (Tai-Japan-Fr)
Dir. HsuYa-Ting
John Lilly And The Earth Coincidence Control Office (US)
Dirs. Michael Almereyda, Courtney Stephens
Kontinental ’25 (Rom-Switz-Lux-Bra-UK)
Dir. Radu Jude
Love+War (US-UK)
Dirs. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
Mother (Belg-N Mac-Swe-Den)
Dir. Teona Strugar Mitevska
Orwell: 2+2=5 (Fr-US)
Dir. Raoul Peck
La Paga (Iran)
Dir. Bahram Beyzaïe
Saipan (Ire-UK)
Dir. Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburne
Silent Friend (Ger-Hun-Fr)
Dir. Ildikó Enyedi
Train Dreams (US)
Dir. Clint Bentley
Laugh
Fwends (Australia)
Dir. Sophie Somerville
The Kidnapping Of Arabella (It)
Dir. Carolina Cavalli
More Life (Den-UK)*
Dir. Bradley Banton
Olmo (US-Mex)
Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
She’s The He (US)
Dir. Siobhan McCarthy
Twinless (US)
Dir. James Sweeney
Untameable (Fr)
Dir. Thomas Ngijol
What Marielle Knows (Ger)
Dir. Frédéric Hambalek
Dare
Alpha (Fr-Belg)
Dir. Julia Ducournau
Anemone (US-UK)
Dir. Ronan Day-Lewis
The Assistant (Pol-UK)
Dir. Wilhelm Sasnal
Blue Heron (Can-Hun)
Dir. Sophy Romvari
The Chronology Of Water (US-Fr-Latvia)
Dir. Kristen Stewart
The Devil Smokes (And Saves The Burnt Matches In The Same Box) (Mex)
Dir. Ernesto Martínez Bucio
Dreams (Mex-US)
Dir. Michel Franco
Dry Leaf (Ger-Geo)
Dir. Alexandre Koberidze
Good Boy (Pol-UK)
Dir. Jan Komasa
Hamlet (UK)
Dir. Aneil Karia
The Ice Tower (Fr-Ger)
Dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović
Magellan (Port-Sp)
Dir. Lav Diaz
Memory Of Princess Mumbi (Kenya-Switz-Saudi)
Dir. Damien Hauser
Short Summer (Ger-Fr-Ser)
Dir. Nastia Korkia
Sirât (Sp-Fr)
Dir. Oliver Laxe
Sound Of Falling (Ger)
Dir. Mascha Schilinski
Straight Circle (UK)
Dir. Oscar Hudson
Thrill
At The Place Of Ghosts (Can-Belg)
Dir. Bretten Hannam
Balearic (Sp-Fr)
Dir. Ion De Sosa
Giant (UK)*
Dir. Rowan Athale
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (US)
Dir. Mary Bronstein
Lurker (US-It)
Dir. Alex Russell
Miroirs No. 3 (Ger)
Dir. Christian Petzold
A Private Life (Fr)
Dir. Rebecca Zlotowski
Retreat (UK)
Dir. Ted Evans
The Secret Agent (Bra-Fr-Ger-Neth)
Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Ultras (Swe-Den-Fin)
Dir. Ragnhild Ekner
Wasteman (UK)
Dir. Cal McMau
Cult
Chao (Japan)
Dir. Yasuhiro Aoki
Decorado (Sp)
Dir. Alberto Vázquez
Exit 8 (Japan)
Dir. Genki Kawamura
Fucktoys (US)
Dir. Annapurna Sriram
The Holy Boy (It-Slov)
Dir. Paolo Strippoli
Honey Bunch (Can)
Dir. Madeleine Sims‑Fewer
Reflection In A Dead Diamond (Belg-Lux-It-Fr)
Dirs. Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani
The Vile (UAE-US)
Dir. Majid Al Ansari
Journey
Below The Clouds (It)
Dir. Gianfranco Rosi
The Blue Trail (Bra-Mex-Chile-Neth)
Dir. Gabriel Mascaro
Enzo (Fr-Belg-It)
Dir. Robin Campillo
High Wire (UK)*
Dir. Calif Chong
Lucky Lu (US-Can)
Dir. Lloyd Lee Choi
Mortu Nega (Guinea-Bissau)
Dir. Flora Gomes
Orphan (Hun-UK-Ger-Fr)
Dir. László Nemes
A Pale View Of Hills (Japan-UK-Pol)
Dir. Kei Ishikawa
Palestine 36 (Palestine-UK-Fr)
Dir. Annemarie Jacir
Portobello: The Fall Of Enzo Tortora (It)
Dir. Marco Bellocchio
The President’s Cake (Iraq-US-Qat)
Dir. Hasan Hadi
Promised Sky (Swe-Den-Neth-Pol-Fin)
Dir. Erige Sehiri
The Son And The Sea (UK)
Dir. Stroma Cairns
Têtes Brûlées (Belg)
Dir. Maja Ajmia, Yde Zellama
Two Prosecutors (Fr-Ger-Neth-Latvia-Rom-Lith)
Dir. Sergei Loznitsa
Weightless (Den)
Dir. Emilie Thalund
Create
Ariel (Sp-Port)
Dir. Lois Patiño
Blknws: Terms & Conditions (US)
Dir. Kahlil Joseph
Dj Ahmet (N Mac-Czech-Ser-Cro)
Dir. Georgi M. Unkovski
Duse (It-Fr)
Dir. Pietro Marcello
Future Botanica (Neth)
Dirs. Marcel Van Brakel, Hazal Ertürkan
Khartoum (UK-Sudan-Ger-Qat)
Dirs. Rawia AlHag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Anas Saeed, Timeea M. Ahmed, Phil Cox
Mare’s Nest (UK-Fr-Can)
Dir. Ben Rivers
Moss & Freud (UK-NZ)*
Dir. James Lucas
Peter Hujar’s Day (US-Ger)
Dir. Ira Sachs
The Stranger (Fr)
Dir. François Ozon
Wild Style (US)
Dir. Charlie Ahearn
Experimenta
Hotel London (UK)
Dir. Ahmed Alauddin Jamal
The Memory Of Butterflies (Peru-Port)
Dir. Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski
With Hasan In Gaza (Palestine-Ger-Fr-Qat)
Dir. Kamal Aljafari
The House Was There Before Me (Can)
Dir. Elian Mikkola
Fugue Notes (NZ)
Dir. Selina Ershadi
Radius Catastrophe (Leb)
Dir. Jad Youssef
Border As Interface (UK-Japan)
Dir. Petra Szemán
Nsala (Congo)
Dir. Mickael-Sltan Mbanza
The Conjured Ones (Ven-Arg)
Dir. Humberto González Bustillo
Terror Element (UK-Neth)
Dirs. Anna Engelhardt, Mark Cinkevich
Happiness (Neth-Turkey)
Dir. Firat Yücel
Daria’s Night Flowers (Iran-UK-Fr)
Dir. Maryam Tafakory
New Territories (Spectacle Is King) (UK)
Dir. Rhea Storr
Tuktuit: Caribou (Can)
Dir. Lindsay McIntyre
Another Other (US)
Dir. Bex Oluwatoyin Thompson
Morning Circle (Ger-Can-UAE)
Dir. Basma Al-Sharif
The Early Sun, Red As A Hunter’s Moon (US)
Dir. Adam Piron
She’s Waiting For The Sunset (Lith)
Dir. Martyna Ratnik
Ka Ba Ddi: A Breath, A Move, A Gam (UK)
Dir. Alia Syed
Nothing Out Of The Island: Bridges (Dom Rep-US)
Dir. Dalissa Montes De Oca Mosquea
Half Memory (UK-US-Fr)
Dir. Ufuoma Essi
Primate Visions; Macaque Macabre (Indo-Switz)
Dir. Natasha Tontey
Hedgehog Cakes: Sweet Weapon Of Terror (Ukr)
Dir. Zhenia Stepanenko
Fragments For Venus (It-Fr)
Dir. Alice Diop
Resurrect Me As A Parasite (UK-Neth-Can)
Dirs. Gabi Dao, Lou Lou Sainsbury
LFF Expanded
Now Is When We Are (The Stars) (US)
Lead artist: Andrew Schneider
Future Botanica (Neth)
Lead artists: Polymorf
Blue Prince (Fr)
Lead studio: Byebyesama
Despelote (Ecuador)
Lead artists: Julián Cordero & Sebastián Valbuena
Death Of The Reprobate (UK)
Lead studio: Joe Richardson
Songs Of Travel (Can)
Lead artist: Silverstring Media
Some Goodbyes We Made (Lithuania)
Lead artist: Tadas Migauskas
The Dollhouse (Can)
Lead artist: Sophie Dubé
Play Life (Lithuania)
Lead artist: Algis Kriščiūnas
8 Pm And The Cat (S Kor)
Lead artist: Jeong Dahee
Mirror (Tai)
Lead artist: Wu De-Chuen
Family
Animal Farm (UK)
Dir. Andy Serkis
Finding Optel (S Afr)
Dirs. Jesse Brown, Mikayla Joy Brown
Little Amélie (Fr)
Dirs. Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
The Songbird’s Secret (Fr)
Dir. Antoine Lanciaux
Whispers In The Woods (Fr)
Dir. Vincent Munier
Mushroom’s Life (Latvia)
Dir. Ēvalds Lācis
Cardboard (UK)
Dir. J.P. Vine
Snow Bear (US)
Dir. Aaron Blaise
The Naughty Seat (UK)
Dir. David Johnson
House Trap (Neth)
Dir. George Hampshire
The Big Bad Wolf (UK)
Dir. Leo Wright
Capybaras (Fr-Uruguay-Chile)
Dir. Alfredo Soderguit
Forevergreen (US)
Dirs. Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears
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