The Last King of Scotland to open 50th Times BFI London Film Festival
Story by Jack Foley
THE Last King Of Scotland, the new film from Oscar™ winning director Kevin Macdonald, is to open The Times BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday, October 18.
Based on the award-winning novel by Giles Foden, the film stars Forest Whitaker as the tyrannical Ugandan President Idi Amin, alongside James McAvoy (The Chronicles of Narnia), Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Kerry Washington (Fantastic Four) and Simon McBurney (Friends With Money).
The opening night gala will mark the European premiere of the film in what is the 50th year of The Times BFI London Film Festival.
The novel is adapted by Peter Morgan (The Queen) and Jeremy Brock (Mrs Brown).
Shot in Uganda and the UK, the film follows an incredible twist of fate when a Scottish doctor, Garrigan (McAvoy) becomes irreversibly entangled with one of the world’s most notorious dictators, Idi Amin (Whitaker).
The Last King Of Scotland is the first fiction feature from Macdonald, who won an Academy Award™ for One Day In September, and a BAFTA for Touching The Void.
It is executive produced by Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, and Tessa Ross and produced by Andrea Calderwood, Charles Steel and Lisa Bryer, co-produced by Christine Ruppert.
Fox Searchlight Pictures will release the film in the UK in January 2007.
Commenting on the opening night film, Sandra Hebron, artistic director of the festival, said: “The Last King Of Scotland is a perfect Opening Night film for us: a compellingly original British feature from an imaginative and talented young director.
“Kevin Macdonald and his cast and crew must be congratulated for balancing historical fact with psychological insight in such a lively, accessible and thought provoking way.”
Macdonald himself added: “It would be an honour to be chosen any year to open The Times BFI London Film Festival – but it’s particularly great to be kicking off the 50th edition.
“I’m so pleased to be having the European premiere of The Last King Of Scotland in my home city and at a Festival where I myself have discovered so many wonderful movies over the years.”