| 
Story by: Jack Foley
EXISTENTIAL comedies, controversial abortion dramas, martial
arts masterpieces and family favourites are just some of the films
that have been lined up to enthral movie buffs as part of The
Times bfi 48th London Film Festival, which takes place
from October 20 to November 4.
Kicking off the showpiece event will be Mike Leigh’s highly-anticipated
Vera Drake, a 1960s-set abortion drama that recently
took the prestigious Golden
Lion Award at this year’s Venice Film Festival, and
earned its star, Imelda Staunton, the best actress accolade.
While closing it will be the existential comedy, I Heart
Huckabees, directed by David O Russell (of Three Kings
fame), and featuring a mouth-watering ensemble cast, including
Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law, Naomi Watts and Mark Wahlberg.
In between, viewers can pick from some 300 movies, including
Pixar’s latest animated adventure, The Incredibles, as well
as Shang Yimou’s wushu masterpiece, House of Flying
Daggers, his eagerly-anticipated follow-up to Hero.
Celebrities expected to attend include director, Mike Leigh,
and stars such as Reese Witherspoon and Kevin Bacon, whose films,
Vanity Fair and The Woodsman,
are both being screened as part of the line-up.
Commenting about the opening and closing films, the festival's
Artistic Director, Sandra Hebron, said: "I'm delighted at
the quality of both our Opening and Closing Night films, and with
how they chime with the rest of the Festival's programme. On the
surface Vera Drake and I Heart Huckabees
couldn't be less alike, but what Mike Leigh and David O Russell
share, apart from their complete understanding of the art and
craft of film-making, is humanism, clarity of vision and a desire
to make films which make us think about the way we live."
|
 |
She continued: "Viewing across
genres and forms, selecting fiction and non-fiction work (as well
as an increasing amount that falls somewhere in between), our
guiding principle is to include the most imaginative, original
and relevant films we can.
"The sheer pleasure of programming the Festival, and hopefully
of attending it too, is this diversity on which it thrives. So
Luke, a 22 minute film by Bruce Conner reworking
footage he shot 40 years ago on the set of Cool Hand Luke
sits as comfortably in our selection as the epic The Door
to the Sun; and we're as excited to present Pixar's ground
breaking The Incredibles as
we are to show Todd Solondz's remarkable Palindromes.
"On any given day in the Festival, you could dip into the
best of contemporary European cinema (Aaltra, 5x2, Czech
Dream), catch a film by an international master (Moolaadé,
House of Flying Daggers, Café Lumière, Notre Music)
or an up and coming auteur (Undertow, Tropical Malady,
The Holy Girl), check out what's new in British cinema
(Bullet Boy, Yasmin, Top Spot) or enjoy a superb
archive restoration (The River, Paths of Glory).
"Or maybe you'd prefer to see a committed documentary, or
sit in on a masterclass, or watch a programme of narrative shorts,
or animation. As one of the Festival's previous directors has
pointed out, better to be spoilt for choice than starved by it's
lack."
Other films to look out for during the two-week showpiece event
include the critically-acclaimed Garden
State, which marks the writing and directing debut of Scrubs
star, Zach Braff; Todd Solondz’s Palindromes;
French director, Francois Ozon’s 5X2, and
Roger Michell’s psychological drama, Enduring Love,
starring Daniel Craig and Rhys Ifans.
For further information, visit the festival website at www.lff.org.uk
|
