Oscar hopefuls La La Land, The Birth Of A Nation and Snowden are among the movies to be screened during the 60th BFI London Film Festival.
Hollywood stars including Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Lupita Nyong’o will all travel to the capital next month for red carpet premieres of their films, as well as directors Oliver Stone, Tom Ford and Ben Wheatley.
The festival will open with A United Kingdom, British director Amma Asante’s film about the real-life love story between the King of Bechuanaland (now Botswana) and a London office worker in 1948, starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike.
It will close with Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, starring Oscar winner Brie Larson in a film about an arms deal that goes wrong.
Director Nate Parker will bring his film The Birth Of A Nation, an account of the life of Nat Turner, a slave who led a revolt in Virginia in 1831.
Parker plays Turner, as well as serving as director, writer and producer, and the film has already generated Oscar buzz after a successful world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
Another film in contention for awards is La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in a love letter to the golden era of Hollywood musicals.
The film is director Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to Whiplash, which netted JK Simmons a supporting actor Oscar.
Director Oliver Stone will return to London with his film about whistleblower Edward Snowden, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the title role.
Kidman stars opposite Slumdog Millionaire actor Dev Patel in Lion, adapted from Saroo Brierley’s memoir A Long Way Home, while Adams and Renner headline sci-fi Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Adams also stars in fashion designer Ford’s film Nocturnal Animals, which features Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon and Isla Fisher.
Oscar winner Nyong’o will hope to follow up her success in 12 Years A Slave when she stars opposite Oyelowo in Queen Of Katwe, a film based on the true story of a Ugandan chess champion.
British director Steve McQueen, who is responsible for 12 Years A Slave, as well as Shame and Hunger, will be given the BFI Fellowship, the highest accolade of the institute’s board of governors. The BFI has also announced a season of film, TV and special events celebrating the achievements of black actors entitled Black Star.
The festival runs from October 5 to 16.
