BIB’s BFI LFF 2023 Watchlist
The 67th BFI London Film Festival full programme has been announced and I have an extensive watchlist (which will be spilt into two - my personal watchlist and the BIB Watchlist). This extensive and thorough BIB Watchlist focuses on amplifying the Black and Black Mixed talent showcasing and/or featuring at this years BFI LFF, organised by events.
Headline Galas
The Book of Clarence (USA, dir.-scr. Jeymes Samuel)
How do you follow a kick-ass revisionist Western? By offering up a blistering take on the Gospels, of course!
Wednesday 11 October 2023 17:45 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Thursday 12 October 2023 14:30 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Saturday 14 October 2023 12:30 / Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
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Closing Night Gala – The Kitchen (UK, dir. Kibwe Tavares, Daniel Kaluuya)
Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya's heartfelt rally against gentrification and a celebration of family and community.
Sunday 15 October 2023 19:15 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Sunday 15 October 2023 21:00 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
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Cunard Gala – The Holdovers (USA, dir. Alexander Payne)
Acclaimed director Alexander Payne travels back to the 1970s for his eighth film, in which three disparate characters find support in the most unlikely of places.
Wednesday 11 October 2023 21:00/ Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Thursday 12 October 2023 11:00 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
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Poor Things (UK, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
A wild and beautiful firecracker of a film, Yorgos Lanthimos’ period sci-fi is all we have come to expect from this singular filmmaker – and more…
Saturday 14 October 2023 17:30 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Sunday 15 October 2023 10:30 /Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Sunday 15 October 2023 19:50 / BFI Southbank, NFT1
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Special Presentations
Occupied City (UK-Netherlands, dir. Steve McQueen)
Steve McQueen’s cinematic commemoration of the Holocaust offers a multidimensional experience full of gravity and sublimity.
Thursday 05 October 2023 13:45 / BFI Southbank, NFT1
Monday 09 October 2023 18:20 / BFI Southbank, Studio
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Les Indésirables (France-Belgium, dir. Ladj Ly)
Ladj Ly offers a trenchant, furious look at societal fractures in contemporary France, as a suburban mayor reignites the social tinderbox.
Saturday 14 October 2023 21:15 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Sunday 15 October 2023 18:00 / Vue West End, Screen 5
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Series Special Presentation – Grime Kids (UK, dir. Abdou Cisse)
Rocks screenwriter Theresa Ikoko returns to the Festival with an exuberant drama series set during the early years of the East London grime scene.
Friday 13 October 2023 21:00 / Vue West End, Screen 5
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Priscilla (USA-Italy, dir.-scr. Sofia Coppola)
Sofia Coppola brings her customary visual style to bear on a portrait of the whirlwind romance and relationship of Priscilla and Elvis Presley.
Monday 09 October 2023 21:10 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
Tuesday 10 October 2023 14:45 / Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall
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LFF Awards / First Feature Competition
Black Dog (UK, dir-scr. George Jaques)
Dates: 26 Apr – 20 Aug 2023
Where: Tate Britain, London
About: This solo exhibition reveals the scope of Julien’s pioneering work in film and installation from the early 1980s through to the present day. The exhibition highlights Julien's critical thinking and the way his work breaks down barriers between different artistic disciplines, drawing from film, dance, photography, music, theatre, painting and sculpture by utilising the themes of desire, history and culture.
> More information here
Earth Mama (USA-UK, dir-scr. Savanah Leaf)
A young, expectant mother battles drug addiction and the oppressive foster-care system to regain custody of her children in this brave and intimate debut.
Thursday 05 October 2023 21:00 / BFI Southbank, NFT1
Saturday 07 October 2023 12:10 / Curzon Mayfair, Screen 1
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Hoard (UK, dir-scr. Luna Carmoon)
In a fearlessly strange and intense psychological drama a troubled teenager forms an obsessive bond with a mysterious young man at her foster home.
Monday 09 October 2023 20:30 / BFI Southbank, NFT1
Sunday 15 October 2023 15:20 / Curzon Mayfair, Screen 1
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Mambar Pierrette (Belgium-Cameroon, dir-scr. Rosine Mbakam)
Rosine Mbakam’s feature debut focuses on a week in the life of a working-class Cameroonian who strives against all odds to make ends meet.
Sunday 08 October 2023 17:30 / BFI Southbank, NFT3
Wednesday 11 October 2023 18:15 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2
Wednesday 11 October 2023 18:30 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3
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LFF Awards / Short Film Competition
The Archive: Queer Nigerians (UK, dir. Simisolaoluwa Akande)
This poetic film documents the experiences of queer Nigerians, expanding our contemporary understanding of how queerness is expressed.
Friday 13 October 2023 20:30 / ICA, Screen 1
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Area Boy (UK, dir. Iggy London)
Eli, a young teenager torn between two worlds, tries to balance fitting in with finding his true identity after he moves to a provincial town.
Wednesday 04 October 2023 18:15 Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
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Essex Girls (UK, dir. Yero Timi-Biu)
A teenage girl navigates friendship groups, social awkwardness and boys in this sharp coming of age drama.
Saturday 14 October 2023 / 12:50 BFI Southbank, NFT1
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Strands / Love
Àma Gloria (France, dir.-scr. Marie Amachoukeli)
A young French girl is heartbroken when Gloria, her nanny, returns to her own family in Cape Verde, in this acutely sensitive study of grief and growing up.
Saturday 07 October 2023 15:15 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2
Saturday 07 October 2023 15:30 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3
Monday 09 October 2023 20:40 / BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Banel & Adama (France-Senegal-Mali, dir.-scr. Ramata-Toulaye Sy)
In this compelling love story set in Mali, Banel and Adama’s relationship is tested by a devastating turn of events that challenges their village’s way of life.
Monday 09 October 2023 18:00 / BFI Southbank, NFT3
Tuesday 10 October 2023 15:35 / BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Girl (UK, dir.-scr. Adura Onashile)
Déborah Lukumuena and Le’Shantey Bonsu give stunning performances as a deeply connected mother and daughter in Adura Onashile’s tender drama.
Wednesday 04 October 2023 18:00 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Friday 06 October 2023 15:00 / BFI Southbank, NFT3
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Goodbye Julia (Sudan-Egypt-Germany-France-Saudi Arabia-Sweden, dir.-scr. Mohamed Kordofani)
In Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani’s impressive drama, a woman seeks redemption following an incident that threatens to destroy all she holds dear.
Saturday 14 October 2023 17:10 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Sunday 15 October 2023 12:00 / BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Our Body (Notre Corps) (France, dir. Claire Simon)
Claire Simon’s tender, moving and illuminating film captures the essence and urgency of life inside a Parisian gynaecology ward.
Wednesday 11 October 2023 17:30 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Thursday 12 October 2023 19:45 / BFI Southbank, Studio
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Unicorns (UK, dir. Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd)
A celebration of culture, sexuality and love, Sally El Hosaini’s third collaboration with James Krishna Floyd is a potent portrait of modern London.
Saturday 14 October 2023 20:40 / BFI Southbank, NFT1
Sunday 15 October 2023 18:00 / Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
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Strands / Debate
Fire Through Dry Grass (USA, dir. Alexis Neophytides, Andres ‘jay’ Molina)
Isolated from the world during the Covid-19 pandemic, these Black and Brown disabled artists take up their cameras to tell their story.
Saturday 14 October 2023 15:10 / BFI Southbank, NFT1
Sunday 15 October 2023 12:30 / BFI Southbank, Studio
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Four Daughters (Les Filles d’Olfa) (France-Tunisia-Germany-Saudi Arabia, dir.-scr. Kaouther Ben Hania)
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
Friday 13 October 2023 18:20 / Vue West End, Screen 5
Saturday 14 October 2023 12:15 / BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Strands / Laugh
Bonus Track (UK, dir. Julia Jackman)
In this charmingly awkward teen romcom, an aspiring musician teams up with the son of a rockstar to try and win the school talent show.
Thursday 05 October 2023 / 20:45 Vue West End, Screen 5
Saturday 07 October 2023 16:00 / Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
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Strands / Dare
Omen (Augure) (Belgium-Netherlands-Democratic Republic of Congo-France-South Africa, dir.-scr. Baloji)
Koffi’s epileptic seizure, prior to his trip back home to Kinshasa, acts as an omen for the turbulence that awaits him, in rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji’s Cannes winner.
Thursday 12 October 2023 / 18:20 Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
Friday 13 October 2023 / 20:30 Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
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Power Alley (Levante) (Brazil-France-Uruguay, dir. Lillah Halla)
Queer sisterhood and collective power lie at the heart of this arresting Brazilian debut, in which a promising volleyball player faces an unwanted pregnancy.
Thursday 05 October 2023 / 18:00 Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
Sunday 08 October 2023 20:00 / BFI Southbank, NFT3
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Strands / Thrill
Culprits (UK, dir-scr. J Blakeson)
Someone’s picking off members of a gang who were once involved in an audacious heist, in this gripping series from creator J Blakeson.
Saturday 07 October 2023 16:30 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
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Gassed Up (UK, dir. George Amponsah)
A group of London teenage boys turn to motorbike crime for survival in George Amponsah’s high-octane follow-up to The Hard Stop.
Tuesday 10 October 2023 / 20:45 BFI IMAX, Waterloo
Friday 13 October 2023 / 20:45 BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Strands / Journey
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (USA, dir.-scr. Raven Jackson)
Raven Jackson’s mesmerising feature debut is an intimate portrait of the loves and losses of one Southern Black woman’s life over the course of four decades.
Friday 13 October 2023 20:55 / BFI Southbank, NFT3
Sunday 15 October 2023 12:00 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1
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The Bride (Rwanda, dir.-scr. Myriam U. Birara)
Rwandan scholar Eva’s childhood is abruptly cut short when she is snatched away from home to become a stranger’s bride, in this striking feature debut.
Saturday 07 October 2023 18:30 / Vue West End, Screen 5
Sunday 08 October 2023 13:15 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2
Sunday 08 October 2023 13:30 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3
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How to Have Sex (UK-Greece, dir.-scr. Molly Manning Walker)
This startlingly frank and stylish UK debut, about a wild teen holiday gone awry, tackles thorny issues of coercion and consent head on.
Tuesday 10 October 2023 20:45 / BFI Southbank, NFT1
Thursday 12 October 2023 18:10 / Vue West End, Screen 5
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Ramona (Dominican Republic-UK, dir. Victoria Linares Villegas)
A teen actor’s quest to gain authenticity in her performance as a pregnant runaway becomes a rich study of Dominican girlhood, in this powerful documentary.
Tuesday 10 October 2023 18:20 / BFI Southbank, NFT2
Wednesday 11 October 2023 20:40 / ICA, Screen 1
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The Spectre of Boko Haram (Cameroon-France, dir. Cyrielle Raingou)
Have you ever wondered how war looks from a child’s perspective? Cyrielle Raingou captures life for young refugees in this powerful documentary.
Thursday 05 October 2023 20:00 / BFI Southbank, NFT2
Friday 06 October 2023 20:55 / BFI Southbank, NFT3
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Strands / Create
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (USA, dir.-scr. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster)
Legendary African-American poet and activist Nikki Giovanni looks back on her legacy and reflects on her mortality, in this expansive love letter to a genuine pioneer.
Wednesday 11 October 2023 20:35 / BFI Southbank, NFT2
Sunday 15 October 2023 20:30 / Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2
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Strands / Experimenta
A Radical Duet (UK, dir.-scr. Onyeka Igwe)
Imagining a revolutionary play authored by two female activists in the anti-colonial movement in post-war London.
Friday 13 October 2023 20:30 / ICA, Screen 1
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Tristxtotl (UK, dir. Mădălina Zaharia)
Two figures in an idiosyncratic restorative session place grief onto a stone, alongside verbal self-soothing, guided gestures and blue thoughts.
Sunday 15 October 2023 13:40 / ICA, Screen 1
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Everything Worthwhile Is Done with Other People (UK, dir.-scr. Rehana Zaman)
Drawn from Zaman’s five-year collaboration with a group of Black and Global Majority women affected by incarceration, this engaging work interrogates the intersections of structural racism, classism and misogyny
Saturday 14 October 2023 15:30 / ICA, Screen 1
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Speech for a Melting Statue (Belgium-Democratic Republic of Congo, dir. Collectif Faire-Part)
Amongst the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter uprisings in Brussels, poet Marie Paule Mugeni anticipates the day colonial statues fall.
Friday 13 October 2023 20:30 / ICA, Screen 1
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Shorts / The Creeps
Doris (Ghana-USA, dir. Edem Dotse)
In rural Ghana, a young woman struggles with disruptive fits and growing jealously towards her best friend
Tuesday 10 October 2023 21:00 Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
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Yummy Mummy (UK, dir.-scr. Gabriela Staniszewska)
Pregnant Lilith is experiencing an identity crisis. Now her body is also beginning to fall apart – literally…
Tuesday 10 October 2023 21:00 / Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
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Shorts / No Place Called Home
South Facing (UK, dir.scr. Reneque Samuels)
The loss of a family shop leads a young British Caribbean girl to consider her identity and sense of home.
Friday 06 October 2023 18:00 BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Shorts / Right Here, Right Now
I Am More Dangerous Dead (USA-Nigeria-UK, dir.-scr. Majiye Uchibeke)
This stirring documentary sees Ogoniland activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa takes on Shell and the Nigerian government.
Monday 09 October 2023 / 16:15 ICA, Screen 1
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Shorts / Stories We Tell
Festival of Slaps (UK, dir. Abdou Cissé)
A Nigerian mother slaps her son so hard his life flashes before his eyes, in this humorous dissection of cultural stereotypes
Saturday 14 October 2023 / 12:50 BFI Southbank, NFT1
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Shorts / What Makes Us
Making Babies (Canada, dir.-scr. Eric K. Boulianne)
A young couple decides they want to get pregnant – can they withstand the challenges of baby-making through the resilience of love?
Wednesday 04 October 2023 18:15 Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
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LFF Expanded
list to be added
Family
The Sacred Cave (Cameroon-Burkina Faso-France, dir. Daniel Minlo)
This wonderful animated tale features a quest for an antidote to cure a king, but its success depends on overcoming magical obstacles.
Sunday 15 October 2023 14:50 - BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Treasures
Pressure (UK, dir.-scr. Horace Ové)
Britain’s first Black feature, now restored by the BFI National Archive, is a groundbreaking depiction of second-generation experience in 1970s London.
Wednesday 11 October 2023 18:10 - BFI Southbank, NFT3
Thursday 12 October 2023 20:30 - BFI Southbank, NFT2
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Did you know these shows were happening or are they news to you?