The 69th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) in partnership with American Express will be presented in cinemas and online, across the UK.
Over twelve days from 8th โ 19th October, the LFF will return to its fantastic flagship venues in the heart of London.
With such an extensive programme it can be a little bit intense so as we do every year weโve pulled out the films we think you our wonderful audience will enjoy โฆ
LFF AWARD FILMS – Official Competition
Hedda
An inventive and stylish reimagining of Henrik Ibsenโs renowned play. This adaptation of Hedda Gabler is relocated to mid-century England, at a decadent party hosted by newlyweds in a house full of secrets and hidden motives, along with former suitors. DaCosta crafts a delicious game of feminine desires and power, with Heddaโs hunger to live outside societal conventions straining relations. Thompson is supported by excellent turns from
Imogen Poots and Nina Hoss. IM
Starring: Tessa Thompson | Nicholas Pinnock | Saffron Hocking | Jamael Westman
Screenwriter/ Director: Nia DaCosta
Producer: Nia DaCosta | Tessa Thompson
Courtesy of: Amazon MGM Studios
- Sunday 12th October 2025 18:15 โ BFI Southbank, NFT1
- Monday 13th October 2025 17:45 โ Curzo Soho, Screen 1
Black is Beautiful
A touching tribute to a forgotten photographer, freedom fighter and activist, who helped popularise the transformative โBlack is Beautifulโ movement. Photographer to the greats, collaborator in African liberation movements and archivist of Harlem culture, Kwame Brathwaiteโs impact on Black culture is undeniable. Yet his achievements went unrecognised for many years. Bringing his story to light, this film sees family and friends honour his artistry.
Wema Mumma
Director: Yemi Bamiro
Screenwriter (s): Otto Burnham | Yemi Bamiro
With: Gabrielle Union | Alicia Keys | Jesse Williams
Courtesy Of: Misfits Entertainment
- Thursday 9th October 2025 18:00 – BFI Southbank, NFT1
- Saturday 11th October 2025 12:20 – ICA, Screen 1 – Sold Out!
LFF AWARDS – First Feature Competition
One Woman One Bra
A humorous account of one womanโs fight to keep her ancestral land. Itโs an exciting day in Sayet Village. The chief is giving out title deeds and everybody gets one, except orphan Star, who must first prove her kinship. The vultures are circling and her task seems impossible, until a potential solution reveals itself. Thereโs never a dull moment in Starโs quest, as she encounters catty neighbours, insidious NGOs and even potential love interests.
Director-Screenwriter: Vincho Nchogu
With: Sarah Karei | Norngโaruani Kipuker | Amos Leuka
Producer: Nia DaCosta | Tessa Thompson
Courtesy Of: Kilastory
- Saturday 11th October 2025 20:30 – BFI Southbank, NFT2 – Sold Out!
- Sunday 12th October 2025 17:40 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2 – Sold Out!
- Sunday 12 October 2025 17:55 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3 – Sold Out!
Dreamers
Two Nigerian migrants dare to imagine a vibrant future outside of their confinement at a British immigration removal centre.
After undocumented immigrant Isio is discovered by British authorities, she is remanded at Hatchworth Removal Centre, where deportation looms. Nothing could have prepared her for such a gruelling environment. Luckily, her roommate Farah is there to keep her spirits up. But what begins as a tentative friendship, blooms into something much more profound in this powerful, heartfelt and all-too-pertinent drama.
Director-Screenwriter: Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
With: Ronkแบน Adรฉkแปluแบนฬjแปฬ | Ann Akinjirin | Kemi Adekoya | Damola Adelaja | Sia Kiwa | Antonia Layiwola | Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo | Dolapo Oni | Diana Yekinni
Courtesy Of: We Are Parable
- Friday 10th October 2025 18:25 – BFI Southbank, NFT1 – Sold Out!
- Saturday 11th October 2025 12:30 – Curzon Mayfair, Screen 1
My Father’s Shadow
Chronicles two brothers spending a rare day with their father in Lagos. Fola is an enigmatic figure in his sonsโ lives. As they traverse Lagos, Remi and Akin begin to understand him as a person, and the sacrifices he has made for them. But as Nigeriaโs presidential election results loom, events transpire that will dramatically change their relationship with him
Director: Akinola Davies Jr
Screenwriter(s): Akinola Davies Jr | Wale Davies
With: แนขแปpแบนฬ Dรฌrรญsรน | Chibuike Marvellous Egbo | Godwin Egbo
Courtesy Of: MUBI
- Friday 17th October 2025 21:00 – BFI Southbank, NFT1 – Sold Out!
- Saturday 18th October 2025 12:30 – Vue Westend, Screen 5 – Sold Out!
LFF AWARDS – Documentary Competition
The Eyes of Ghana
A love letter to cinema and Ghanian icon Chris Esse who, in his nineties, still works tirelessly to preserve the countryโs film legacy and the lessons of colonialism. Filled with joy, verve and a dedicated focus on the importance of self-representation, The Eyes of Ghana is a voyage through Ghanian cinema and a portrait of the country, from cinemaโs inception through to the present day. Esse joins forces with filmmaker Anita Afonu to bring
to audiences a Ghanian perspective on their history โ one that has been mostly hidden until now.
Lynn Nwokorie
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Courtesy Of: Breakwater Studios
- Thursday 9th October 2025 20:45 ICA, Screen 1
- Friday 10th October 2025 12:50 – BFI Southbank, NFT3- Sold Out!
Seeds
Sundance Film Festivalโs documentary Grand Jury Prize winner is an empathetic and soulful debut that vividly captures a community of Black farming families in the American South.
Filmed over seven years, director-cinematographer Brittany Shyneโs striking monochrome film follows generations of Black farmers as they navigate systemic challenges, including discriminatory government subsidies that favour their white neighbours. More than a story of hardship, itโs an immersive portrait of their lives and spiritual heritage. A deeply resonant film, it offers a timely exploration of land, racial justice and extractive capitalism.
Director: Britanny Shyne
Courtesy Of: INDOX
- Sunday 11th October 2025 18:25 – BFI Southbank, NFT3- Sold Out!
- Friday 10th October 2025 20:10 – ICA, Screen 1
The Travelerโs
David Bingongโs personal film is an intimate and hopeful account of the dangerous journey taken by a group of migrants from Cameroon to Europe.
A rich oral tapestry of resilience beats at the heart of directorโs David Bingongโs own journey from Africa to Spain during 2014. In revealing this rare first-hand perspective of a migrantโs journey, Bingong highlights the sense of kinship he felt with his fellow travellers. Itโs a film of humour, defiance and unbridled hope, fuelled by groupโs belief of a better life.
DirectScreenwriter: David Bingong
With: David Bingong | Hyppolite Bingong | Joseph Ilouga
Courtesy Of: Juliana Schwindt
- Thursday 16th October 2025 18:40 – BFI Southbank, NFT2- Sold Out!
- Friday 17th October 2025 12:00 – BFI Southbank, NFT3- Sold Out!
FILMS AND EVENTS – Dare
Memory of Princess Mumbi
Set in 2093, this epic follows Kuve, a young director who sets out to make a documentary about the effects of the First World War on the citizens of Umata. Kuve assembles a crew, including Mumbi, an aspiring actress, who challenges them to shoot without AI. Kuve finds himself falling for his leading lady, but Mumbi harbours a secret that could change everything.
Director/Screenwriter: Damien Hauser
With: Shandra Apondi | Ibrahim Joseph | Samson Waithaka
Courtesy Of: Paradise City Sales
- Tuesday 14th October 2025 21:00 BFI Southbank, NFT3 – Sold Out!
- Thursday 16th October 2025 12:10 BFI Southbank, NFT2 – Sold Out!
Hamlet
Hamlet and his wealthy British Asian family are reunited, but he is driven only to identify his enemies and exact revenge. He finds impressive foes in Polonius and Claudius , while Morfydd Clark brings a touching sensitivity to her Ophelia. Through daring stylistic choices, Karia brings a fresh and radical reading to this classic text.
With: Jasmine Jobson | Riz Ahmed
Courtesy Of: Universal Pictures
- Monday 13th October 2025 18:00 – Curzon Mayfair, Screen 1 – Sold Out!
- Tuesday 14th October 2025 20:15 – BFI Southbank, NFT2 – Sold Out!
- Thursday 16th October 2025 12:50 – BFI Southbank, NFT3 – Sold Out!
The Fence
On a white-run construction site in West Africa, an edgy, tightly wound foreman anxiously awaits his bride. Her presence is met with resistance by a cocksure engineer who clings to the status quo of the hyper-masculine world he resides in. But itโs the arrival of another stranger who ultimately upends the fragile world in which they all exist. Adapted from Bernard-Marie Koltรจsโs play โBlack Battles with Dogsโ, Denisโ riveting drama gives primacy to her actors – their dialogues expressing inner desires and articulating the broader societal inequities that prevail between those who reside on either side of the fence.
With: Isaach de Bankolรฉ
Courtesy Of: Goodfellas
- Saturday 18th October 2025 12:00 – Vue West End, Screen 7 – Sold out!
- Sunday 19th October 2025 20:30 – Vue West End, Screen 5
FILMS AND EVENTS – Love
Love, Brooklyn
Roger, a journalist with writerโs block, is dating Casey, a widow and mother whoโs clear about her needs. His ex, Nicole, is fighting to hold onto her art gallery. As a love triangle develops, their native borough undergoes increasing gentrification. Channelling the spirit of films like Brown Sugar and Love Jones, Holder has created a Black rom-com that delights in every possible way.
Director: Rachael Abigail Holder
With: Andrรฉ Holland | Nicole Beharie | DeWanda Wise
Courtesy Of: CAA
- Friday 10th October 2025 18:20 – Vue West End, Screen 5 – Sold Out!
- Saturday 11th October 2025 20:10 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2 – Sold Out!
- Saturday 11th October 2025 20:25 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3 – Sold Out!
- Saturday 18th October 2025 20:55 – BFI Southbank, NFT3 – Sold Out!
FILMS AND EVENTS – Journey
Promised Sky
Preacher Marie, young mother Naney and student Jolie share a house, each having moved to Tunisia on the promise of a โbetterโ life. Despite their differences, they band together to shelter Kenza, an orphaned migrant who has washed ashore. Unwilling to sugar-coat the difficulties of migrant lives, Sehiri presents an empathetic portrait of these women and the power of their sisterhood.
With: Aรฏssa Maiga | Debora Lobe Naney | Laetitia Ky
Courtesy Of: CAA
- Thursday 9th October 2025 20:45 – BFI Southbank, NFT2 – Sold Out!
- Saturday 11th October 2025 12:15 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2
- Saturday 11th October 2025 12:30 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3
Mortu Nega
Chronicling the end of Guinea-Bissauโs war of independence and the first steps towards a self-determining republic, Gomesโ portrait of a young coupleโs love affair sidesteps the didactic tropes that underpin some stridently political films. Astonishing war-time set pieces are interspersed with the tragedies and romances of a young nation to mesmerising effect. The result is one of the treasures of African cinema.
Director: Flora Gomes
Screenwriter(s): Flora Gomes
With: Bia Gomez | Tunu Eugenia Almada | Mamadu Uri Balde
Courtesy Of: The Film Foundation
Restored in 2025 by the Film Foundationโs World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at LโImmagine Ritrovata laboratory, in collaboration with Flora Gomes. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
FILMS AND EVENTS – Laugh
More Life
In his superlative hangout film, about a group of old friends who reunite to celebrate one of their own opening a gallery show in Copenhagen, Banton manages to make the formal format of the film feel fresh, and expertly handles subtle shifts in tone and dynamic. Itโs a deftly performed drama, particularly by Tuwaine Barrett, who was last seen in Hard Truths.
Director/Screenwriter: Bradley Banton
With: Tuwaine Barrett | Dipo Ola | Jordan Peters
Courtesy Of: DMC Film
- Tuesday 14th October 2025 18:30 – Prince Charles Cinema, Downstairs Screen
- Friday 17th October 2025 21:00 – Vue West End, Screen 5
Untamable
In bustling Yaoundรฉ, Cameroon, Police Commissioner Billong runs a tight ship to keep crime at bay. But chaos erupts one night when a colleague is murdered. Billong battles mounting work pressures and family demands to control this high-stakes investigation. A superb ensemble cast, drawing out the complexity of their characters, complement both the edgy comedy and action of this impressive thriller.
Director/Screenwriter: Thomas Ngijol
With: Danilo Melande | Bienvenu Mvoe | Thรฉrรจse Ngono
Courtesy Of: Goodfellas
- Friday 10th October 2025 18:15 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2 – Sold Out!
- Friday 10th October 2025 18:30 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3 – Sold Out!
- Sunday 12th October 2025 13:00 – BFI Southbank, NFT3 – Sold Out!
FILMS AND EVENTS – Create
Khartoum
This mosaic of five Sudanese lives (a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance volunteer and two street boys), uprooted in 2023 by the civil war, was created by a similarly displaced filmmaking team. Blending oral storytelling, archival research and staged reenactments, Khartoum eschews journalistic distance as it explores filmmaking as a channel for resistance, remembrance and the radical potential of dreaming amid devastation.
Director(s): Rawia Alhag | Ibrahim Snoopy | Anas Saeed | Timeea M Ahmed
With: Danilo Melande | Bienvenu Mvoe | Thรฉrรจse Ngono
Courtesy Of: Autlook Filmsales
- Saturday 11 October 2025 21:10 – BFI Southbank, NFT3 – Sold Out!
- Sunday 12th October 2025 13:05- ICA, Screen 1- – Sold Out!
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
Using both W.E.B. DuBoisโ Encyclopedia Africana (the scholarโs chronicle of African-American life) and Josephโs own family history as jumping off points, BLKNWS defies any easy classification. In some scenes, the film is essayistic, employing clips and memes as a history lesson. In others, itโs Afrofuturist, following a speculative Biennale cruise. Josephโs unique voice and filmmaking style make this an utterly compelling watch.
Director: Khalil Joseph
Screenwriters: Kahlil Joseph | Onye Anyanwu | Saidiya Hartman | Kristen Adele Calhoun | Irvin Hunt | Christina Sharpe | Madebo Fatunde
With: Shaunette Renรฉe Wilson | Hope Giselle | Zora Casebere
Courtesy Of: Rich Spirit
- Sunday 12th October 2025 15:15 – BFI Southbank, NFT1
- Monday 13th October 2025 18:10 – ICA, Screen 1
- Sunday 19th October 2025 15:00 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 2
- Sunday 19th October 2025 15:15 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 3
SHORTS
Are You Kidding:
- Friday 10th October 2025 20:45 – Vue West End, Screen 5 – Sold out!
- Thursday 16th October 2025 16:30 – BFI Southbank, NFT2 – Sold out!
End Of Play
A man finds himself in a life-or-death race against the clock to overcome his creative block before his head explodes.
Director-screenwriter: Edem Wornoo
With: Sope Dirisu
UK 2025. 15min
Discovering Home:
- Wednesday 15th October 2025 20:30 – Curzon Soho Cinema, Screen 1 – Sold out!
- Friday 17th October 2025 15:50 – BFI Southbank, NFT2 – Sold out
Ackee and Saltfish
Hilda grows despondent as she fears her boysโ Caribbean identity is slipping away, anglicised by their new life in the UK.
Director-screenwriter: Jasmin Nunes
UK 2025. 16min
Seventeen
We follow a group of teenage skaters in London over a single summer, charting their journey from childhood to adulthood.
Director: Ajuan Isaac-George
UK 2024. 17min
So Here We Are
A young man, torn between want and needs, allows a phone call to choose his destiny.
Director(s): Warren Mendy | Mahaila Palmer
Screenwriter: Warren Mendy
UK 2024. 8min
Hope is Lost
A single mother arrives in London with her two infants, desperate for shelter. She turns to a seemingly benevolent stranger, unaware of the danger that awaits her.
Director-screenwriter: Eno Enefiok
UK-Macedonia 2025. 16min
Mapped Out Futures:
- Monday 13th October 2025 20:40 – Vue West End, Screen 5 – Sold out!
- Thursday 16th October 2025 20:50 – BFI Southbank, NFT4 – Sold out
Baby
Trapped in a sex trafficking network, Babyโs guilt over her complicity compels her to save someone elseโs future.
Director: Simisolaoluwa Akande
Screenwriter: Mojola Akinyemi
UK 2025. 18min
Highway to the Moon
Finding himself in a realm called โThe Inbetweenโ, Micah embarks on a journey to rediscover his way home.
Director-screenwriter: Letitia Wright
UK 2025. 25min
Roots and Branches:
- Wednesday 8th October 2025 20:40 – BFI Southbank, NFT1 – Sold out!
- Friday 10th October 2025 17:30 – BFI Southbank, NFT3 – Sold out!
We Had Fun
An eldest son treats himself to a weekend getaway, dangerously leaving his siblings to their own devices.
Director-screenwriter: Linda Lรด
France 2025. 18min
Beyond the Rush
The decline of Lutonโs once-thriving Caribbean culture is viewed through the prism of pivotal events, and institutions that faced defunding for years.
Director-screenwriter: NIYADRE
UK 2025. 16min
Dust to Dreams
Set in Lagos, where a dying nightclub owner entrusts her legacy to her shy daughter, a long-lost father ignites family drama, and music becomes their redemption.
Director-screenwriter: Idris Elba
Nigeria 2024. 20min
Show Me Who I Am:
- Tuesday 14th October 2025 21:00 – Vue West End, Screen 5 – Sold out!
- Thursday 16th October 2025 18:15 – BFI Southbank, NFT4 – Sold out!
22+1
A couple navigating late-term pregnancy loss are confronted with the reality of racism in the healthcare system.
Director: Pippa Bennett-Warner
Screenwriters: Pippa Vosper, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Kefi Chadwick
UK 2025. 20min
Crusts
Paris navigates her relationship with her hair and identity, in this coming-of-age tale about existing outside of the norm.
Director-screenwriter: India Sleem
UK 2025. 16min
Dark Skin Bruises Differently
When a lie threatens a teacherโs integrity, can she continue defending a peculiar student from her class?
Director-screenwriter: Susan Wokoma
UK 2025. 11min
The BFI London Film Festival Runs 8th-19th October.
Tickets from ยฃ10 (ยฃ6 for 25 and Under) on sale 16th September.