A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors.
78-667: The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London , England , in collaboration with the British Film Institute . The festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 feature films and 150 short films from more than 70 countries are screened at the festival each year. At a dinner party in 1953, at the home of film critic Dilys Powell of The Sunday Times , attended by film administrator James Quinn , guests discussed
156-403: A public festival, it is also attended by large numbers of film professionals and journalists from all over the world. Importantly, it offers opportunities for people to see films that may not otherwise get a UK screening along with films that will get a release in the near future. Some films are accompanied by Q&A sessions which give the audience unique access to the filmmaker and/or a member of
234-488: Is Raindance Film Festival . The British Urban Film Festival (which specifically caters to Black and minority interests) was officially recognized in the 2020 New Year Honours list. A few film festivals have focused on highlighting specific issues, topics, or subjects. These festivals have included mainstream and independent films . Some examples include military films , health-related film festivals , and human rights film festivals . There are festivals, especially in
312-611: Is ÉCU The European Independent Film Festival , which started in 2006 and takes place every spring in Paris, France. Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest-running festival in Great Britain as well as the longest continually running film festival in the world. Australia's first and longest-running film festival is the Melbourne International Film Festival (1952), followed by
390-596: Is North America’s longest-running competitive film festival. The 60th Chicago International Film Festival, scheduled during the month of October, will host over 40,000 attendees from around the world. The Festival's program, screening 175+ films from more than 50 countries, is presented in sections including the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary, Black Perspectives, City & State, and Special Presentations. The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), founded in 1977,
468-656: Is a popular international film festival based in Kolkata which showcases international cult films. YathaKatha International Film & Literature Festival (YKIFLF) is an annual film & literature festival in Mumbai showcasing literature collaboration in cinema via various constructive discussions and forums. 1st edition of the festival is being held from 25–28 November in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Iain Quarrier Iain Quarrier (12 April 1941 – 2016)
546-643: Is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences , which makes all its jury-award-winning narrative short and animated short films eligible for an Academy Award. There are several significant film festivals held regularly in Africa. The Cairo International Film Festival in Cairo was established in 1976, the biannual Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso
624-919: Is held in the last week of each July in the two colonial cities of San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato . Other Mexican festivals include the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Guadalajara , Oaxaca Film Fest , the Morelia International Film Festival in Morelia, Michoacan Mexico , and the Los Cabos International Film Festival founded by Scott Cross , Sean Cross , and Eduardo Sanchez Navarro, in Los Cabos , Baja Sur , Mexico are considered
702-919: Is largest film festival in Ohio and among the longest-running in the United States. The film festival is held at the Playhouse Square , which are a series of elegant theaters built in the early 1920s, and the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York City (only Lincoln Center is larger). The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival , abbreviated OCanFilmFest, was co-founded by Ottawa-based filmmakers Jith Paul, Ed Kucerak, and Blair Campbell in 2015. It features films of various durations and genres from filmmakers across Canada. The Sundance Film Festival founded by Sterling Van Wagenen (then head of Wildwood, Robert Redford's company), John Earle, and Cirina Hampton Catania (both serving on
780-504: Is one of the largest film festivals in North America. It focuses on East Asian films, Canadian films, and nonfiction films. In 2016, there was an audience of 133,000 and 324 films. The Toronto International Film Festival , founded by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk, and Dusty Cohl, is one of North America's most important film festivals, and is the most widely attended. The Chicago International Film Festival , founded in 1964,
858-526: Is organized in various sections: Film festival Films may be of recent date and depending upon the festival's focus, can include international and domestic releases. Some film festivals focus on a specific filmmaker, genre of film, such as horror films , or subject matter. Several film festivals focus solely on presenting short films of a defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events. Some film historians, including Jerry Beck , do not consider film festivals as official releases of
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#1732783379039936-610: Is the most popular festival in North America. Time wrote it had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period". The Seattle International Film Festival is credited as being the largest film festival in the United States, regularly showing over 400 films in a month across the city. The festivals in Berlin , Cairo , Cannes , Goa , Karlovy Vary , Locarno , Mar del Plata , Moscow , San Sebastián , Shanghai , Tallinn , Tokyo , Venice , and Warsaw are accredited by
1014-578: The International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in the category of competitive feature films. As a rule, for films to compete, they must first be released during the festivals and not in any other previous venue beforehand. Ann Arbor Film Festival started in 1963. It is the oldest continually operated experimental film festival in North America and has become one of the premier film festivals for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers to showcase work. In
1092-847: The Sydney Film Festival (1954). North America's first and longest-running short film festival is the Yorkton Film Festival , established in 1947. The first film festival in the United States was the Columbus International Film & Video Festival , also known as The Chris Awards , held in 1953. According to the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco , " The Chris Awards (is) one of the most prestigious documentaries, educational, business and informational competitions in
1170-796: The Venice Film Festival (late summer to early autumn), the Cannes Film Festival (late spring to early summer), and the Berlin International Film Festival (late winter to early spring), founded in 1932, 1946, and 1951 respectively. The Edinburgh International Film Festival , founded in 1946, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. Many film festivals are dedicated exclusively to animation. Various regional festivals occur in various countries. The Austin Film Festival
1248-740: The Air ). In addition to Fantastic Mr. Fox and Up in the Air , George Clooney supported his role in The Men Who Stare at Goats . The Festival also welcomed back previous alumni such as John Hillcoat ( The Road ), Joe Swanberg ( Alexander The Last ) and Harmony Korine ( Trash Humpers ), whilst also screening films from Manoel de Oliveira ( Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl ), Jim Jarmusch ( The Limits Of Control ), Claire Denis ( White Material ), Ho-Yuhang ( At The End Of Daybreak ), Todd Solondz ( Life During Wartime ), and Joel and Ethan Coen ( A Serious Man ). American Express became
1326-622: The Children's London Film Festival was re-incorporated into the main festival. The opening night film was the European premiere of James Ivory 's The Remains of the Day . The 1994 festival opened with the world premiere of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein directed by Kenneth Branagh . A 12-film sidebar was added for Arabian and Middle Eastern films, in addition to sidebars for French and Asian films. Due to classification issues, special permission
1404-623: The Crowd . The first edition was sponsored by The Sunday Times . The second festival saw the introduction of the Sutherland Trophy , an annual award for "the maker of the most original and imaginative film introduced at the National Film Theatre during the year", which was awarded to Yasujirō Ozu for Tokyo Story . The third festival featured François Truffaut 's The 400 Blows , for which he famously turned up to
1482-831: The Dominican International Film Festival occurs annually in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic . As well as the Havana Film Festival was founded in 1979 and is the oldest continuous annual film festival in the Caribbean. Its focus is on Latin American cinema . The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival , founded in 2006, is dedicated to screening the newest films from the English-, Spanish, French- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean and
1560-540: The European premiere of Kevin McDonald 's The Last King of Scotland . It also featured the European premieres of Todd Field 's Little Children and Anthony Minghella 's Breaking and Entering . It closed on 2 November with Babel . The world premiere of Frost/Nixon was the opening night gala of the 2008 festival. Previously a number of festival awards were presented at the Closing gala, but in 2009, with
1638-625: The European premiere of Steve McQueen 's Widows . It saw the first film at the festival to premiere outside London with the UK premiere of Mike Leigh 's Peterloo being held at HOME in Manchester on 17 October as well as the world premiere of Peter Jackson 's They Shall Not Grow Old , which was also screened simultaneously around the UK. It closed with the world premiere of Stan & Ollie . The 2019 edition opened with Armando Iannucci 's The Personal History of David Copperfield which
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#17327833790391716-719: The Government of Kerala held annually at Thiruvananthapuram is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in Indian. The International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, is a major documentary and short film festival. The Mumbai Women's International Film Festival (MWIFF) is an annual film festival in Mumbai that features films made by women directors and technicians. The Calcutta International Cult Films Festival (CICFF)
1794-496: The NFT was also used. David Lynch 's short film The Grandmother was also shown in 1970. The 1971 festival was expanded to include a directors' section, featuring the premiere of Mike Leigh 's feature film debut Bleak Moments . Between 13 and 29 November 1972, 44 films were screened in two categories; one for established directors and one for younger directors. The 1974 festival opened 18 November and featured 60 films starting with
1872-584: The National Film Theatre (NFT) and festival director was split, with The Guardian film critic Derek Malcolm taking over as festival director, initially temporarily, and Sheila Whitaker as NFT program director. Malcolm expanded the festival to 7 theatres other than the NFT ( Dominion Theatre ; Odeon Leicester Square ; Queen Elizabeth Hall ; the ICA Cinema ; The Lumiere; The Premiere and London Film-Makers' Co-op ); introduced Festival on
1950-595: The Pianist and Studs Lonigan . The 1962 festival featured the first midnight matinee, Tony Richardson 's The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner . Roman Polanski 's first feature-length film Knife in the Water and Jean-Luc Godard 's Vivre sa vie were also screened. A new strand of the festival called London Choices was added in 1965 which featured debut and lesser-known features. One of
2028-1399: The South Bank, David Lean Cinema in Croydon, the Genesis Cinema in Whitechapel, The Greenwich Picturehouse, the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, Rich Mix in Old Street, the Rio Cinema in Dalston, the Tricycle Cinema in Kilburn, the Waterman Art Centre in Brentford and Trafalgar Square for the open air screening of short films from the BFI National Archive . The 2009 Festival featured 15 world premieres including Wes Anderson ’s first animated feature, Fantastic Mr. Fox , Sam Taylor-Wood ’s feature début Nowhere Boy , about
2106-519: The Square, which showed more popular films; added a surprise film each year; and increased attendances, trying to change it from a festival for film buffs to one for the public. The 1984 festival opened with Gremlins at the NFT on 14 November and closed on 2 December with a gala presentation at the Dominion of a new print of the 1924 version of The Thief of Baghdad starring Douglas Fairbanks with
2184-403: The U.S., Telluride Film Festival , Sundance Film Festival , Austin Film Festival , Austin 's South by Southwest , NYC 's Tribeca Festival , and Slamdance Film Festival are all considered significant festivals for independent film. The Zero Film Festival is significant as the first and only festival exclusive to self-financed filmmakers. The biggest independent film festival in the UK
2262-650: The U.S.; (it is) the oldest of its kind in North America and celebrating its 54th year". It was followed four years later by the San Francisco International Film Festival , held in March 1957, which emphasized feature-length dramatic films. The festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Films in the first year included Akira Kurosawa 's Throne of Blood and Satyajit Ray 's Pather Panchali . Today, thousands of film festivals take place around
2340-596: The US, that highlight and promote films made by or about various ethnic groups and nationalities or feature the cinema from a specific foreign country. These include African-Americans , Asian-Americans , Mexican-Americans , Arabs , Jews , Italian, German , French , Palestinian , and Native American . The Deauville American Film Festival in France is devoted to the cinema of the United States . LGBTQ+ and Women's film festivals are also popular. Tribeca Festival , one of
2418-695: The Utah Film Commission at the time) is a significant festival for independent film. The Woodstock Film Festival was launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto to bring high-quality, independent films to the Hudson Valley region of New York . In 2010, Indiewire named the Woodstock Film Festival among the top 50 independent film festivals worldwide. The Regina International Film Festival and Awards (RIFFA) founded by John Thimothy, one of
BFI London Film Festival - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-528: The White African . In 2009, directors travelling to London to introduce their latest work included Michael Haneke (Cannes Palme d'Or winner, The White Ribbon ), Atom Egoyan ( Chloe ), Steven Soderbergh ( The Informant! ), Lone Scherfig ( An Education ), Ang Lee ( Taking Woodstock ), Jane Campion ( Bright Star ), Gaspar Noé ( Enter The Void ), Lee Daniels ( Precious ), Grant Heslov ( The Men Who Stare at Goats ), and Jason Reitman ( Up in
2574-769: The aid of some funding from the UK Film Council , a stand-alone awards ceremony was introduced. The UK Film Council helped fund the festival for three years until it was abolished in 2011. In 2009 the festival, whilst focused around Leicester Square ( Vue West End , Odeon West End and Empire) and the BFI Southbank in central London, also screened films across 18 other venues – Curzon Mayfair Cinema , ICA Cinema on The Mall, The Ritzy in Brixton, Cine Lumière in South Kensington, Queen Elizabeth Hall on
2652-465: The attempted abduction of a five-year-old girl in a busy supermarket in Ladbroke Grove , West London. He was sentenced to 12-month's imprisonment, suspended for two years. Two weeks prior to the incident, Quarrier had attempted to "purchase" a nine-year-old girl in the same supermarket. Quarrier also received a Prohibitive Activity Order , banning him from unsupervised contact with children under
2730-462: The border of Western Sahara , is notable as the only film festival in the world to take place in a refugee camp. The festival aims to provide cultural entertainment and educational opportunities to refugees and raise awareness of the plight of the Sahrawi people, who have been exiled from their native Western Sahara for more than three decades. The International Film Festival of India , organized by
2808-686: The cast and offer insight into the making of the film and occasionally an opportunity for the audience to engage directly and ask questions. Other than these events, the screenings at the Festival are quite informal and similar to the normal cinema experience. Stewart took a sabbatical for the 2018 edition of the festival and her deputy, Tricia Tuttle stood in as interim artistic director. She became artistic director in December 2018. Current film programmers include Kate Taylor (Senior Programmer), Michael Blyth and Laure Bonville. The 2018 festival opened with
2886-653: The cost of production could be lowered significantly, and internet technology allowed for the collaboration of film production. Film festivals have evolved significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic . Many festivals opted for virtual or hybrid festivals. The film industry, which was already in upheaval due to streaming options, has faced another major shift, and movies showcased at festivals have an even shorter runway to online launches. The "Big Five" film festivals are considered to be Venice , Cannes , Berlin , Toronto , and Sundance . The Toronto International Film Festival
2964-534: The face following a disagreement. Polanski recalled Taylor remarking afterwards that "Iain gets a bit boring after dark." In 1968, along with Jean-Luc Godard , he acted in and produced the film One Plus One . When the film was shown at the London Film Festival, Godard was so dissatisfied with Quarrier's production that he appealed at the premiere for the audience to ask for their money back. A heated argument followed with Godard punching Quarrier in
3042-529: The face on stage for changes Quarrier made to the film's ending. The world premiere of Lindsay Anderson 's If.... closed the festival. Ken Wlaschin became the festival director in February 1970 and expanded the size and diversity of the festival. His first festival featured 28 films, opening with Truffaut's L'Enfant sauvage and featuring Kurosawa's Dodes'ka-den and the world premiere of Anthony Friedman's Bartleby . A recently opened second screen at
3120-599: The face. Quarrier was a close friend of Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate . On 8 August 1969, the night of the murder of Tate and four other people by the Manson Family , he had been invited by Tate to her house. However, he was delayed during filming of Vanishing Point in the California desert (Quarrier was a creative associate on the film). Arriving late in Los Angeles , he decided not to bother
3198-417: The festival in 1986 opened with Nicolas Roeg 's Castaway on 13 November and closed with Ken Russell 's film Gothic on 30 November. The festival had a "post script" the next day on 1 December with a Royal charity performance of Labyrinth attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Sheila Whitaker , who had been the manager of the National Film Theatre, replaced Malcolm in 1987. The 1987 festival
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3276-435: The festival saw the opening of the temporary Embankment Garden Cinema, in Victoria Embankment Gardens . In the first 60 years of the festival, it had shown 27 films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder , 19 by Satyajit Ray and 18 by Jean-Luc Godard. While the programme still retains the 'festivals' feel, it also now shows new discoveries from "important and exciting talents" in world cinema. Whilst it continues to be first and foremost
3354-412: The festival showing films in South London for the first time with the addition of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and the Brixton Village Cultural Centre. The Screen on the Green in Islington and the Rio Cinema, Dalston were also added as venues. It featured Max Ophüls La signora di tutti (1934) in tribute to former festival director Richard Roud who had died in February 1989. The junior section of
3432-443: The festival was separated out into a Junior London Film Festival which ran from 21 to 29 October over the half term holiday featuring ten feature films, starting with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase . The 1990 festival featured 180 films compared to 145 in the previous year. It included a section Focus on Hong Kong which featured the world premiere of Jackie Chan 's Armour of God II: Operation Condor . The festival also featured
3510-400: The festival were to be shown around 15 towns around the country after the event. The films were grouped into regional categories. In 2009, these were: Galas and Special Screenings, Film on the Square, New British Cinema, French Revolutions, Cinema Europa, World Cinema, Experimenta, Treasures from the Archives, Short Cuts, and Animation. Since 1986, the festival has been "topped and tailed" by
3588-506: The festival without a ticket and unable to speak English. Richard Roud became festival director in 1960, the first year that a British film was shown at the festival; the world premiere of Karel Reisz 's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning . The fourth edition contained films from 14 other countries shown at seven other festivals, including Michelangelo Antonioni 's L'Avventura and Luis Buñuel 's The Young One , plus five films not shown at other festivals, including Truffaut's Shoot
3666-417: The festival's principal sponsor in 2010 and the name changed to the BFI London Film Festival . The 2011 festival opened with Fernando Meirelles ' 360 and closed with The Deep Blue Sea , both starring Rachel Weisz . Clare Stewart was appointed as head of exhibition at the BFI in August 2011 replacing Hebron and was the festival's director from the 2012 edition. Under Stewart, a formal competition
3744-411: The festival's sponsor was changed to The Times and became known as The Times BFI London Film Festival . The festival was held between October 222 and November 6, opening with Jane Campion 's In the Cut and closing with Christine Jeffs ' Sylvia . The 2004 festival opened with the UK premiere of Mike Leigh 's Vera Drake . The fiftieth edition of the festival opened 18 October 2006 with
3822-409: The festival. By the end of her tenure as director in 1996, the festival had grown to include screenings of over 200 films from around the world, more venues had been added, and more tickets were sold to non-BFI members. She also began the festival's practice of including newly restored films from the National Film Archive and overseas institutions. The 1989 festival expanded the number of venues, with
3900-466: The film. The oldest film festival in the world is the Venice Film Festival . The most prestigious film festivals in the world, known as the "Big Five", are (listed chronologically according to the date of foundation): Venice , Cannes , Berlin (the original Big Three ), Toronto , and Sundance . The Venice Film Festival in Italy began in 1932 and is the oldest film festival still running. Mainland Europe 's biggest independent film festival
3978-447: The first London Choices features was Dear John , directed by Lars-Magnus Lindgren . 1967 saw the first features films directed by women screened - Shirley Clarke 's Portrait of Jason , Agnès Varda 's Les Créatures and Věra Chytilová 's Daisies . Jean-Luc Godard's first English language film, One Plus One , was shown under the London Choices strand in 1968. After the screening, Godard punched producer Iain Quarrier in
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#17327833790394056-453: The formative years of John Lennon , as well as the Festival's first ever Archive Gala, the BFI's new restoration of Anthony Asquith ’s Underground , with live music accompaniment by the Prima Vista Social Club. European premieres in 2009 included Jean-Pierre Jeunet ’s Micmacs , Scott Hicks’ The Boys Are Back and Robert Connolly's Balibo , as well as Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni's The Well and Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson's Mugabe and
4134-446: The government of India, was founded in 1952. Chennai International Film Festival has been organized since 2002 by the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), the Government of Tamil Nadu, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, and the Film Federation of India. The Jaipur International Film Festival , founded in 2009, is India's most prominent international film festival. The International Film Festival of Kerala organised by
4212-583: The lack of a film festival in London. Quinn went on to start the first London Film Festival, which took place at the new National Film Theatre (now renamed BFI Southbank) from 16 to 26 October 1957. The first festival screened 15–20 films that were already successful at other festivals, including Akira Kurosawa 's Throne of Blood (which opened the festival), Satyajit Ray 's Aparajito , Andrzej Wajda 's Kanał , Luchino Visconti 's White Nights , Ingmar Bergman 's The Seventh Seal , Federico Fellini 's Nights of Cabiria and Elia Kazan 's A Face in
4290-481: The largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California , attracting over 56,000 attendees to Orange County, CA . The Festival partners with over 40 non-profit organizations and pairs each with a film that aligns with their mission. The films featured include World, North America, U.S. and West Coast premieres as well as the International Spotlight Series which celebrates foreign language films. The Vancouver International Film Festival , founded in 1958,
4368-407: The most important film festivals in Latin America. In 2015, Variety called the Los Cabos International Film Festival the "Cannes of Latin America". The Cartagena Film Festival , founded by Victor Nieto in 1960, is the oldest in Latin America . The Festival de Gramado (or Gramado Film Festival) Gramado , Brazil . The Lima Film Festival is the leading film festival in Peru and one of
4446-460: The most important in Latin America. It is focused on Latin-American cinema and is organized each year by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru . The Valdivia International Film Festival is held annually in the city of Valdivia . It is arguably the most important film festival in Chile . There is also Filmambiente, held in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, an international festival on environmental films and videos. For Spanish-speaking countries,
4524-528: The most prestigious in North America, ranks first worldwide in terms of audience attendance and 11th in terms of media attendance. The San Francisco International Film Festival , founded by Irving "Bud" Levin in 1957, is the oldest continuous annual film festival in the United States. It highlights current trends in international filmmaking and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured U.S. distribution. The Newport Beach Film Festival , founded by Gregg Schwenk in 1999, has emerged as
4602-449: The opening and closing films (( The Imitation Game and Fury ) took place around the UK. The Odeon West End, which accounted for 23% of admissions in 2014, closed 1 January 2015, so more screenings moved to the Vue West End as well as moving to the Cineworld Haymarket and Picturehouse Central. Festival attendances fell 4% for the 2015 edition. The festival featured 14 world premieres and 40 European premieres. The 60th edition of
4680-413: The opening and closing galas which have become major red carpet events in the London calendar. The opening and closing galas are often world, European, or UK premiere screenings, which take place in large venues in central London. They are attended by the cast and crew of the films and introduced by the festival director, the film's director or producers, and often the actors themselves. The 30th edition of
4758-469: The pregnant Tate at such a late hour and traveled onto the Vanishing Point wrap party instead. His last film role was in 1968's Wonderwall . After Tate's death, Quarrier retired from the film business. After suffering a mental breakdown in 1972, Quarrier spent time at Bethlem Royal Hospital . In 1996, Quarrier received a police caution for indecently assaulting two girls. On 7 October 2008, Quarrier pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to
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#17327833790394836-447: The premiere of Peter Hall 's Akenfield . The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was screened in a members-only screening due to it not being classified by the BBFC . Similar screenings were held for The Beast in 1975 and Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom in 1977. The 25th festival opened on 4 November 1981 with a gala presentation of Gallipoli attended by Charles, Prince of Wales , the BFI patron, and Diana, Princess of Wales . It
4914-418: The premiere of Robert Altman 's Gosford Park on 7 November and closed on 22 November with Iain Softley 's K-PAX . The 2002 festival was held 6–21 November, attracting a then record 110,000 visitors, opening with Stephen Frears ' Dirty Pretty Things and closing with Thaddeus O'Sullivan 's The Heart of Me . Hebron became artistic director of the festival in 2003, replacing Wooton. The same year,
4992-555: The region's diaspora. It also seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities. The Lusca Fantastic Film Fest (formerly Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest) was also founded in 2006 and is the first and only international fantastic film festival in the Caribbean devoted to sci-fi , thriller , fantasy , dark humor , bizarre, horror , anime , adventure , virtual reality , and animation in short and feature films . The most important European film festivals are
5070-449: The score composed and conducted by Carl Davis . It was the most popular festival to date with 57,000 tickets sold, and Malcolm was retained to organize the festival the following year. The 1985 festival was expanded to feature 161 films and ran from 14 November to 1 December, opening with Akira Kurosawa 's Ran and closing with Michael Cimino 's Year of the Dragon and Peter Greenaway's A Zed & Two Noughts . The best films of
5148-426: The top leading international film festivals in western Canada ( Regina, Saskatchewan ) represented 35 countries in 2018 festival. RIFFA annual Award show and red carpet arrival event are getting noticed in the contemporary film and fashion industries in Western Canada . Toronto's Hot Docs , founded by filmmaker Paul Jay, is a North American documentary film festival. Toronto has the largest number of film festivals in
5226-450: The world premiere of Jeymes Samuel 's The Harder They Fall at Royal Festival Hall . The 2022 festival opened with the world premiere of Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical at the Royal Festival Hall. Tuttle stepped down as festival director after the festival and was replaced by Kristy Matheson. The 2023 festival opened with the European premiere of Saltburn . It closed with the world premiere of The Kitchen . The Festival
5304-404: The world premieres of Mike Leigh 's Life Is Sweet and Anthony Minghella 's Truly, Madly, Deeply (under the title Cello ). The 1991 festival was dedicated to David Lean , who had died earlier in the year. The festival opened with the world premiere of Mike Newell 's Enchanted April and closed with the European premiere of Mark Peploe 's debut film Afraid of the Dark . In 1993,
5382-407: The world, ranging from cultural, independent, and historic films. The Seattle International Film Festival , which screens 270 features and approximately 150 short films, is the largest American film festival in terms of the number of feature productions. The Expresión en Corto International Film Festival is the largest competitive film festival in Mexico . It specializes in emerging talent and
5460-407: The world—from high-profile festivals such as Sundance Film Festival , Newport Beach Film Festival , and Slamdance Film Festival ( Park City, Utah ), to horror festivals such as Terror Film Festival ( Philadelphia ), and the Park City Film Music Festival , the first U.S. film festival dedicated to honoring music in film. Film Funding competitions such as Writers and Filmmakers were introduced when
5538-411: Was a Canadian actor. He appeared in only five movies in the mid- to late 1960s before retiring from the film business following the murder of his close friend Sharon Tate in 1969. Quarrier began his career in two films directed by Roman Polanski ; Cul-de-sac (1966) and Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). During the making of Cul-de-Sac , the lighting cameraman Gilbert Taylor punched Quarrier in
5616-582: Was established in 1969 and accepts competition-only films by African filmmakers and chiefly produced in Africa. The annual Durban International Film Festival in South Africa and Zanzibar International Film Festival in Tanzania have grown in importance for the film and entertainment industry, as they often screen the African premieres of many international films. The Nairobi Film Festival (NBO), which
5694-572: Was established in 2016 with a special focus on screening exceptional films from around the world that are rarely presented in Nairobi's mainstream cinema and spotlighting the best Kenyan films, has also been growing in popularity over the years and has improved the cinema-going culture in Kenya. The Sahara International Film Festival , held annually in the Sahrawi refugee camps in western Algeria near
5772-679: Was needed from Westminster City Council to screen Oliver Stone 's Natural Born Killers in 1994 and David Cronenberg 's Crash in 1996. The 1996 festival featured Shane Meadows ' debut film Small Time . Adrian Wooton was appointed festival director and Sandra Hebron as festival programmer in 1997. From 2000, the festival was sponsored by Regus and became known as the Regus London Film Festival . The first festival under Regus opened with Cameron Crowe 's Almost Famous on 1 November 2000 and closed on 16 November with Born Romantic . The 2001 festival opened with
5850-464: Was organised in 2012; films were organized into strands such as "Love", "Debate", "Dare" and "Thrill" and films started to be screened outside of London. The 2013 festival opened with Captain Phillips and closed with the world premiere of Saving Mr. Banks , both starring Tom Hanks . 248 films were screened in 2014 and the festival saw a record attendance of 163,000. Simultaneous screenings of
5928-691: Was shown at the Odeon Leicester Square and at the Embankment Garden Cinema. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom , the 2020 festival featured up to 50 online films with only 12 films being shown in London and around the United Kingdom. The festival opened with the European premiere of Steve McQueen's Mangrove and closed with Ammonite , directed by Francis Lee . The 2021 festival opened with
6006-691: Was the first to open at the Empire, Leicester Square on 11 November 1987. It was due to open with A Prayer for the Dying , a film about an IRA member but was pulled 2 days before the opening following the IRA's Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen on 8 November. The film was replaced with Dark Eyes . The closing gala was held on 29 November featuring Stephen Frears ' Sammy and Rosie Get Laid . During her period as director, Whitaker continued to expand
6084-640: Was the largest ever to date, featuring 127 films. It also expanded outside of London for the first time with 12 programmes playing in eight cinemas around the country. It closed on 22 November with the British film Priest of Love directed by Christopher Miles . The 1982 festival opened 11 November 1982 with 4 independent British films - Claude Whatham 's The Captain's Doll , Peter Greenaway 's The Draughtsman's Contract , Barney Platts-Mills ' Hero and Mai Zetterling 's Scrubbers - and closed 28 November. In 1984, Wlaschin's role as program director for
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