London Film Festival announces competition line-up

50% directed or co-directed by women

by Amber Wilkinson

Happy As Lazzaro
Happy As Lazzaro Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

The London Film Festival has announced its official competition line-up, with women directors or co-directors making up half of the slate.

Of the 10 films, just one is receiving its world premiere - Ben Wheatley's Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. Also in the line-up are David Lowery's The Old Man & The Gun, featuring Robert Redford in what he says will be his final role, and Alice Rohrwacher's Happy As Lazzaro, which shared the best screenplay award in Cannes, alongside Lazlo Nemes' Sunset and Peter Strickland's In Fabric.

The festival - which runs from October 10 to 21, has also announced that Room director Lenny Abrahamson will be jury president.

The 10 films in the official competition are:

  • Birds Of Passage Dirs: Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra
  • Destroyer Dir: Karyn Kusama
  • Happy As Lazzaro Dir: Alice Rohrwacher
  • Happy New Year, Colin Burstead Dir: Ben Wheatley
  • In Fabric Dir: Peter Strickland
  • Joy Dir: Sudabeh Mortezai
  • The Old Man & The Gun Dir: David Lowery
  • Shadow Dir: Zhang Yimou
  • Sunset Dir: Laszlo Nemes
  • Too Late To Die Young Dir: Dominga Sotomayer

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