The full line-up for this year's LFF, or 54th BFI London Film Festival to give it its proper name, has been announced with Anton Corbijn's The American, Aronofsky's meta-thriller Black Swan and Biutiful, Alejandro González Iñárritu acclaimed follow-up to Babel, among the inclusions that immediately catch the eye.
Beginning on October 13 with the gala screening of Never Let Me Go and running until the last balloon pops after closer 127 Hours, this year's LFF sees 197 feature films and 112 shorts adorning West End screens. British talent on display includes Mike Leigh (Another Year), Peter Mullan (Neds), Tom Hooper (Colin Firth-starring royal drama The King's Speech), Ken Loach (Route Irish), and debutant Andy DeEmmony's West Is West, follow-up to 1999's East Is East.
They're joined by cinematic icons John Sayles, whose Philippines War-set insurgency film Amigo will no doubt have a topical bent, Takashi Miike (13 Assassins) and Czech surrealism's finest, Jan Švankmajer (Surviving Life), whose work was a touchstone for last year's LFF opener, Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The full running order and ticket information is now up on the LFF website for your perusal. Empire, of course, will be johnny-on-the-spot as official media partners, so expect plenty of news, views and vidiblogisodic action next month.
| 
