Last night marked the start of the 60th BFI London Film Festival, with Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom taking the headline slot – the second year running that a female-directed film has opened the festival, and the first time by a person of colour.
Telling the true life tale of Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana (David Oyelowo) and Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), the white woman he controversially married in the 1940s, Asante’s romantic drama is already hotly-tipped for awards recognition. The director and her cast – which includes Jack Davenport, Laura Carmichael, Jessica Oyelowo, and Asante’s lucky charm, Tom Felton – were in attendance at last night's European Premiere, kicking off a festival which boasts films from over 70 countries.
The BFI London Film Festival runs from 5-16 October, with La La Land, Manchester By The Sea, Moonlight, Arrival, Lion, Toni Erdmann, Paterson, and Andrea Arnold’s American Honey just a taste of the 240+ films on offer. Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire will close the festival.