Film festival season is officially underway – and that means exciting movies are getting their first early screenings. While it’s already been confirmed that this year’s BFI London Film Festival will be opened by the world premiere of Jeymes Samuel’s slick Western, The Harder They Fall, we now know which film will provide the other bookend to the 2021 fest – and it’s another very exciting one.
The festival will conclude with a screening of The Tragedy Of Macbeth, written and directed by Joel Coen (in a rare break from his creative work with brother Ethan Coen). It’s a Shakespeare adaptation with a powerhouse cast, including Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Brendan Gleeson and Kathryn Hunter. “Shakespeare belongs to the world but comes from Britain,” says Coen. “Having borrowed your cultural patrimony, and having had the great good luck to work with a few of your most brilliant actors, I’m honoured to bring this movie to the London Film Festival for its European premiere.”
The Tragedy Of Macbeth will screen on Sunday 17 October, 11 days after the festival begins on 6 October. The full BFI London Film Festival 2021 programme will launch on 7 September. As well as London-based screenings, the festival is due to include a selected programme screening with UK-wide cinema partners, and a range of films available to screen digitally on the BFI Player.