Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy and Gillian Anderson were just some of the stars out in force last night, as The Times BFI London Film Festival officially opened with the European Premiere of The Last King Of Scotland.
Now in its 50th year, The LFF is a carnival of all things celluloid, with over 180 features and 130 shorts on show over the next two weeks. With a plethora of plaudits already heaped upon The Last King Of Scotland – a film led by a powerhouse performance from Forest Whitaker as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin – tonight’s opening selection is the perfect introduction to what should be a packed fortnight of pure, cinematic celebration. And what better way to get the film cans rolling than a word from the director of the movie, Kevin Macdonald:
“It’s tremendously exciting to be here. Particularly because it’s the 50th anniversary and, for a Scot living in London, to have this film opening the festival is about the best combination you could hope for”. Based on Giles Foden’s novel, The Last King Of Scotland tells the tale of Idi Amin’s murderous regime, seen through the eyes of his fictionalised personal physician, Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy). Shot almost entirely on location in Uganda – bar a few days in Scotland – Macdonald was keen to keep the thoughts of the nation’s populace foremost in his mind: “The Ugandan people wanted him [Amin] to be presented as a human being, because despite all the horrendous things he did to the country, he did achieve some good. Not that they romanticise Amin at all, but they don’t want him to be shown as some animal”.
Kerry Washington (Ray/Fantastic Four) plays Kay Amin, but it seems taking on the role of the maniacal leader’s wife wasn’t a completely clear-cut choice: “Well, I didn’t want to get involved in another one of those white guy hero stories. So I had a meeting with Kevin and I immediately felt comfortable. Not just because he’s won an Oscar and a Bafta, but because when he started talking to me about the story, it became clear that here was a man who loved Uganda and wanted to make this movie with a true sense of humanity”. The actress also backed up her director’s prime concerns when shooting on location: “It [The Last King Of Scotland] is the first full feature to be shot in the country, so it was a truly amazing experience. We didn’t want to come storming in, pillaging the place.”
Although relatively little is known about Amin’s wife, the rule of the President is well-documented – a fact that stratospherically ascending Scottish star James McAvoy knows only too well: “I studied him in High School. He was actually a very attractive figure to me because he was going to come to Scotland, be our King and fight the English – hilarious! Of course it was never going to happen, but it was funny as hell. And yes, he was a mass murderer but he was very enigmatic. That’s sexy. That’s interesting. It might not be laudable, but it’s interesting.” A year on, it seems McAvoy’s personal experiences of making the film still resonate: “We were out there for three months and it was different to anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. In fact, it was more of a life experience than a working experience. Professionally, I walked away from the film with the knowledge that I’ve played a person who is in every single scene in a movie, and I’ve never done a political thriller before, but personally it affected me in a far more profound way. I hope to go back there”.
With Whitaker and a rather pregnant Anderson being whisked into the theatre – joining the already seated Nick Broomfield, Stephen Frears and Thandie Newton to name but a few – current BFI Chairman Antony Minghella was poised for a final chat with Empire as he has recently found himself back in the director’s chair, and is presenting his new London psychodrama Breaking And Entering during the LFF. With Jude Law and Martin Freeman stepping into the starring roles, Minghella was keen to enthuse about his cast: “Well, most film directors are fans. I mean, I’d love to work with James McAvoy for instance. So I think you do keep a store of actors you love. I saw Martin Freeman in The Office and I thought I’d love to work with him, but a lot of the other people in the movie are repeat performances for me – Juliette Binoche, Ray Winstone and Jude Law, my real collaborator. It’s my third film in a row with Jude and I think he’s tremendously undervalued as an actor. He’s never let me down”. As the late arrivals take their seats in the Odeon Leicester Square, it falls to the Cold Mountain director to sum up what’s to come over the next few weeks: “It’s going to be very, very special. It gets more interesting every year and London is now really beginning to understand how lucky it is to have this festival”.