Film

Jeff ArmstrongMarch 25, 2018

It seems there is no stopping British, TV Presenter, Louise Gookey. Each year she seamlessly takes the helm hosting some of the biggest awards ceremonies in the country. She is a presenter and journalist with a love for entertainment and the arts and has just been confirmed to host this year’s National Film Awards for the fourth year running. She can currently be seen reporting events across London for Winkball.com and talking through the papers with Penny Smith on Talk Radio. She is also the voice of the travel on both LBC London News and BBC Radio Northampton. On top of this, she has just finished presenting the latest instalment of health programs for Diabetes.co.uk which is followed by over 300,000 people.

However, Louise is no stranger to the entertainment industry having originally trained in musical theatre at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. She worked as a performer before making the move into presenting and most recently training as a journalist and passing her NCTJ qualification in Multimedia Journalism.

She has worked with teams over at London Live, Showbiz TV, Muzu.tv, Maverick TV, Radio Jackie, Juice FM, Hoxton Radio, Vibe FM and even took some time to entertain brunch lovers across London on the Breakfast Clubs debut radio show.
Louise’s passion for presenting lead her to host an array of award ceremonies including the National Film Awards, Urban Music Awards, National Reality TV Awards and Luxury and Lifestyle Awards where she got to meet and interview guests on the red carpet as well as hosting the events.

When it comes to working with brands, she has also worked with Skinny Tan, Argos, Vax, Hoover, Ideal Homes, Cannon, British Gypsum, and Just Eat.

On top of this Louise is a huge travel fan and experiences new cultures as often as possible. This naturally led on to Louise documenting these travels and turning them into vlogs which will be published very soon.

You can watch Louise Gookey live on the National Film Awards red carpet by logging on to www.facebook.com/nationalfilmawards live at 18.00 on the 28th of March 2018

Jeff ArmstrongJanuary 15, 2018

Jude Law, Julie Andrews, Ewan McGregor, Daniel Kaluuya, Harry Styles, Halle Berry & Gemma Arterton are among stars shortlisted for this year’s prestigious National Film Awards UK in 2018.

The National Film Academy today announced the nominations for the National Film Awards UK for 2018
This year a record 2.4 million movie fans nominated across 18 categories to make up the official shortlist.

Dunkirk is nominated in three categories including Best British Film, Best Director, and Best Newcomer for pop star turned actor, Harry styles who receives a nod for his performance as Alex.

Styles goes head to head with ‘Get Out’ star Daniel Kaluuya and an array of new talent including; Harry Gilby (Just Charlie), Harry Michell (Chubby Funny) , Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth), Lily Newmark (Pin Cushion) , Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth) and Ella Purnell (Access All Areas) all nominated for the Best Newcomer category.

Guy Ritchie’s; King Arthur: Legend of the Sword receives three nominations in the Best Drama, Best Action and Best Director categories.

Sir Elton John receives his first National Film Academy nomination for the ‘Best Breakthrough Performance’ following his cameo appearance in Kingsman (The Golden Circle). The film also receives a record nine Academy nominations including; Best British Film, Best International Film, Best Comedy and Director Matthew Vaughn picks up a nomination for Best Director. Taron Egerton is nominated in the Best Actor category for his role as ‘Eggsy’ while American actress Halle Berry is nominated for two categories including the Best Supporting Actress & Best Breakthrough Performance for her role as ‘Ginger’ in the franchise. Keith Allen goes head to head with Colin Firth who are both nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Gemma Arterton picks up a nomination in the Best Actress category for her role as Catrin Cole in Their Finest and competes in the same category with Alice Lowe (Prevenge) , Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) , Tatjana Inez (Redwood), Ruth Wilson (Dark River) , Emily Beecham (Daphne), Kristin Scott Thomas (The Party) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Fast & Furious 8)

The National Film Awards UK is one of the few motion picture awards shows to provide a platform for movie fans to nominate and vote for their favourite films and talent. Voting goes live from the 15th of January 2018 until the 26th of March 2018. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place at The Porchester on the 28th of March with highlights televised for broadcast on Sky Showcase and syndicated across all major global territories.

Full List of the National Film Awards UK (2018) nominees:
Best Actress
Alice Lowe ( Prevenge)
Florence Pugh ( Lady Macbeth)
Gemma Arterton (Their Finest)
Tatjana Inez (Redwood)
Ruth Wilson (Dark River)
Emily Beecham (Daphne)
Kristin Scott Thomas (The Party)
Nathalie Emmanuel (Fast & Furious 8)

Best Newcomer
Daniel Kaluuya (Get out)
Harry Styles (Dunkirk)
Harry Gilby (Just Charlie)
Harry Michell (Chubby Funny)
Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth)
Lily Newmark (Pin Cushion)
Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth)
Ella Purnell (Access All Areas)

Best Supporting actress in association with Serenity & Grace
Naomi Ackie ( Lady Macbeth)
Patricia Clarkson (The Party)
Julie Walters (Film stars don’t die in Liverpool)
Kelly Macdonald (Goodbye Christopher Robin)
Judith Roberts (You Were Never Really Here)
Halle Berry (Kingsman, The Golden Circle)
Jane Asher (Brian Pern: A Tribute)
Elarica Johnson (How to Talk to Girls at Parties)

Best Supporting Actor in association with DeChavel Watches
Robert Webb (Back)
Sam Gillet (A Caribbean Dream)
Keith Allen (Kingsman ‘The Golden Circle’)
Jordan Stephens (Access All Areas)
Paul Whitehouse (Brian Pern: A Tribute)
Lucien Laviscount (Snatch)
Matt Lucas (Brian Pern: A Tribute)

Joseph Vijay (Mersal)

Best Drama
The Limehouse Golem
My Cousin Rachel
Breathe
I Am Not a Witch
You Were Never Really Here
Borg vs McEnroe
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
A Caribbean Dream
The Hatton Garden Job
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Best TV Drama Series
Broadchurch, S3
Guerrilla
White Gold
Taboo
Howards End
Back
Halcyon
Snatch
The Cuckoo’s Calling

Best Thriller
Prevenge
Redwood
You Were Never Really Here
Eat Locals
The Moving Theatre
Hellriser
The Snowman

Best Foreign Language Film
Happy End (France)
Loveless (Russia)
In The Fade (Germany/France)
The Square (Sweden, Germany, France)
A Fantastic Woman, (Chile)
Vaya (South Africa)
The Insult (Lebanon)

Mersal (India)

Best Action
Antimatter
Trespass Against Us
Jawbone
Baby Driver
Essex Heist
Smoking Guns (aka A Punters Prayer)
Borg vs McEnroe
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
We Still Steal the Old Way

Best Independent Film
God’s own country
Film stars don’t die in Liverpool
The Intent
Jawbone
My Name is Lenny
Lady Macbeth
Rise of the Footsoldier 3
Eat Locals

Best ScreenPlay
Francis Lee (God’s own Country)
Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth)
Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here)
Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
Simon Amstell (Carnage: Swallowing the Past)
Shakirah Bourne ( A Caribbean Dream)
Oliver Veysey (Access All Areas)

Best Documentary sponsored by Bank Republic
Kingdom of Us
Almost Heaven
Halfway
Williams
My Generation
Blue Planet 2
Dark States
The Moving Theatre

Best British Film
Dunkirk
T2 Trainspotting
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Goodbye Christopher Robin
Victoria & Abdul
6 Days
Lady Macbeth
Journeyman

Best Actor in association with DeChavel Watches
Jamie Bell (6 Days)
Ray Winstone (Jawbone)
Mike Beckingham (Redwood)
Daniel Kaluuya (Get out)
Bill Nighy (The Limehouse Golem)
Craig Fairbrass (Rise of the Footsoldier 3)
Matt Lucas (Brian Pern: A Tribute )
Ewan McGregor (T2 Trainspotting)
Paddy Considine ( Journeyman)
Taron Egerton (Kingsman – The Golden Circle)
Jude Law (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword)
Rupert Grint (Snatch)

Best Comedy sponsored by Bank Republic
T2 Trainspotting
Mindhorn
The Party
Carnage: Swallowing the Past
Kingsman ‘The Golden Circle
Access All Areas
Brian Pern: A Tribute

Best Breakthrough Performance
Harry Styles (Dunkirk)
Mark Strong (6 Days)
Halle Berry (Kingsman, The Golden Circle)
Johnny Harris (Jawbone)
Daniel Kaluuya (Get out)
Margaret Mulubwa (I am not a witch)
Sir Elton John (Kingsman, The Golden Circle)
Simon Day (Brian Pern: A Tribute)
Marc Warren (Snatch)

Best Director
Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)
Danny Boyle (T2 Trainspotting)
Rungano Nyoni (I am not a Witch)
William Oldroyd ( Lady Macbeth)
Andy Serkis (Breathe)
Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here)
Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman , The Golden Circle)
Guy Ritchie ( King Arthur: Legend of the Sword)

Best International Film sponsored by Invest Nation
Get Out
Bright
Girls Trip
Kingsman – The Golden Circle
Borg vs McEnroe
The Shape of Water
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
American Made, Barry Seal
The Wedding Party 2

Global Contribution to Motion Picture
Julie Andrews
Judi Dench
Sean Connery
Halle Berry
John Cleese
Rowan Atkinson
Tom Cruise
Colin Firth

Vote Live now by clicking on www.nationalfilmawards.org/voting
Voting officially commences (15/01/18 until the 20/03/18) with winners of each category announced at the star-studded National Film Awards 2018 awards ceremony taking place on the 28th of March 2018 and televised for broadcast on Sky Showcase (Sky 261, Freesat 402, Freeview 254).

Tickets for the NFA 2018 are out on sale now at www.nationalfilmawards.org

Lucy ColemanAugust 8, 2017

Britain’s Got Talent, The Voice UK, Dragon’s Den, Love Island, Take Me Out, First Dates, and Love Island are a few of the nominees announced today ahead of the the prestigious 7th annual National Reality TV Awards taking place next month on the 18th of September 2017 at the Porchester Hall in London.

The National Reality Television Awards is the only awards ceremony worldwide to re-define the sub genres that make up the whole industry of Reality TV with all categories nominated and voted for by millions of television fans.

Over 4.6 million submissions were received for this year’s nominations. Each year all nominations for the NRTA are submitted via the official NRTA website by the public between the 7th of January till the 1st of August and the public decide winners of each category by voting on the official NRTA website for their favorite shows, celebrities or participants. This year (2017) the National Reality Television Awards has partnered with broadcast partner, Sky Showcase who will be broadcasting the event.

VooVix will be the official streaming partner for the NRTA’s. Exclusive highlights of the National Reality TV Awards 2017 will be streamed live on VooVix.com . The coverage supported by Sky Showcase will include live broadcast of backstage interviews with winners via Facebook Live.

The Best Television Presenter category sees a plethora of talent go head to head including; Paddy McGuinness for Take Me Out , Nick Knowles for DIY SOS, Bradley Walsh for the The Chase , Stephen Mulhern for Catchphrase , Susanna Reid for Good Morning Britain, Lorraine Kelly for Lorraine and Naga Munchetty for BBC Breakfast are among the list of presenters competing for this category. Whilst the Best TV Judge category sees; Simon Cowell for Britain’s Got Talent, David Walliams (Britain’s Got Talent), Danni Minogue (Let it Shine) go head to head with WIll i am (The Voice UK & Voice Kids) , Peter Jones (Dragon’s Den) and Sir Tom Jones (The Voice UK).

Previous NRTA Best TV Judge winner Peter Jones (Dragon’s Den) commented “I have always supported the NRTA’s from the first ever awards show at the O2 over 7 years ago and it is amazing to see how far this has come as an awards ceremony celebrating not just the faces we see on our screens but the Producers, Directors and production companies who play an excellent part in delivering contents to millions of TV viewers each year”.

Swiss Luxury watch brand, Dechavel watches has been announced as headline sponsor for this year’s 7th annual National Reality TV Awards with a 3 year sponsorship deal worth 2.2 million pounds per year and will be gifting their Royal Champion 2017 watch which costs £25k per timepiece to winners of their sponsored categories.

Louis Thurbolt, Head of Marketing for Dechavel watches commented “Our remit as a luxury brand is to invest in the TV, Sports, Music and off course the Fashion industry. We are very excited to partner with the National Reality TV Awards and are proud to sign up for the next 3 years as exclusive luxury watch sponsor. Congratulations to all the nominees and looking forward to celebrating together at the event in September”.

Find full list of the 2017 NRTA nominees here:

Best TV Presenter sponsored by Dechavel watches

Paddy McGuinness (Take Me Out)

Nick Knowles (DIY SOS)

Noel Edmonds (Deal or No Deal)

Bradley Walsh (The Chase)

Stephen Mulhern (Catchphrase)

Brendan Sheerin (Coach Trip)

Rylan Clark (BB)

Alex Zane (Rude Tube)

Caroline Flack (Love Island)

Paul O Grady (Blind Date UK)

AJ Odudu (Trending Live)

Susanna Reid (Good Morning Britain)

Lorraine Kelly (Lorraine)

Naga Munchetty (BBC Breakfast)

Best Docu-Soap 2017

Eden

Ross Kemp: Extreme World

Who do you think you are?

Oxford Street revealed

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways

Nadiya’s British Food Adventure

Katie Price: My Crazy Life

The Bionic Vet

Heir Hunters

Don’t Tell the Bride

Best Entertainment Show sponsored by St. Moriz

The Only Way is Essex (Lime Pictures/ITVBe)

Made in Chelsea (Monkey Kingdom/E4)

Britain’s Got Talent (Fremantlemedia/Syco/ ITV)

Love Island (ITV2)

Dinner Date (ITVBe)

Celebrity Masterchef (BBC 1)

Big Brother (Bazal/Brighter Pictures/Channel 5)

Take Me Out (Fremantlemedia/ ITV2)

The Voice (ITV )

Let it Shine (BBC One)

Trending Live (4 Music)

First Dates (Twenty Twenty/ Channel4)

Best Dating Show 2017 sponsored by ONE Condoms

Love Island

Take me out

Dinner Dates

First Dates

Ex on the Beach

Celeb Go Dating

Naked Attraction

Dinner Date

Blind Date UK

Celebrity Personality of the Year

Lisa Vanderpump (Vanderpump Rules)

Alesha Dixon (BGT)

Susanna Reid (Good Morning Britain)

Ampika Pickston (Real Housewives of Cheshire)

Martin Kemp (Let it Shine)

Ashley Roberts

Amanda Holden (Britain’s Got Talent)

Trisha Goddard (BOOTS)

Piers Morgan (Good Morning Britain)

Sarah Harding (CBB)

Simon Cowell (BGT)

Best Business Show sponsored by Chelsea Monthly

Dragon’s’ Den

Secret Dealers

Four in a Bed

Escape to the Country

Flog it!

A Place in the Sun

Salvage Hunters

Most Inspiring TV Show

The Wright Stuff

DIY SOS

Dragons’ Den

First Dates

Eden

Binky & JP’s Baby: Born in Chelsea

Who do you think you are?

Escape to the Country

Voice Kids

Best Reality TV Judge

Gregg Wallace (Celebrity Masterchef)

Simon Cowell (Britain’s Got Talent)

Touker Suleyman (Dragon’s Den)

David Walliams (Britain’s Got Talent)

Danni Minogue (Let it Shine)

Peter Jones (Dragon’s Den)

Sir Tom Jones (The Voice UK)

Amanda Holden (Britain’s Got Talent)

Judge Rob Rinder (Judge Rinder)

Sarah Willingham (Dragons’ Den)

Gary Barlow (Let it Shine)

Will I Am (The Voice)

Best Television Chef

The Hairy Bikers

Lorraine Pascale

Nigella Lawson

Ken Ho

Mary Berry

John Torode

Ainsley Harriott

Simon Rimmer

Jamie Oliver

Nadiya Hussain

Gordon Ramsay

James Martin

Best Reality Competition Show

Strictly Come Dancing

Britain’s Got Talent

Big Brother

Come Dine with Me

The Jump

Celebrity MasterChef

Love Island

Take Me Out

Britain’s Got Talent

Me and My Dog: The Ultimate Contest

Dance Dance Dance

Coach Trip

CelebAbility

Best Reality Non-Competition Show sponsored by Sebamed

The Only Way is Essex

Made in Chelsea : Ibiza

The Real Housewives of Cheshire

Dinner Date

Gogglebox

Geordie Shore

Ibiza Weekender XXL

Say yes to the dress

Tattoo Fixers

Reality Personality of the Year

Lauren Simon

Vicky Pattison

Leanne Brown

Charlotte Crosby

Ampika Pickson

Drew Pritchard

Olivia Attwood

Paisley Billings

Best Male Personality sponsored by DeChavel watches

ALex Mytton

Jamie Laing

Stephen Bear

Joey Essex

Chris Clark

James Diags

Drew Pritchard

Simon Rimmer

Best Game Show

Catchphrase

The Chase

Pointless

Tipping Point

Letterbox

CelebAbility

Ninja Warrior UK

Best Food Show sponsored by Hungrynation.co.uk

Sunday Brunch

Celebrity Masterchef

Great British Bakeoff

Who’s Doing the Dishes?

Saturday Kitchen

Masterchef

Nadiya’s British Food Adventure

Best Female Personality sponsored by Lash Perfect

Megan McKenna (TOWIE)

Chloe Simms (TOWIE)

Sarah Willingham (Dragon’s’ Den)

Deborah Meaden (Dragon’s Den)

Amber Davies (Love Island)

Ampika Pickston (Real Housewives of Cheshire)

Montana Brown (Love Island)

Lydia Bright (TOWIE)

Rachel Riley (Countdown)

Chloe Meadows (TOWIE)

Katie Price: (My Crazy Life)

Olivia Wardell (Britain’s Next Top Model)

Best Performance (on a Reality TV Show) sponsored by VooVix.com

Mo Adeniran (The Voice UK)

Issy Simpson ( Britain’s Got Talent)

Jess Folley (The Voice Kids)

Sarah Ikumu (Britain’s Got Talent)

Tokio Myers (Britain’s Got Talent)

Michelle John (The Voice UK)

The Mersey Girls (Britain’s Got Talent)

JB Gill & Chloe Gill (Dance Dance Dance)

DNA (Britain’s Got Talent)

Daliso Chaponda (Britain’s Got Talent)

Clara Hurtado (The Voice UK)

Jess Robinson (Britain’s Got Talent)

Best Male Personality sponsored by DeChavel watches

Pete Wicks (TOWIE)

Harley Judge (Love Island)

Dan Edgar (TOWIE)

Marcel Somerville (Love Island)

Paul Hollywood (Great British Bake Off’)

Jamie Laing (Made in Chelsea)

Matthew Wright (The Wright Stuff)

Fred Sirieix (First Dates)

Kem Cetinay (Love Island)

Chris Hughes (Love Island)

Best International Show sponsored by VooVix.com

Vanderpump Rules

Real Housewives of Atlanta

Keeping up with the Kardashians

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Shark Tank

Pawn Stars

Botched

#RichKids of Beverly Hills

Married to Medicine

Hardcore Pawn

Love & HipHop – Hollywood

Best Talk Show

Good Morning Britain

Loose Women

Big Brother’s Bit On the Side

This Morning

The Jeremy Kyle Show

John Bishop: In Conversation with….

Best Social Experiment Show

Love Island

Big Brother

Naked Attraction

Gogglebox

Eden

Coach Trip

Just Tattoo of us

Celebrity Big Brother

Geordie Shore

Celebrities in therapy

Best Production Company

FremantleMedia UK

Avalon

All3Media

HatTrick

Shed Media

Endemol Shine UK

Pulse Films

Two Four

Voting is currently live @ www.nationalrealitytvawards.org/voting

Winners will be announced on the 18th of September 2017.

Jeff ArmstrongAugust 4, 2017

Lexus underlines its commitment to cinema in a new partnership with one of the world’s leading film festivals.
The car brand has been announced as the main sponsor of the 74th Venice International Film Festival, taking place on the Venice Lido from 30 August to 9 September. This first-time partnership with one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals is a further illustration of Lexus’s commitment to cinema, as highlighted by the annual Lexus Short Films series and its collaboration with Luc Besson’s science fiction blockbuster, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (Italian: Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, “International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale”), founded in 1932, is the oldest film festival in the world and one of the “Big Three” film festivals alongside the Cannes Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.

The film festival is part of the Venice Biennale, which was founded by the Venetian City Council in 1895. Today, the Biennale includes a range of separate events including: the International Art Exhibition; the International Festival of Contemporary Music; the International Theatre Festival; the International Architecture Exhibition; the International Festival of Contemporary Dance; the International Kids’ Carnival; and the annual Venice Film Festival, which is arguably the best-known of all the events.

The film festival has since taken place in late August or early September on the island of the Lido, Venice, Italy. Screenings take place in the historic Palazzo del Cinema on the Lungomare Marconi and in other venues nearby. Since its inception the Venice Film Festival has grown into one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.

The heart of the brand’s presence at the festival will be the Lexus Lounge on the Biennale Terrace. Here, two flagship models, the new LC coupe and LS saloon, will be displayed. In addition, an all-hybrid fleet of 40 Lexus vehicles will be provided for VIP and guest transfers during the festival.

Annette Bening, President of the Jury, will arrive at the festival in the brand new LS 500h hybrid.“We are proud to take part in such a prestigious event, capturing the attention of the world across 11 days,” said Luigi Lucà, Director of Lexus Italy. “We share many values with movie world. Just like actors and directors, we want to improve and refine our art every day, mixing style, elegance and attention to detail to convey unique emotions and create amazing experiences.”

The 74th Venice International Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 30 August to 9 September 2017

Jeff ArmstrongJuly 24, 2017

THE BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR 61^STEDITION

4-15 October 2017

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The BFI London Film Festival in Partnership with American Express® returns from 4-15 October 2017 for its 61^st edition. The Festival sees hundreds of new UK and international films screened at more than fifteen locations for the UK’s leading, and most prestigious, film event.

With screenings and events open to the public as well as film industry professionals and talent, the Festival presents the first opportunity for audiences in the UK to see the very best in popular and independent cinema from across the globe. Located at the heart of the world’s most vibrant cultural city, LFF is one of the only major film festivals to be staged in a film production capital, giving it a distinctive appeal for filmmakers and audiences alike.

The Festival brings some of the biggest names in film to the city, as well as providing a showcase for the very best in emerging talent, giving audiences new experiences in film and a chance to get close to the stars and filmmakers. While some films will premiere at the LFF and go on to mainstream release in cinemas and awards success, others will receive their only big screen presentation at the festival, adding to the unique sense of discovery and a one-time only opportunity for audiences to see a film.

LFF is a social experience for all film lovers with a range of ticket options available to the public, including £5 rush tickets for the under-25s, to over 200 screenings, separated into themed strands of Love, Debate, Laugh, Dare, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Create, Family, and Treasures so that people of different ages, cultures and interests can find the films for them.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 13: Rachel Weisz and Colin Farrell attend ‘The Lobster’ – Dare Gala, In Association With Time Out during the BFI London Film Festival at Vue Leicester Square on October 13, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for BFI) *** Local Caption *** Rachel Weisz; Colin Farrell

Last year’s 60^th anniversary edition reached a record-breaking London attendance of 184,700, an 18% increase on the previous year. A further 9,300 people accessed Festival screenings through simultaneous UK-wide presentations and online. The Festival programme included many films that later received significant awards success such as Barry Jenkin’s Moonlight and Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. The Festival also plays an important role profiling new British talent such as director Hope Dickson Leach’s The Levellingand William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth. The BFI’s major project Black Star – focusing on the achievements of black actors – was launched at the LFF with significant films including Amma Asante’s Opening Night gala A United Kingdom and Mira Nair’s inspirational true story of a young Ugandan chess champion Queen of Katwe, and the Black Star Symposium headlined by actor David Oyelowo who delivered a powerful and rousing speech about diversity in film. Films from across the globe were also featured at the Festival, with titles such as Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman and Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper presented to London audiences. At the Festival’s award ceremony, Michael Fassbender presented the BFI Fellowship to filmmaker, screenwriter and Turner prizewinning artist, Steve McQueen, and last year’s winner for Best Film was Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women.

This year’s Festival programme will feature hundreds of new UK and international films exploring a diverse range of topical, thought-provoking and agenda-setting themes.

The 2017 Festival will open with the European Premiere of Breathe, the directorial debut of Andy Serkis on Wednesday 4 October.

Adventurous and charismatic, Robin Cavendish (Andrew Garfield) has his whole life ahead of him when he is paralysed by polio whilst in Africa and given just months to live. Against all advice, Robin’s wife Diana (Claire Foy) brings him home from hospital where her devotion and witty determination inspire him to lead along and fulfilled life. Together they refuse to be limited by expectations, dazzling others with their humour, courage and lust for life.

There will be a live cinecast of all the excitement from Leicester Square and simultaneous screenings taking place at cinemas across the UK.

The acclaimed talks series LFF Connects returns with leading international talent in film, television, music, art, games and creative technologies delivering insights into the creative process and discussing their art forms’ intersection with film. Previous participants include Christopher Nolan, Louis Theroux and Black Mirror co-creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones. Also returning is the career-focused Screen Talks with previous participants including Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, Paul Verhoeven, Ben Wheatley and Park Chan-wook.

The 61st BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® takes place from Wednesday 4 October-Sunday 15 October 2017. The full festival programme will be announced on Thursday 31 August 2017 at ODEON Leicester Square.

BFI Members’ priority booking opens 10:00am 7 September.

Tickets go on general sale at 10:00am 14 September.