The 62nd BFI London Film Festival just announced the ten contenders for the Official Competition:

Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra
Destroyer by Karyn Kusama
Happy as Lazzaro (Lazzaro felice) by Alice Rohrwacher
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. by Ben Wheatley
In Fabric by Peter Strickland
Joy by Sudabeh Mortezai
The Old Man & the Gun by David Lowery
Shadow (Ying) by Zhang Yimou
Sunset (Napszállta) by László Nemes                                                                                          Too Late to Die Young (Tarde para morir joven) by Dominga Sotomayor

Ten movies from the United Kingdom, Italy, Hungary, Colombia, USA, Austria, China and Chile.

Building on the huge popularity of the annual Surprise Screening, one of the fastest-selling tickets at the LFF, this year’s Official Competition also brings a unique and exciting opportunity to Festival attendees. In an audience first, the winning competition film will now be available to book in advance as an additional surprise screening. This will be held at the Vue Leicester Square on Saturday, October 20th at 7.00pm, and will be preceded by the presentation of the Festival’s official award, the bronze Star of London, in the presence of Artistic Director Tricia Tuttle, Jury Chair Lenny Abrahamson and the winning filmmaker choose by the jury.
The BFI LFF this year is welcoming luxury Italian eyewear brand Persol as supporter of the Awards. Persol has had a strong link with cinema since the swinging 60s when Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni wore the 649 model in Divorce, Italian Style and “King of Cool” Steve McQueen donned a pair of, now iconic, folding 714 model in the 1968 hit The Thomas Crown Affair.

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director says:
“The LFF celebrates the breadth of cinema, and this is crystalised in the ten films competing for Best Film at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival. Representing a tantalising range of styles, these films tell stories from around the globe – from 3rd Century China to post-Pinochet Chile to contemporary Britain — and transport viewers to worlds both real and imagined. These works are by turns, socially and politically urgent, muscularly thrilling, evocatively personal, spectacular, kinky and wildy inventive. It’s also a real pleasure to see that half of these films come from female directors.”

Lenny Abrahamson, Jury Chair comments:
“I am delighted to continue my relationship with the BFI London Film Festival. It’s an honour to be this year’s Jury Chair and I very much look forward to deliberating with my fellow jurors on what is sure to be some of the most exciting, thought-provoking and original work in this year’s selection of films.”