The 66th BFI London Film Festival was a film festival that took place from 5–16 October 2022. British-American producer Tanya Seghatchian served as jury president. Marie Kreutzer's Corsage won the Best Film Award.
The festival opened with Matilda the Musical directed by Matthew Warchus and closed with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery directed by Rian Johnson.
Juries
Main Competition Tanya Seghatchian, British-American producer Gwendoline Christie, British actress Kemp Powers , American filmmaker and playwright Chaitanya Tamhane, Indian filmmaker Charles Gant, British journalist
First Feature Competition Nana Mensah, American actress, writer, and director Asim Chaudhry, British comedian and actor Isabel Stevens, British managing editor of Sight and Sound Kristy Matheson, Australian film programmer and creative director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival
Documentary Competition Roberto Minervini, Italian writer-director Tabitha Jackson, producer and former director of the Sundance Film Festival Morgan M. Page, Canadian writer and artist
Immersive Art and XR Competition Misan Harriman, Nigerian-British photographer Tonya Nelson, American regional director of Arts Council England Olivier Delpoux, French head of digital and audiovisual creation at Institut Français
Short Film Competition Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor, British producer Sorcha Bacon, British producer Caspar Salmon, British journalist Maddy Probst, British managing producer at Bristol Watershed
Venues Film screenings took place in 7 cinemas in London, while the Expanded section - dedicated to immersive art and extended realities (XR) - took place at 3 venues. Screenings for members of the press and film industry took place at two separate cinemas. Selected films were also screened at 10 additional cinemas across the UK.
London cinemas BFI Southbank Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre Curzon Soho Curzon Mayfair Institute of Contemporary Arts Odeon Luxe West End Prince Charles Cinema Odeon Luxe Leicester Square - Press and industry screenings Picturehouse Central - Press and industry screenings
Expanded venues 26 Leake Street National Theatre BFI Southbank
UK-wide cinemas Broadway Cinema, Nottingham Chapter, Cardiff Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow HOME, Manchester MAC, Birmingham Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast Showroom Cinema, Sheffield Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle upon Tyne Watershed, Bristol
Official Selection
Galas The following films were selected for the Galas section, which screens world, European, and British premieres of the most anticipated films.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Gala Matilda the Musical Matthew Warchus United Kingdom Opening Night Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Rian Johnson United States Closing Night Empire of Light Sam Mendes United Kingdom, United States American Express The Banshees of Inisherin Martin McDonagh Ireland, United Kingdom, United States American Express Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades Alejandro González Iñárritu Mexico Headline Decision to Leave 헤어질 결심 Park Chan-wook South Korea Headline Living Oliver Hermanus United Kingdom Headline Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson United States Headline She Said Maria Schrader United States Headline The Son Florian Zeller United Kingdom Headline Till Chinonye Chukwu United States Mayor of London The Whale Darren Aronofsky United States BFI Patrons White Noise Noah Baumbach United States Headline The Wonder Sebastián Lelio United Kingdom, Ireland Headline
Special Presentations The following films were selected for the Special Presentations section.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Allelujah Richard Eyre United Kingdom Bones and All Luca Guadagnino United States Causeway Lila Neugebauer United States The English (episodes 1 and 2) Hugo Blick United Kingdom, Spain The Eternal Daughter Joanna Hogg United Kingdom, United States Holy Spider عنکبوت مقدس Ali Abbasi Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France My Imaginary Country Mi país imaginario Patricio Guzmán Chile, France Nanny Nikyatu Jusu United States Nil by Mouth Gary Oldman United Kingdom The Swimmers Sally El Hosaini United Kingdom Triangle of Sadness Ruben Östlund Sweden, Germany, France, United Kingdom Women Talking Sarah Polley United States The Inspection Elegance Bratton United States Piaffe Ann Oren Germany “U Scantu”: A Disorderly Tale Elisa Giardina Papa Italy
In Competition There were five competition sections, each with a different selection of films and different juries.
Official Competition The following films competed for the Best Film Award.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Argentina, 1985 Santiago Mitre Argentina Brother Clement Virgo Canada The Damned Don’t Cry Les damnés ne pleurent pas Fyzal Boulifa France, Belgium, Morocco Enys Men Mark Jenkin United Kingdom Godland Vanskabte Land Hlynur Pálmas Denmark, Iceland, France, Sweden Saint Omer Alice Diop France
First Feature Competition The following films competed for the Sutherland Award, which is awarded to a directorial debut.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country 1976 Manuela Martelli Chile, Argentina, Qatar Blue Jean Georgia Oakley United Kingdom Jeong-sun Jihye Jeong South Korea Joyland جوائے لینڈ Saim Sadiq Pakistan Medusa Deluxe Thomas Hardiman United Kingdom Our Lady of the Chinese Shop Nossa senhora da loja do chinês Ery Claver Angola Robe of Gems Manto de Gemas Natalia López Gallardo Argentina, Mexico Rodeo Lola Quivoron France
Documentary Competition The following films competed for the Grierson Award, which is awarded to a feature-length documentary.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country All That Breathes Shaunak Sen India, United Kingdom, United States All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Nan Goldin United States Casa Susanna Sébastien Lifshitz France, United States The Future Tense Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor Ireland, United Kingdom Kanaval: A People’s History of Haiti in Six Chapters Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton Mills Haiti, United Kingdom Lynch/Oz Alexandre O. Philippe United States Name Me Lawand Edward Lovelace United Kingdom What About China? Trinh Minh-ha United States, China, Singapore
Short Film Competition The following films competed for the Short Film Award.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country An Avocado Pit Um Caroço de Abacate Ary Zara Portugal Drop Out Ade Femzo United Kingdom I Have No Legs, and I Must Run 跑！跑！跑！ Yue Li China The Ocean Analog El oceano analogo Luis Macias Spain, Mexico It’s Raining Frogs Outside Ampangabagat nin talakba ha likol Maria Estela Paiso Spain, Mexico The Ritual to Beauty Maria Marrone, Shenny de Los Angeles United States Rosemary A.D. (After Dad) Ethan Barrett United States A Sod State Eoghan Ryan Ireland, Netherlands Transparent Siobhan Davies United Kingdom
Immersive Art and XR Competition The following works competed for the Best Immersive Art and XR Award.
English Title Original Title Lead Artist(s) Production Country All Unsaved Progress Will be Lost Mélanie Courtinat France Apparatus Ludens Untold Garden United Kingdom, Sweden As Mine Exactly Charlie Shackleton United Kingdom Black Movement Library – Movement Portraits LaJuné McMillian United States The Choice Joanne Popinska Canada, Poland Digital Motions Helge Letonja, Marcel Karnapke, Björn Lengers, Anke Euler Germany FRAMERATE: Pulse of The Earth Matthew Shaw, William Trossell, ScanLAB Projects United Kingdom In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats Darren Emerson United Kingdom The Infinite Library Mika Johnson India, Germany, Czech Republic Intravene Darkfield, Crackdown, Brenda Longfellow United Kingdom, Canada The Last Time I Saw Snow Isobel Mascarenhas-Whitman, Alex Tennyson United Kingdom Line of Contact Dani Ploeger Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ukraine Missing Pictures: The Money Wrench Gang Clément Deneux France, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Luxembourg, South Korea Monoliths Lucy Hammond, Hannah Davies, Asma Elbadawi, Carmen Marcus United Kingdom On the Morning You Wake (To the End Of The World) Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Arnaud Colinart, Pierre Zandrowicz United Kingdom, France, United States Pan + Tilt Ruth Gibson, Bruno Martelli United Kingdom Planet City Liam Young, Kayvan Boudai, Elliot Ordower, James Clark United States, China Walzer Frieda Gustavs, Leo Erken Netherlands
Strands Most of the out-of-competition films have been organised into strands, each based on a different mood or emotion.
Love English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Aftersun Charlotte Wells United Kingdom, United States Blue Bag Life Lisa Selby, Rebecca Hirsch Lloyd-Evans, Alex Fry United Kingdom The Blue Caftan Le Bleu du caftan Maryam Touzani France, Morocco, Belgium Bros Nicholas Stoller United States Close Lukas Dhont Belgium, France, Netherlands The Cloud Messenger Meghdoot Rahat Mahajan India Lady Chatterley's Lover Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre United Kingdom Last Flight Home Ondi Timoner United States Love Life ラブ ライフ Koji Fukada Japan, France Malintzin 17 Eugenio Polgovsky, Mara Polgovsky Mexico, Switzerland Mammals (episodes 1–3) Stephanie Laing United Kingdom Maya Nilo (Laura) Lovisa Sirén Sweden More Than Ever Plus que jamais Emily Atef France, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway One Fine Morning Un beau matin Mia Hansen-Løve France, Germany Pretty Red Dress Dionne Edwards United Kingdom She Is Love Jamie Adams United Kingdom Tori and Lokita Tori et Lokita Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Belgium, France Winter Boy Le Lycéen Christophe Honoré France
Debate
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Blaze Del Kathryn Barton Australia Blue Island 憂鬱之島 Chan Tze-woon Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan Bobi Wine: The People’s President Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp Uganda Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power Nina Menkes United States Call Jane Phyllis Nagy United States Declaration അറിയിപ്പ് Mahesh Narayanan India Exterior Night (episodes 1–6) Esterno notte Marco Bellocchio Italy, France Hidden Letters Violet Du Feng, Zhao Qing China, United States, Norway, Germany If the Streets Were on Fire Alice Russell United Kingdom Klondike Клондайк Maryna Er Gorbac Ukraine Next Sohee 다음 소희 July Jung South Korea Palm Trees and Power Lines Jamie Dack United States Stonewalling 石門 Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka Japan The Store Butiken Ami-ro Sköld Sweden, Italy
Laugh
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Chee$e Damian Marcano Trinidad and Tobago, United States The Estate Dean Craig United States Fast and Feel Love เร็วโหด..เหมือนโกรธเธอ Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit Thailand I Love My Dad James Morosini United States Klokkenluider Neil Maskell United Kingdom, United States The Middle Ages La edad media Luciana Acuña, Alejo Moguillansky Argentina Rimini Ulrich Seidl Austria, France, Germany Sick of Myself Kristoffer Borgli Norway, Sweden
Dare English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Butterfly Vision Бачення метелика Maksym Nakonechnyi Ukraine, Czechia, Croatia, Sweden Coma Bertrand Bonello France De Humani Corporis Fabrica Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel France EO IO Jerzy Skolimowski Poland, Italy Horseplay Los agitadores Marco Berger Argentina Inland Fridtjof Ryder United Kingdom Into the Ice Rejsen til isens indre Lars Henrik Ostenfeld Denmark, Germany Manticore Manticora Carlos Vermut Spain No Bears خرس نیست Jafar Panahi Iran Pacifiction Tourment sur les îles Albert Serra France, Spain, Germany, Portugal Shttl Ady Walter Ukraine, France Subtraction تفریق Mani Haghighi Iran, France Unrest Unrueh Cyril Schäublin Switzerland The Woodcutter Story Metsurin tarina Mikko Myllylahti Finland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany Xalé Moussa Sene Absa Senegal, Ivory Coast
Thrill