BFI London Film Festival Announces Official Competition Line-up of Ten Films

The 70th BFI London Film Festival has announced the ten films selected for its Official Competition, which will contend for the festival's prestigious Best Film Award. The lineup, revealed on August 17, 2026, features an international slate of filmmakers from ten countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Brazil, and several European nations. The winner will be announced on the festival's closing day, Sunday, October 18.

This year's selection showcases a diverse range of genres and storytelling styles, from intimate coming-of-age dramas and archival documentaries to period thrillers and feminist body horror. The competition includes new works from internationally celebrated directors such as Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ukraine's Sergei Loznitsa, and the United Kingdom's Carol Morley.

Representing the UK is Morley's "7 Miles Out," a semi-autobiographical film adapting her own novel about a teenager grappling with her father's suicide in 1970s Stockport, finding escape in the punk scene. Other notable entries include Kore-eda's "Look Back," a tender story about two aspiring manga artists; Loznitsa's archival documentary "Imperium," which reframes Soviet history...