How to guide to London Film Festival

From navigating the huge programme of events and screenings, to what to expect at Gala Screenings, how to get tickets and where to catch free talks and film events - here's our ultimate guide to how to make the most of Britain's biggest film festival.

When and where is the London Film Festival 2024?

The 68th edition of the London Film Festival comes to South Bank from 9 to 20 October.

There are film screenings and events happening across the South Bank including at BFI Southbank’s cinemas, at the BFI IMAX and at the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre. Also coming to South Bank as part of the festival is the BFI Expanded programme of immersive screenings and installations hosted at the Bargehouse and gallery@oxo at Oxo Tower Wharf.

The festival also spreads out across the rest of London with screenings taking place at central London cinemas including the Prince Charles, Curzon Soho, Picturehouse Central and Vue West End.

Exploring the festival programme

The festival programme is huge with 250+ films, short films and TV series all to enjoy during the 11-day festival including 39 World Premieres!

Broadly speaking the festival programme is divided into: Red Carpet Gala Screenings, Special Presentations, Thematic Strands, and LFF Awards contenders, complemented by an exciting programme of Screen Talks and other events such as DJ nights, exhibitions, debates and more.

Red Carpet Gala screenings

Always a major highlight of the festival, the Red Carpet Gala Screenings see the world’s biggest stars coming to South Bank to enjoy the premieres of their new films. Gala Screenings aren’t just for the celebs – tickets are open to all, and the dress code is as fancy as you want it to be!

Gala Screenings take place at Southbank Centre’s 2,000-seater Royal Festival Hall, screened on an immense 18-metre screen with full high-spec 7.1 channel surround sound especially for the occasion.

Among this year’s Gala highlights are the World Premiere opening night presentation of Steve McQueen’s new feature film BLITZ starring Saoirse Ronan (9 Oct) and the closing night screening of the inventive Pharrell Williams documentary PIECE BY PIECE (20 Oct).

Other buzzing Gala Screenings to look out for include the new documentary ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE, Cannes winner ANORA, Andrea Arnold’s new feature BIRD, CONCLAVE, a tense new Vatican-set drama starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, and the Maria Callas biopic MARIA starring Angelina Jolie in the lead role.

Thematic Strands

To help contextualise the hundreds of new films from across the world showing as part of the festival, the main part of the festival programme is divided into thematic stands. These thematically listed strands have been curated to encourage wider discovery of the broad range of films featured and to help open out the festival to new audiences.

In addition to feature films, these strands include short films, documentary films and new TV series. In the mix are plenty of premieres, as well as the chance to revisit classic films with newly remastered versions screening courtesy of the BFI as part of the Treasures strand.

This year’s strands are themed: 
LOVE... in all its glory
DEBATE, films that spark conversations
LAUGH, from riotous romcoms to skewering satires 
DARE, boundary-films from across the world
THRILL, from the wildest ride to the slowest burn 
CULT, from the mind-altering and unclassifiable to fantasy, sci-fi and horror 
JOURNEY, eclectic stories to shift our perspectives 
CREATE, films exploring the electricity of the creative process
EXPERIMENTA, artists and the moving image, including short films and feature-length films
FAMILY, films for young and the young at heart suitable for younger audiences
TREASURES Newly restored masterpieces from around the world 
SHORTS Short film screenings typically showcase 6-8 new works each

Screen talks with leading filmmakers

The London Film Festival’s Screen Talks programme is a highly-anticipated opportunity to hear in-depth interviews from some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

This year’s lineup is a stunner with a wealth of major stars sharing their take on contemporary cinema at South Bank’s biggest venues. Get those bookings in quick smart, these events are set to be some of the hottest tickets in town!

Wed 9 Oct at 2pm STEVE MCQUEEN at BFI NFT1
Sat 12 Oct at 11:30am DENIS VILLENEUVE at Southbank Centre
Sat 12 Oct at 3pm ZOE SALDANA at BFI NFT1
Sun 13 Oct at 3pm ELIZABETH CHAI VASARHELYI & JIMMY CHIN at BFI NFT3
Mon 14 Oct at 12:30pm LUPITA NYONG'O at BFI NFT1
Sat 19 Oct at 12:30 ANDREA ARNOLD at Southbank Centre
Sun 20 Oct at 15:15 MIKE LEIGH at Southbank Centre

Immersive storytelling with LFF Expanded

LFF Expanded is a fully immersive exhibition programme that invites audiences to explore and experience powerful new ways of telling stories on screen, created by some of the world’s leading mixed-reality artists, filmmakers and games designers.

The majority of exhibits are hosted at the historic Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf with experiences ranging from interactive digital games to epic audio-visual installations. Note that most LFF Expanded events are free, while some require prior booking.

Explore the full LFF Expanded programme of events here.

How to book tickets for London Film Festival

Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Tuesday 17 September. BFI Members get priority access to booking from 10am on Tuesday 10 September. Tickets can booked online at bfi.org.uk/lff

If there is something in particular that you want to catch make sure to plan and book as early as possible. The most highly anticipated features and talks tend to sell out very quickly. Fastest fingers first!

STANDBY TICKETS are available on the day. During the festival, check on the festival website at 10am each morning to view any standby availability or get to the box office 30 minutes before the start time to check for any last-minute tickets.

25 & UNDER TICKETS If you're aged 16 to 25, you can sign up for a 25 & Under account to get £5 tickets to films at the festival. Find out more and sign up for your 25 & Under account here.

LFF for Free

Throughout the festival there is a busy programme of free events happening at the BFI Southbank’s Festival Cafe and at the gallery@oxo in the nearby Oxo Tower Wharf, including talks, short film screenings, DJ nights, fun family workshops, gaming and much more.

Note that as space is limited at venues, prior booking online is usually required for free talks, although tickets do not guarantee entry if you are late! Arrive early to avoid disappointment and if you don't have tickets join the queue for last-minute standbys on the day.

Highlights of the LFF for Free programme to look out for include:

LFF FOR FREE TALKS AT BFI REUBEN LIBRARY The BFI's Reuben Library hosts a fascinating lineup of film talks exploring topics such as witches on screen, the cinematic depiction of sex workers, historical accuracy in films based on true stories and the portrayal of girlhood in films past and present. Explore the free talks programme here.

LFF FOR FREE TALKS - A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO...  A series of drop-in lunchtime talks exploring the filmographies of some of the preeminent directors presenting new work in this year’s Festival including Andrea Arnold, Steve McQueen, Mike Leigh and Luca Guadagnino. Explore the Beginner's Guide To talks programme here.

FILM IN PRINT (12 & 13 Oct) Curated in partnership with Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, co-creators of the Ghibliotheque series of books and podcasts, gallery@oxo will host a weekend of author Q&As, signings and panel discussions celebrating the art of writing about film. Explore the Film in Print programme here.

LFF For Free Short Films

Showing at the NFT4 at BFI Southbank, catch these free presentations of interesting and unusual new short films.

Sun 13 Oct at 12:30pm  |  LIFE BEYOND LABELS
The UK broadcaster Together TV presents a programme of shorts backed by their Diverse Film Fund in partnership with Whisper and BSLBT.

Sun 20 Oct 12:30pm |  FILMS OF RESISTANCE
From stories of imperial struggle to rejecting the gender binary, women and non-binary people fight against systems attempting to quash their power.

Sun 13 Oct and 20 Oct at 2pm  | BBC COMEDY SHORT FILMS
Short films showcasing fresh talent and famous faces as you've never seen them before. Sitcoms, sketches and silliness.

Sun13 Oct and 20 Oct at 4pm  | LONDON CALLING: EVERYDAY ESCAPE
A selection of shorts from some of London’s most exciting new voices, funded by BFI NETWORK and delivered by Film London.

More useful LFF tips

Be on time!

Unlike in regular film screenings, during the festival all films start straight away at the advertised time! No waiting around for trailer after trailer, it’s straight to the action. Make sure you arrive early – i.e before the listed start time, to ensure you are seated and ready for the film to start. You may be turned away from admission if you arrive late.

Look out for smaller films

While it can be tempting to focus your attention on the biggest names, large festivals like this one present a unique opportunity to watch on the big screen interesting independent films that are unlikely to have mainstream cinema distribution, or which may even go straight to streaming sites after debuting at major festivals.

Focus on one location

The bulk of film screenings take place at South Bank's cinemas and at cinemas in Mayfair and Soho. If you want to fit in a few screenings in one day, it's best to plan your screenings to all be at venues in one neighbourhood. South Bank has tons of great place to grab a bite to eat between screenings, or for a casual coffee between films find a seat at one of the BFI's bars or head next door to the impressive lobby cafe-bars at the National Theatre.

Grab a copy of the festival programme

You can pick up paper copies of the glossy 120-page film festival programme at the BFI Southbank. While the festival website is in-depth and extensive, it's easy to bookmark favourites and mark down tips from other festivalgoers in the programme

Eating out before or after the film

You are spoiled for choice when it comes for venues to grab a meal before or after the film, and great pubs and bars for when you want to stick around and discuss the movies with your friends over a drink or two. Explore our Where to Eat & Drink pages here for inspiration.