News Story
The BFI London Film Festival (8–19 October 2025) once again brings the world’s most exciting filmmakers to the capital, and this year’s programme highlights just how deeply London’s creative talent runs. Across first features, daring documentaries, short films, and galas, the line-up is filled with alumni and collaborators who have worked with Film London at different stages of their careers.
In the First Feature Competition, Ish marks the debut of multidisciplinary artist Imran Perretta — a Film London Lodestar 2021 and former FLAMIN artist whose intimate monochrome drama follows two friends tested by racial profiling. Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor presents Dreamers, a powerful directorial debut feature that follows a group of young people navigating love, loss and the search for belonging. Joy worked with Film London when the short film Haircut, which she produced, was selected for London Calling Plus in 2019, and she was recognised later that year as a Lodestar for her work.
The Grierson Award competition includes Super Nature, produced by Rebecca Wolff, one of this year’s Film London Lodestars 2025 and an alum of our Guided by the Hand programme. Super Nature director Ed Sayers is a longtime friend of Film London as creator of the Straight 8 challenge. Another competition title, My Father’s Shadow, features producer Rachel Dargavel, a BFI NETWORK alum who will also share her expertise at our upcoming Film London Production Finance Lab.
Audiences can also discover This is London: Small Stories, Big City, a free shorts showcase delivered by Film London as part of the festival’s LFF for Free programme, celebrating the diversity, humour and resilience of everyday life in the capital.
Other notable premieres across the programme include 100 Nights of Hero as the Closing Night Gala, directed by Julia Jackman, who Film London previously supported to make the BFI NETWORK Short Film The Riley Sisters, and produced by 2025 Film London Lodestar, writer and producer Helen Simmons. Harry Lighton also returns to LFF with Pillion in the Galas strand, after making his breakthrough short Wren Boys, which was supported by Film London’s London Calling 2017.
Among this year’s shorts is Seventeen, directed by Ajuan Isaac-George, which follows a group of teenage skaters in London over a single summer, building on the Ajuan’s Film London-supported BFI NETWORK short Snowfalls in the Summer, which premiered at LFF 2023. Alongside it, Original Sin, the latest work from Amrou Al-Kadhi, a director-screenwriter whose BFI NETWORK-funded 2017 London Calling Plus short Anemone was supported by Film London.
In the Dare strand, Hamlet brings together Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed, both of whom have previously been supported by Film London. The Create strand features Mare’s Nest, the latest film from Ben Rivers, building on his FLAMIN-commissioned debut feature Two Years at Sea through Film London’s FLAMIN initiative. In the Cult strand, Madeleine Sims-Fewer directs Honey Bunch, having earlier produced a Film London-funded short, 2015’s Rainbow Party.
In a final highlight, Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet has been announced as the Mayor of London Gala screening, presented in collaboration with Film London and Universal, taking place at the Royal Festival Hall on 11th October.
Alongside the public screenings, Film London will once again host the Production Finance Market (7–8 October), connecting filmmakers with international financiers and supporting the future of bold, original storytelling.
Click here to view the full line up for the 69th BFI London Film Festival.