French films to have a strong presence at the London Film Festival

An event that was initiated in the 1950s by British film critics and was originally conceived as a condensed version of the major international film festivals (with screenings of films already presented at Cannes and Venice), the BFI London Film Festival has stamped itself as one of the key movie industry events in the United Kingdom, with now around 250 films from 75 countries screened each year.

This year's Official Competition features two French films: Frantz by François Ozon and Elle by Paul Verhoeven, as well as 3 minority-French co-productions. That makes a total of 5 films among the 11 titles included in the Official Competition in which France participates as a producer.

Bertrand Bonello will be at the event to present Nocturama at a gala evening event held as part of the Debate section. Other French directors in attendance include François Ozon, Anne Fontaine, Houda Benyamina, Eugène Green, Alice Diop, Claire Simon, along with the actress Lucie Lucas.

Feature Films - Official Competition

• Elle by Paul Verhoeven
• Frantz by François Ozon
• Neruda by Pablo Larraín (minority co-production)
• Brimstone by Martin Koolhoven (minority co-production)
• Clash by Mohamed Diab (minority co-production)

Feature Films - First Feature Competition

• Divines by Houda Benyamina
• Raw by Julia Ducournau
• My Life as a Courgette by Claude Barras
• Wùlu by Daouda Coulibaly
• Hedi by Mohamed Ben Attia (minority co-production)
• Porto by Gabe Klinger (minority co-production)

Feature Films - Special Presentations

• It's Only the End of the World by Xavier Dolan (minority co-production)

Feature Films - Documentary Competition

• The Competition by Claire Simon
• On Call by Alice Diop

Feature Films - Dare

• Staying Vertical by Alain Guiraudie
• The Death of Louis XIV by Albert Serra
• Personal Shopper by Olivier Assayas
• Planetarium by Rebecca Zlotowski
• The Untamed by Amat Escalante (minority co-production)
• Apprentice by Boo Junfeng (minority co-production)
• Zoology by Ivan Tverdovsky (minority co-production)
• Wolf and Sheep by Shahrbanoo Sadat (minority co-production)

Feature Films - Debate

• Nocturama by Bertrand Bonello
• The Salesman by Asghar Farhadi
• The Stopover by Delphine et Muriel Coulin
• Sieranevada by Cristi Puiu (minority co-production)
• The Unknown Girl by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (minority co-production)
• Bacalaureat by Cristian Mungiu (minority co-production)
• Hissein Habré, a Chadian Tragedy by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Feature Films - Journey

• The Red Turtle by Michael Dudok de Wit
• Agnus Dei / The Innocents by Anne Fontaine
• Mercenary by Sacha Wolff
• A Woman's Life by Stéphane Brizé
• Tramontane by Vatché Boulghourjian (minority co-production)
• A Journey Through French Cinema by Bertrand Tavernier
• The Ornithologist by João Pedro Rodrigues (minority co-production)
• Mimosas by Oliver Laxe (minority co-production)
• Sweet Dreams by Marco Bellocchio (minority co-production)
• Don't Blink - Robert Frank by Laura Israel (minority co-production)

Feature Films - Laugh

• Lost in Paris by Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon

Feature Films - Love

• The Son of Joseph by Eugène Green
• Being Seventeen by André Téchiné
• Heal the Living by Katell Quillévéré
• The Lives of Thérèse by Sébastien Lifshitz
• Aquarius by Kleber Mendonça Filho (minority co-production)
• After Love by Joachim Lafosse (minority co-production)
• Souvenir by Bavo Defurne (minority co-production)
• The Wedding Ring by Rahmatou Keïta

Feature Films - Thrill

• The Eavesdropper by Thomas Kruithof

Feature Films - Family

• Fanny's Journey by Lola Doillon
• Phantom Boy by Jean-Loup Feliciolii & Alain Gagnol

Feature Films - Cult

• Into the Forest by Gilles Marchand

Feature Films - Treasures

• Farewell Bonaparte by Youssef Chahine

The complete list of all films selected can be viewed on the festival website.