BFI LFF 2026 Part 2: Introduction
With the 70th BFI London Film Festival having drawn to a close, the crowds have dispersed, and London’s Southbank has returned to something resembling normality. After twelve days of premieres, screenings and cinematic celebration, this year’s festival has left audiences with plenty to reflect on, and a long list of films to look forward to.
For almost two weeks, the capital was transformed into a meeting place for filmmakers, critics and cinema enthusiasts from across the world. The excitement extended far beyond the red carpets, with audiences gathering in cinemas across London to discover unfamiliar filmmakers and catch early glimpses of some of the most anticipated releases. From packed Gala screenings to more intimate showings, the festival demonstrated the extraordinary range of experiences that cinema can offer.
One of the great pleasures of the BFI LFF is the chance to approach a film with few expectations. Away from the publicity campaigns, reviews, and awards that so often accompany major releases, audiences can encounter unfamiliar stories and form their own opinions. Of course, not every screening is destined to become a favourite. Some films provoke, others perplex, and a few inevitably disappoint. But this unpredictability is what makes the festival such a rewarding experience.
This year’s programme offered no shortage of material for discussion. Across genres, languages, and filmmaking traditions, directors explored everything from personal relationships and questions of identity to political conflict and the complexities of contemporary society. Whether through intimate character studies, ambitious visual experimentation or uncompromising documentary filmmaking, the festival provided plenty of reminders of cinema’s capacity to challenge as well as entertain.
For the Felix Film team, the festival has been an opportunity to not only discover new films but also engage critically with them. Our first instalment captured some of our initial reactions while the festivities were still underway. Now, with the festival behind us, we return with the second and final part of our special feature, bringing together five more reviews from this year’s programme.
In this issue, we turn our attention to an eclectic collection of films, ranging from documentary to fiction, and from the provocative to the deeply personal. As these films begin to find audiences beyond the festival circuit, we hope our reviews will help you discover something new, reconsider something familiar, or simply find your next trip to the cinema.
