The British Film Institute's London Film Festival is an annual celebration of cinematography and the world’s finest new films and series. In its 67th edition, the BFI LFF 2023 ran from October 4th to 15th.  The event, as always, was open to the public, offering a wide array of screenings, talks, workshops, and more. Across 11 bustling theaters throughout the city, the BFI showcased 252 titles from 92 countries, including 29 world premieres and 30 European premieres.

The honor of opening the festival was bestowed upon Academy Award winner Emerald Fennell with her film Saltburn, while The Kitchen, the directorial debut of Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares, brought the event to a close.

This year’s selection was exceptional, and despite the challenges currently faced by the industry (as of the time of writing, the SAG-AFTRA strike was suspended on November 9, 2023), each of these films deserves your attention. In the following article, our team will present reviews of six films from the LFF. We hope you will enjoy reading it and discover something to plan to watch.

Saltburn

“You’re like a moth: harmless, drawn to shiny things... desperate to get in.”

FelixMisha Buzadji

All of Us Strangers

“Queer is polite, like all the dicks were taken out.”

FelixZanna Buckland

The Bikeriders

While I am decidedly not a motorcycle enthusiast, the captivating plot of Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders drew me in from the very beginning. This film is a gritty exploration of the Chicago Vandals motorcycle club set during the rebellious 1960s and early 1970s, delving into themes of companionship, trust, and

FelixMisha Buzadji

Killers of the Flower Moon

A star-studded cast, a legendary director, and a story so intricate it takes three and a half hours to tell. Martin Scorsese’s new film, Killers of the Flower Moon, promises a lot, and it absolutely delivers. The film is based on the eponymous book which tells the true story

FelixIoana Esanu

The Book of Clarence

“I’d never overthrow Rome – my good friend is Roman.”

FelixZanna Buckland

Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things offers a bizarre reimagining of the classical Frankenstein tale, which you wouldn’t know if you haven’t watched the trailer or read any other promo material. When we first meet Bella, her speech, walk, and actions are confusing. Just like the professor’s assistant,

FelixMisha Buzadji

The BFI London Film Festival 2023 this year was an event to remember for years. This year’s exceptional selection of pictures left a craving-more aftertaste. However, the issues within the industry couldn’t pass by the festival. One of the big hits LFF had to experience this year was the SAG-AFTRA strike, which left the red carpet of the event starless. Throughout the span of the festival, we only saw directors, producers, some of the production teams and only a couple of writers, since their strike was over by September 27, 2023.

Other than that, the festival organisation was spectacular, all thanks to the amazing team at BFI, all the volunteers, the Pace Prestige security team and the new festival director Kristy Matheson. We will most definitely hear more about the films and series presented at LFF in the upcoming year. Make sure you don’t miss any of the releases, some of which you can already find on streaming services, like The Killer produced by Netflix.