BFI London Film Festival 2026

This year’s BFI London Film Festival will kick off on Wednesday, October 7 with Andrew Scott’s new Shakespeare drama Elsinore at the Royal Festival Hall and cinemas across the UK.

From there, the UK’s biggest film festival will be pressing play on 11 days and nights of movies, big and small, at cinemas and venues across London and cities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Very much not a festival that’s just for the critics, snobs and VIPs, the LFF remains the most accessible of the world’s big film festivals. Which means you’ve got every chance of scoring seats to its packed line-up of new movies when tickets go on sale on September 16 (earlier for BFI members). 

What is the BFI London Film Festival?

Now in its 70th year, the London Film Festival is the UK’s biggest film fest – an annual showcase for the best in premieres, new movies, restored works from the BFI archives, short films, virtual reality experiences, screen talks, panels and parties. 

When is the London Film Festival 2026?

This year’s LFF runs from Wednesday October 7 to Sunday October 18. 

Where is the London Film Festival Held?

As in recent years, the London Film Festival reaches far beyond the capital. London’s Southbank – the Royal Festival Hall, BFI IMAX, BFI Southbank – represents its main home, with screenings also taking place at four London partner cinemas: Curzon Soho, ICA, Prince Charles Cinema and Vue West End.

There are 10 LFF venues outside London, too, including Nottingham’s Broadway Cinema, Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre, Glasgow Film Theatre, MAC in Birmingham, Belfast’s Queen’s Film Theatre, Showroom Cinema in Sheffield, HOME in Manchester, Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema, Watershed in Bristol and Filmhouse in Edinburgh.

What to see at the London Film Festival?

This year’s festival gets underway with an eagerly awaited home-town story. Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman, will open the festival on October 7 and share the moving real-life story of Scottish actor Ian Charleson as he prepared for the role of his life: Hamlet at the National Theatre in 1974. It wraps with Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy-drama The Debut, starring Julianne Moore, on October 18.

When do London Film Festival tickets go on sale?

The full festival programme is announced on September 2, with tickets on sale from September 17. Head to the official festival site for all pricing info.