It’s the time of year, where cinephiles across the UK start a new spreadsheet or word doc to plan for the event of the year… London Film Festival! Beginning in 1957, this year marks the Festival’s 70th edition. The line-up was revealed on the 2nd of September and features films across a range of countries including films which may never see distribution and films which will be heavy hitters come Awards Season. Many of us covering the festival or going as keen fans of film have a number of films that we wish to get tickets to. Looking through the full programme feels like going through the Argos catalogue with a pen and the joyful naivety of a child circling everything with the hope they get everything they want. There are hundreds of films to see, but here are a select few, those of us writing for Celestial Cinephile are excited for.
Godzilla Minus Zero (Japan, dir. Takashi Yamazaki)
Godzilla Minus One was a well-deserved and shocking win for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in a category which also featured high-budget Hollywood films like The Creator, the third installment of Guardians of the Galaxy and MI: Dead Reckoning Part 1. Its sequel Godzilla Minus Zero is the 39th installment in the franchise and picks up two years after the events of Minus One, focusing again on the deeply personal story of the Shikishima family. The ensemble cast features many actors reprising their roles including Ryunosuke Kamiki, playing the former kamikaze pilot; Minami Hamabe, playing his wife and Min Tanaka, playing a biologist who is scarred from the war amongst others. The film will have its world premiere on September 26 at New York Film Festival.
Picked by Aaminah (aaminahthroughthescreen on TikTok and Instagram and Substack)
I Love Boosters (USA, dir. Boots Riley)
If you are as online as I am, you will notice Boots Riley is a big cheerleader of his new absurdist crime comedy film, I Love Boosters! The film is about the Velvet Gang who go on shoplifting sprees and make a living by selling these clothes on. Every still I’ve seen from the film is vibrant, filled to the brim with all sorts of colours, a welcome contrast to films recently which have opted for a dull and washed out palette. The film stars an incredible ensemble featuring Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, LaKeith Stanfield, Demi Moore, Don Cheadle, Will Poulter and many more. The film premiered in March at the 2026 edition of South by Southwest Film & TV Festival and received rave reviews from critics.
Picked by Aaminah (aaminahthroughthescreen on TikTok and Instagram and Substack)
Ink (UK, dir. Danny Boyle)
After the success of 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle is back on our screens with his newest film Ink.The film will feature Jack O’Connel, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy in the story about the rise of The Sun newspaper. Based off of a play with the same name James Graham the original writer who has adapted it for the screen. Ink has recently premiered on the opening night of Venice film festival, it will go onto feature at TIFF before coming to LFF as the mayor of London’s gala. With a run time of 116 minutes, the film has been described as Boyle’s best film in decades and has opened up with an 85% score on rotten tomatoes making it a highly anticipated film at this year’s LFF.
Picked by Grey (grey_days on letterboxd and TikTok,greytalks_films on instagram)
Klara And The Sun (US/UK/New Zealand, dir. Taika Waititi)
Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s book of the same name, Oscar winning Director Taika Waititi new movie, follows Klara an AI companion robot played by Jenna Ortega, becoming friends with a girl who has a bad relationship with her mother, Klara tries to help her bring some happiness to her life. Waititi went from having hit after hit, from Thor Ragnorok to Jojo Rabbit he seemed to be fire, but then Love And Thunder and Next Goal Wins his style of relying on laughs rather than a blend of a good narrative with comedy blended in, Klara And The Sun seems more back to form for him, and with a good story and his directing style seems like the perfect match. Easily my most anticipated film for LFF this year.
Picked by Lucas (lucasharman23 on Letterboxd, TikTok and Instagram)
Elsinore (UK/US/Italy, dir. Simon Stone)
Andrew Scott steps into the shoes of legendary Scottish actor Ian Charleson in the festival’s opener Elsinore, which tells the story of Charleson’s final months of his life as he portrayed Hamlet on stage while seriously ill from AIDS. Scott stunned audiences at LFF in 2023 in his Golden Globe-nominated turn in Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers, and the Irishman is widely tipped for more awards success for this film directed by Simon Stone, best known for the 2021 drama The Dig. The ensemble cast includes Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, as well as acclaimed British character actors Adeel Akhtar, Johnny Flynn, and Peter Mullan, and Pride screenwriter Stephen Beresford wrote it. Also playing at this year’s Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals, Elsinore is one of the most anticipated films of the festival season.
Picked by Joe (JosephT on Letterboxd, bestpicturepodcast on Instagram)
Wild Horse Nine (UK/US/Chile, dir. Martin McDonagh)
Following his success with 2017’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh returns with his latest black comedy Wild Horse Nine. The Irishman has written and directed this 1970s-set story of two cynical, eccentric CIA agents who are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief. As is expected with a McDonagh film, it boasts a star-studded ensemble cast, including John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey, and Chilean actress Mariana di Girolamo, with the latter expected to be a strong contender in the Supporting Actress category this coming awards season. And if the film lives up to its high expectations, it could become an awards player across the above-the-line categories, especially given that the writer-director’s last two films picked up a combined 16 Oscar nominations. Destined to be one of the most fun watches of the festival, Wild Horse Nine is a must-see at this year’s LFF.
Picked by Joe (JosephT on Letterboxd, bestpicturepodcast on Instagram)
The Man I Love (USA – dir. Ira Sachs)
Rami Malek gives what the BFI describes as a ‘career-best performance’ in Ira Sachs’ The Man I Love, a tender portrait of New York’s gay scene in the 1980s. Malek plays Jimmy George, an uncompromising and creatively driven artist surrounded by his devoted boyfriend Dennis, played by Tom Sturridge, and a close-knit community, as the spectre of the AIDS crisis looms over their lives. Sachs, one of contemporary cinema’s great chroniclers of New York life, brings his characteristically intimate and earthy style to a story that promises to be both deeply personal and historically resonant. With its acclaimed cast, rich sense of place and exploration of love, art, and queer community during one of the most devastating periods of recent history, The Man I Love is one of the films I’m most looking forward to seeing at this year’s festival.
Picked by Maria – @mazisirl on Instagram, mhwatches on Letterboxd
Behemoth! (USA – dir. Tony Gilroy)
Tony Gilroy, best known for the Oscar-nominated Michael Clayton and more recently the acclaimed series Andor, returns to the big screen with Behemoth!, a stylish and character-driven drama starring Pedro Pascal as Alex, a gifted cellist whose life begins to unravel following a failed relationship. Returning to Los Angeles, Alex finds work as a session musician in a film-score studio, where music becomes the backdrop to a period of personal upheaval and self-discovery. The title itself is intriguing, drawing on the biblical Behemoth, a legendary primordial beast representing immense, almost uncontrollable power, which feels fitting for a film concerned with the overwhelming forces of love, ambition and loss. As the festival’s BFI Patrons’ Gala, Behemoth! feels like one of the more intriguing films in this year’s line-up.
Picked by Maria – @mazisirl on Instagram, mhwatches on Letterboxd
Fjord (Romania/Norway/France/Finland/Denmark/Sweden, dir. Cristian Mungiu)
Following its Palme D’or win at Cannes earlier this year, Fjord enters this year’s LFF promising to be a key player this year as it looks forward to being a big hitter in this year’s award season. Starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, Fjord follows Lisbet and Mihai as they navigate a new life in a remote village of Norway.
Reinsve and Stan have previously costarred in A different man, alongside Adam Pearson who is also attending the festival this year with Zero intention of living quietly. The film promises to be one of Scandinavia’s best this year, and is sure to start conversations around faith and power.
Picked by Ruby (filmnruby on Instagram and Tik Tok)
Minotaur (France-Germany-Latvia, dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev)
You may know Andrey Zvyagintsev from Leviathan (which received the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film) or Loveless. Now, after almost a decade, he is back with a new film, Minotaur. Inspired by Claude Chabrol’s La Femme Infidèle, the film has already received great reviews following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The plot follows a high-powered Russian CEO during the height of the war in Ukraine, as he is forced to make difficult decisions both at work and at home. His films tend to be rather bleak, so if you are not into that – do not watch, as you might find yourself doomed to a lingering spell of sadness. Having said that, you can always rely on Zvyagintsev to deliver a great cinematic experience. And for fellow lovers of melancholy, this one is probably for you. Minotaur, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, received the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
All of a Sudden (France-Japan-Germany-Belgium, dir Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
If you have seen Drive My Car, rejoice, because Hamaguchi has a new film. This time around, All of a Sudden follows Marie-Lou, a director of a care facility for the elderly who is trying to change the way the institution operates. However, she is met with resistance. When she meets Mari, a theatre director with cancer, the two join forces in a battle for the greater good. This is Hamaguchi’s French-language debut, co-written with Léa Le Dimna and loosely based on a book called You and I – The Illness Suddenly Gets Worse, and it will be shown at LFF under the section of ‘Love’. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, has a runtime of just over three hours and received a lot of positive reviews.
Picked by Polina (aftercreditswithpol on TikTok and Instagram)
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (USA/UK dir Bassam Tariq)
Bassam Tariq is back at LFF with Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother starring Oscar Winner Mahershala Ali. Described as an inventive thriller we follow an assassin and father of three who soon has to find a way to balance these two vastly different worlds after the loss of his wife.
Tariq and Ali were originally meant to collaborate on Blade but due to “studio drama” Tariq stepped down and recently so did Ali as the titular character. I have to admit my initial excitement for this project was due to seeing this collaboration come to fruition but after viewing the trailer (numerous times in my elation) I can’t wait to see this unique premise come to life. Although I’m not particularly familiar with Bassam Tariq’s work I cannot wait to see Mahershala again on the big screen.
Picked by Naana (naanasfilms on Substack and TikTok)
The Face of Horror ( UK dir Anna Biller)
Admittedly my excitement for The Face of Horror is due to my crush on Jonah Hauer-King and the promise of a “blood-soaked homage to Technicolor.” Anna Biller, best known for writing and directing The Love Witch is back with an adaptation of Tsuruya Nanboku IV’s Yotsuya Kaidan, known as the most popular kaidan story. Biller is set to deliver a supernatural revenge gothic melodrama set in 14th-century England. The movie is also set to premiere at TIFF.
Picked by Naana (naanasfilms on Substack and TikTok)
Paper Tiger (USA, dir. James Gray)
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson reunite in James Gray’s latest thriller, Paper Tiger, which sees brothers Irwin, (Miles Teller), and Gary, (Driver), become entangled with the Russian Mafia when a seemingly exciting high paying job offer turns south. Threatening Irwin’s family, both men tackle with their longing for the American Dream and the hope that Irwin’s two teenage sons could become first generation middle class.
Following it’s world premiere earlier this year at Cannes Film Festival, four years after Gray’s last feature Armageddon Time (2022), Paper Tiger is set to have it’s North American premiere at New York Film Festival as the opening night gala. Trading the powerful coming-of-age drama for the gritty, crime-fuelled backdrop of the same 1980s Queen’s, we can expect big things before this spectacle graces the screen at London Film Festival next month.
Picked by Liv (livlovescinema on TikTok and lliv on Letterboxd)
Congo Boy (Central African Republic, France, Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy dir. Rafiki Fariala)
Congo Boy by Rafiki Fariala premiered at Cannes amongst experimental and unique films in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category. Being Congolese and a film lover has meant that I’ve always desired for Congolese stories to be international, so it’s really exciting that this film will also be a part of LFF. This film, produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and France, focuses on the disruption of civil war on a 17-year-old dreamer. In the likeness of My Father’s Shadow (2025), the deeply moving film set during a Nigerian Election, it will be exciting to see a film centred on such fear and unrest, contrasted with a coming-of-age tale where young people try to live normal lives. Congo Boy has been described as a vibrant musical experience, and the performances similarly praised for bringing hope to life and moving audiences emotionally.
Josephine (USA dir. Beth de Araújo
Channing Tatum returns to the screen after the quietly moving and warm Roofman. I was immediately drawn to his next project as he’s become an actor who continues to give memorable performances. Tatum plays Damien, a father who struggles to support his young child who has witnessed a traumatic assault. The gripping trailer and glowing reviews praise the compelling performances and large emotional impact this film has on the audience as it explores family dynamics. Gemma Chan stars alongside Tatum, with Mason Reeves, whose performance has been acclaimed as the best child performance this decade. Josephine premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and also featured at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival. Without a doubt, this film is one to look out for.
Picked by Laurine (lauscreenchat on Instagram/Letterboxd and A Screen Chat on Substack)
Fatherland (Poland, Germany, Italy, and France, dir. Pawel Pawlikowski)
I actually had the pleasure of seeing this gorgeous film at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, but I am so excited to experience it all over again at the London Film Festival. I am a huge admirer of Pawlikowski’s previous work, particularly Ida (2013) and Cold War (2018), and his distinctive visual style is once again on full display here. Renowned for his striking black-and-white cinematography, captured by Łukasz Żal, Pawlikowski brings that same breathtaking aesthetic to Fatherland.
The film follows Nobel Prize-winning author Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika on a post-World War II road trip through a divided Germany in 1949. Anchored by excellent, heartfelt performances from Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler, Fatherland is a beautifully crafted and deeply moving piece of cinema that I cannot recommend highly enough. If you get the chance to see it at the London Film Festival, I urge you to do so.
Picked by Meg (meghillbilly on Instagram and Letterboxd and TikTok)
Ken Russell’s The Devils (UK, dir. Ken Russell)
You might think it weird that one of my most anticipated films at LFF is 55 years old, but the fact this film is screening at all is nothing short of a miracle. Until now, The Devils has only been available in versions cut to ribbons by the BBFC and MPAA. Film lovers were starting to give up hope that the director’s cut, blocked from release by Warner Bros. since being reassembled in 2002, would ever see the light of day. And then the very people who stopped it from being released announced a 4K restoration completely out of nowhere! As someone with a lifelong interest in film censorship, I’m absolutely thrilled. The Devils is one of the most notorious cases of a filmmaker’s vision being actively compromised by the censors, and it’s a real privilege to have my first experience of what many consider Ken Russell’s magnum opus be in the way he always intended it to be seen.
Picked by Tom (londoncinemaguide on TikTok and Instagram)
