The 70th BFI London Film Festival is under way, running from October 7 to 18, 2026, with a programme the festival reports spans 251 films from 88 countries.
The festival opened with the European premiere of Elsinore, directed by Simon Stone and starring Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman. It will close on October 18 with the UK premiere of The Debut, directed by Jesse Eisenberg.
London’s festival occupies a particular spot in the calendar. It arrives after Venice, Telluride and Toronto, which means many of its biggest titles come with early reviews and awards chatter already attached. For distributors, it is a chance to test that buzz with British audiences and critics.
For Canadian readers, the London programme is worth watching because of the overlap with the Toronto International Film Festival, which wrapped last month. Films that played Toronto often resurface in London, and the comparison of reactions can hint at which titles will travel well when they reach Canadian cinemas and streaming platforms later this year.
Festival organisers have long argued that scale is a strength, and the reported figures, 251 films from 88 countries, would make this one of the broadest editions in the event’s 70-year history. As with all such figures, they are the festival’s own count and include features, shorts and special presentations.
Beyond the galas, London remains a working festival: industry screenings, talks and a strong strand of British independent film give smaller productions a route to distribution. Several of those deals announced over the next ten days will decide what Canadian audiences get to see in 2027.
The festival runs through October 18, with public tickets and online screenings available across the programme.
