About the 69th BFI London Film Festival 2025

General
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The 69th BFI London Film Festival is almost here, and I wanted to share a full guide — including key dates, trends, must-watch films, and a tech tip for reliving past festival gems at home in stunning quality.

:clapper_board: About the Festival

From October 8–19, 2025, the BFI London Film Festival returns for its 69th edition. Screenings take place at BFI Southbank, Royal Festival Hall and partner cinemas across London. Over 240 titles will span world premieres, documentaries, shorts and immersive works.

Ticketing phases:

  • Early September: Priority booking for BFI Patrons & Members

  • 16 September: General ticket sales

  • 2 October: Extra ticket drop

:globe_showing_europe_africa: Key Trends at LFF 2025

  • Global & Inclusive Cinema: 42% of films directed by female/non-binary filmmakers.

  • Return of Iconic Talent: Daniel Day-Lewis in Anemone (directed by Ronan Day-Lewis), plus Lynne Ramsay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Richard Linklater and Jafar Panahi in “Screen Talks.”

  • Franchise Fever: Opening gala Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

  • Emerging Voices: Discovery strands for first-time directors and hybrid formats.

  • Beyond Traditional Cinema: VR, series screenings and cross-media works.

:glowing_star: Must-Watch Films

  • Hamnet (dir. Chloé Zhao): Shakespeare’s family life reimagined; starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley.

  • Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (dir. Rian Johnson): Benoit Blanc returns in the third Knives Out film.

  • Moss & Freud (concept): Imagined encounter between Kate Moss and Sigmund Freud — provocative and daring.

Also notable: The Secret Agent (Brazil), BUGONIA (Yorgos Lanthimos + Emma Stone), The Mastermind (genre-bending heist).

:admission_tickets: LFF for Free

The “LFF for Free” programme brings cinema to everyone: outdoor screenings, live DJ nights, family workshops and filmmaker Q&As. Even without gala tickets, you can still experience the festival buzz.

:dvd: Enhance Your Festival Classics at Home with HitPaw VikPea

Want to revisit older Knives Out films or black-and-white festival gems in high definition? HitPaw VikPea Movie Enhancer is an AI-powered tool to breathe new life into your collection.

Key Features:

  • Upscale video to 4K/8K

  • Restore details lost to compression

  • AI colourize black & white footage

  • Enhance faces/skin tones naturally

  • Remove flicker, stutter and pauses

  • Batch + cloud export for speed

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Download & install (Windows 11/10 or macOS 13+).

  2. Launch, choose Video Enhancer, import your clip.

  3. Select an AI Model: General (overall), AI Pilot (adaptive), Portrait (faces).

  4. Adjust export settings (switch to 4K or higher).

  5. Click Preview for a split-screen view.

  6. Hit Export or Cloud Export to finish.

:white_check_mark: Closing Line

The 69th BFI London Film Festival celebrates cinema’s future while honouring its past. By pairing on-site screenings with the ability to revisit classics at home using VikPea, you can give both the past and present of film a high-definition future of your own.