The 39th London Film Festival ended (19 November) on a record-breaking high. At the closing night gala, which saw British Film Institute Fellowships bestowed upon Sir John Mills and Martin Scorsese, prior to an international premieres of the latter's Casino, festival director Sheila Whitaker announced that admissions had topped 100,000 (up 12% on last year) while box office receipts rose by 21%.
Among the guests were 234 filmmakers, 535 industry delegates, and 525 press, confirming the increasing importance of the Festival in the international calendar. 'The LFF is now truly a major European launch pad,' said a Festival spokesman.
Moving Pictures collaborated with the LFF, Compuserve, Zenith Data Systems and Multimedia Partners, on a unique series of live online interviews with festival guests including Steven Soderbergh, Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Nick Broomfield and Nick Park.
The pre-Mifed screening s which took place just prior to the LFF created much interest in British titles such as The Near Room, Brothers in Trouble, Heidi Fleiss - Hollywood Madam, and The Innocent Sleep. From the Buyers and Sellers Liaison Initiative, deals are pending on other festival hits such as Maborosi, Parallel Sons, Denise Calls Up, and Pasolini: An Italian Crime. The Audience award for Best British Feature was won by Nigel Finch's Stonewall .
NICK THOMAS
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