Just a few days left to go until The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival opens

Just a few days left to go until The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival opens its doors throughout the city for a celebration of cinema with a talent laden guest-list attending the 16 day Festival.
Attending the Opening Night Gala on Wednesday 17 October for the UK premiere of the acclaimed EASTERN PROMISES will be director David Cronenberg, accompanied by Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel and Armin Mueller-Stahl.

The Odeon West End will welcome an array of actors and filmmakers attending the premieres of their films over the 16 day Festival. Halle Berry will join director Susanne Bier and producer Sam Mendes for THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE; Todd Haynes will present I'M NOT THERE with Ben Whishaw, Charlotte Gainsbourg and producer Christine Vachon; director Sean Penn will be introducing INTO THE WILD with leading actor Emile Hirsch, and Jason Reitman will be joined by JUNO cast member Allison Janney and screenwriter Diablo Cody.  LUST, CAUTION will be introduced by director Ang Lee with leading newcomer Tang Wei, while Marc Evans, Livia Firth and Colin Firth will be joined by guests at the world premiere of IN PRISON MY WHOLE LIFE. Catherine Breillat will present THE LAST MISTRESS, and Cristian Mungui will introduce actress Anamaria Marinca and his film 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS, while Naomi Watts is introducing her second film of the Festival, FUNNY GAMES with co-stars Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet. At the Odeon Leicester Square Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Andrew Garfield, and Michael Peña as well as actor/director Robert Redford and producer Paula Wagner will attend the world premiere of LIONS FOR LAMBS.

John Cusack will join director James C Strouse for GRACE IS GONE, while the cast of ENCHANTED: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden will join director Kevin Lima for the UK premiere of this family film.

Tamara Jenkins will introduce THE SAVAGES with Laura Linney, who will also be the subject of an onstage Screen Talk, as will Wes Anderson. Masterclass guest Steve Buscemi will also present the premiere of INTERVIEW with Sienna Miller, while MISTER LONELY cast Anita Pallenberg, James Fox and Samantha Morton will introduce the film with Harmony Korine, who is also a Masterclass participant.  Paul Greengrass will be the subject of an onstage interview and the recipient of the Variety UK Achievement in Film Award, while David Lynch and Donovan host a unique evening discussing meditation, consciousness and creativity.  

Trafalgar Square will play host to a celebration of London as captured on archive films, ablaze on the big screen with live piano accompaniments. Free to all from 18:30 on Thursday 18 October and Friday 19 October, Alfred Hitchcock's BLACKMAIL will be screened with BLUE BOTTLES on the first night, whilst CAPITAL TALES on the second evening will offer a whistle-stop tour across more than 100 years of London on film from 1896 onwards.

Contemporary British filmmaking talent will be out in force for their screenings, including Nick Broomfield with his film BATTLE FOR HADITHA, Penny Woolcock with EXODUS, Kim Longinotto for HOLD ME TIGHT, LET ME GO and Asif Kapadia with FAR NORTH. Richard Attenborough will introduce CLOSING THE RING, Garth Jennings will present SON OF RAMBOW: A HOME MOVIE and Sarah Gavron will attend the premiere of BRICK LANE.                                                                                                                                                               

The high-profile roll call of international directors set to attend the Festival include: Julio Medem (CHAOTIC ANA), Jan Svĕrák  (EMPTIES), Brian de Palma (REDACTED),  Marjane Satrapi (PERSEPOLIS), Michael Moore (SICKO), Andrew Dominik (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD), Carlos Reygadas (SILENT LIGHT), Rituparno Ghosh (THE LAST LEAR), Julian Schnabel (THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY), Salvatore Maira (VALZER), Buddhadeb Dasgupta (THE VOYEURS) and Brooklyn artist David Gatten (FILM FOR INVISIBLE INK, CASE NO:7: BASE-PLUS-FOG) will present a workshop as well as his latest film works .

On Thursday 1 November, director Wes Anderson, actor/screenwriter Jason Schwartzman and producer/screenwriter Roman Coppola will be joined by actors Amara Karan and Camilla Rutherford at the Closing Night Gala of THE DARJEELING LIMITED, bringing the 51st Festival celebrations to a close.