Tuesday, October 23--------Having just been in Italy for the past 12 days (a week of vacation in Venice, mainly seeing art and sampling the food and wine, and 5 days in Rome to attend the Rome Film Festival), I've got Italy on the brain these days. Well, coming to London, there is still lots of Italian to appreciate, especially here at the London Film Festival. While it is not exactly an official section of the Festival, there are a good number of superb Italian films to be seen, mainly in the...

 Sunday, October 21--------It has been a busy weekend on the Red Carpet at the London Film Festival. Friday night saw the UK Premiere of three exciting new films, which could not be more different. First was the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS, directed by current hot Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. The film, which is the current frontrunner for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, is a harrowing account about one woman’s odyssey of desperation in 1980s Roman...

 Saturday, October 20-------Aside from the glitz and the glamour that every film festival must muster to keep the crowds excited and newspaper editors interested, the London Film Festival is offering filmmakers and producers a number of opportunities to network with film professionals and the international press. While most are somewhat formal seminars and master class talks, the most cozy by far are the Filmmaker Breakfasts, which are held at The Sofitel Hotel in St. James. There are seven of...

 Thursday, October 18----------Naomi Watts, whose film career is suddenly on fire, will appear as a special guest at the TCM Screen Talk tomorrow evening at the London Film Festival. Watts was one of the stars at last night's Opening Night Gala screening of EASTERN PROMISES, the new film from Canadian auteur David Cronenberg, which stars her opposite Viggo Mortenson and Vincent Cassel. The prolific actress also toplines the English-language remake of Austrian director Michael Haneke's FUNNY G...

Wednesday, October 17---------With the London Film Festival beginning its two week marathon of film premieres, special events, industry gatherings and, of course, parties, Festival Circuit Editor Sandy Mandelberger sat down with London Film Festival Artistic Director Sandra Hebron to get the scoop on this year's festivities. Hebron is the Artistic Director of bfi Film Festivals, responsible for both The Times bfi London Film Festival and the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. She began ...

Wednesday, October 17---------With the London Film Festival beginning its two week marathon of film premieres, special events, industry gatherings and, of course, parties, iLondon Film Festival Dailies Editor Sandy Mandelberger sat down with London Film Festival Artistic Director Sandra Hebron to get the scoop on this year's festivities. Hebron is the Artistic Director of bfi Film Festivals, responsible for both The Times bfi London Film Festival and the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival....

Monday, October 15---------The London Film Festival, which opens later this week, is certainly about films, personalities and the love of cinema. However, this year, the Festival has also incorporated a number of exciting industry events to bring more attention to the UK filmmaking community and to give fledgling producers and directors the chance to network with their contemporaries from across the globe.London’s first ever Production Finance Market, launched by Film London in association wit...

Friday, October 12-----------The Danes are coming, the Danes are coming!!!!  Following impressive line-ups in previous years, Danish cinema once again has a strong and diverse presence at The Times bfi 51st London Film Festival 2007. Seven films have been selected as part of this year’s program, including four features, two animated shorts for younger audiences, and one short film. Denmark ’s world-renowned production company Zentropa Films (which launced the Dogme revolution and produced t...

 Monday, October 8-----One of the most anticipated films of the upcoming London Film Festival, which opens on October 17, is the film adaptation of the international bestseller BRICK LANE by  award-winning novelist Monica Ali. The film is directed by Sarah Gavron, who won a BAFTA TV Award in 2003 as Best New Director for THIS LITTLE LIFE, and is making a highly visible feature directorial debut with the film. The UK Premiere will be a Film on the Square screening on October 26th.BRICK LANE ...

 Monday, October 1----------EASTERN PROMISES, the acclaimed new film from legendary Canadian director David Cronenberg, will open the Times BFI 51st  London Film Festival on Wednesday, October 17th. The film, which recently won the Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, has received some of the strongest reviews of the year  when it opened theatrically in North America in the past week. Oscar nominations and end-of-the-year critics prizes should be in the offing for ...

Excitement is building in London, one of the world's great film cities, as details are being revealed for the upcoming Times BFI London Film Festival, which celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary this year. While the Festival doesn't have its official launch until October 18th, the celebrations have already begun this summer, with an ambitious screening of films from the Festival's first 50 years. The National Film Theater, the cinematheque treasure run by the British Film Institute, wh...

Thursday, August 10---Excitement is building in London, one of the world's great film cities, as details are being revealed for the upcoming Times BFI London Film Festival, which celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary this year. The celebrations have begun this summer, with an ambitious screening of films that were featured in the very first London Film Festival, back in 1957. The National Film Theater, the cinematheque treasure run by the British Film Institute, which also presents the a...