From Knives Out’s grand opening to Guillermo del Toro’s gothic masterpiece, the 69th BFI London Film Festival lights up October 2025.
🏛️ Festival Overview
From 8 to 19 October 2025, the 69th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) transforms the capital into a celebration of global cinema. With more than 160 features from 79 countries, this edition balances prestige galas, innovative debuts, and one undeniable centrepiece — Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
🎬 Opening & Closing Galas
Opening Night — Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson returns with Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc solving intrigue across London. The premiere at Royal Festival Hall sets a slick, crowd-pleasing tone for the festival’s start.
Cunard Gala — Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach’s new drama starring George Clooney earns the prestigious Cunard slot on 10 October, exploring creativity, loyalty, and fame.
Closing Night — 100 Nights of Hero
Director Julia Jackman closes LFF on 19 October with this fantastical adaptation of Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel, starring Emma Corrin and Nicholas Galitzine.
🧱 Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein: The Gothic Heartbeat of LFF 2025
Screening on 13 October as part of the Gala presentations, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein electrifies this year’s line-up. A lifelong passion project for the Oscar-winning director, it reimagines Mary Shelley’s myth as a tragic love story about creation and compassion.
- Director: Guillermo del Toro
- Cast: Oscar Isaac (Victor Frankenstein), Jacob Elordi (the Creature), Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance and David Bradley
- Runtime: 149 minutes | Certificate: BBFC 15
- UK Release: 17 October 2025 | Netflix Global Stream: 7 November 2025
Del Toro described the film as “the culmination of everything I love about monsters — their humanity.” Critics in Venice hailed it as visually operatic and emotionally devastating, earning a 9-minute standing ovation.
Complementing the film, Netflix and the BFI launch an immersive exhibit — “Frankenstein: Crafting a Tale Eternal” — running 17 October to 9 November at The Old Selfridges Hotel, showcasing models, sketches, and prosthetics from the production.
✨ Premieres, Competitions & Highlights
- Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet – an intimate Shakespearean re-imagining.
- Moss & Freud – Kate Moss biopic receiving its world premiere.
- No Other Choice – Park Chan-wook’s return to political allegory.
- The Voice of Hind Rajab – documentary blending journalism and grief.
The Official Competition brings twelve international films vying for top honors, chaired by producer Elizabeth Karlsen. Separate juries award Documentary, First Feature, and Short Film prizes.
🎭 Emerging Trends
- Genre Hybrids & Emotional Risk: Films like Frankenstein and Blue Heron blur lines between horror, art-house, and drama.
- Star Power in Indie Frames: Oscar Isaac, Elle Fanning, and George Clooney headline mid-budget auteur projects.
- London as Cinematic Character: From Knives Out’s Victorian intrigue to del Toro’s gothic backdrops, the city itself defines the festival’s mood.
🎞️ Why It Matters
LFF 2025 demonstrates how mainstream and art-house can coexist. By embracing Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein alongside Rian Johnson’s crowd-pleasers, the festival cements its identity as a bridge between blockbuster and visionary cinema.
For audiences, this means a feast of storytelling — from detective mysteries to gothic fables — and for filmmakers, a launch pad that continues to define the autumn awards season.