Winterbottom: Highlight at the BFI London Film Festival
TICKETS are selling fast for events at this year’s 55th BFI London Film Festival. With the glitzy premiere, 360, starring Rachel Weisz, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jude Law opening the fortnight on 12 October, no wonder the event is proving popular. Last year, all eyes were on the King’s Speech, which went on to pick up four Oscars at the Academy Awards. This year, there’s an eclectic mix of British and International films to choose from. Here’s our quick guide to a few of the highlights of the fortnight of Southbank festivities.
1 Film
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
SEAN Durkin’s directorial debut, which heralds new star, Elizabeth Olsen (aka younger sister of fashionistas/child stars Mary-Kate and Ashley), is a tale of readjustment to society after a life immersed in a cult. We follow Martha (Olsen) from her escape and witness her uncomfortable flashbacks back to life in the commune. The film becomes
unsettling when we watch cult leader Patrick (JohnHawkes) undergo a transformation from charismatic to chilling.
2 Film
SARAH PALIN – YOU BETCHA!
AFTER all the mud-slinging at Sarah Palin over the past year, the tenacious hockey mom must be getting used to batting away controversy. This entertaining and uncomfortable documentary, by Brit director Nick Broomfield, is a telling character assessment of the former Alaska governor, pieced together from interviews with those former campaign managers, relatives, employees among others, and makes risible the idea of a future Palin presidency.
3 Talk and Film
MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM TALK AND TRISHNA
WITH a repertoire spanning lesbian serial killer films to last year’s acclaimed the Killer Inside Me, this insight into the versatile British director is unmissable. Winterbottom will be discussing his varied career to date, which includes the sexually explicit 9 Songs, the painfully funny series, the Trip, starring Steve Coogan, and his latest film Trishna, a modern remake of Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto takes the starring role as the beautiful peasant from Rajasthan, who, when pursued by a wealthy hotelier’s son, is undone by his charm and pursuit.
Talk: Sunday 23rd October, 4pm.
55th BFI London Film Festival (in partnership with American Express), 12th to 27th October.
Go to www.bfi.org.uk/lff for all booking details