BFI London Film Festival 2023: Australian Kristy Matheson debuts as festival director | Special
Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and Jacob Elordi among the Aussie names seen on screen this year London Film Festival.
The 2023 program was announced at the British Film Institute’s Southbank facility on Thursday, with uncertainty hanging over whether any of the big names will attend the October event in the UK in person.
While the Hollywood on strike left the Venice Film Festival red carpets with less glamor this week, not something that worries the director of the festival, Kristy Matheson from Australia, who will be making her first trip at the helm of the big event.
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“We’re just going through the same experience that everyone else is having and, for us, it’s really about focusing on the movies,” Matheson told 9Honey at the launch event in London.
“When it comes to guests, we always think about it [but] they are kind of the longest part of the puzzle.
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“So, for us, we’re just putting our heads down and trying to put together a program that we feel will really engage audiences.”
Matheson, who has previously worked on the Brisbane and Sydney Film Festivals before moving to Scotland to head the Edinburgh Film Festival, jokes that “there are still a lot of words that I don’t know.” understand” after years spent in the UK.
But the expat says that watching movies from home gives her comfort.
“I feel like Australia definitely punches above its weight in terms of filmmaking talent,” Matheson told 9Honey Celebrity.
“We have a lot of filmmaking talent in Australia. But I can’t lie, it’s always so wonderful and feels very comfortable to watch work from home and I think the films we have at the festival this year are really good. great show.”
The new film Blanchett The New Boy, set in Australia in the 1940s and sees the Oscar-winning actress play a nun who takes charge of aboriginal boys who are orphaned by the authorities. Directed by Warwick Thornton, it also stars Deborah Mailman and Aswan Reid.
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Kidman will appear in an episode of the limited series Expatswhich includes the complex life of Hong Kong’s wealthy expat community
As well as Australian films and stars in this year’s programme, actor-directors are the special theme throughout much of this year’s programme.
The film Burn the saltwith a reward A promising young woman director and The Crown actress Emerald Fennellthe festival opens on October 4. The film also features an all-star cast, including Elordi as well as Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike and Oscar-nominated Richard E. Grant.
At the same time another man BAFTA and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya makes his directorial debut at the indoor closing gala The Kitchen and Chris Pine making his directorial debut in The man of the century.
Fresh from making his debut in Venice, Bradley Coopersecond leadership effort, Maestroon which it also appears side by side Carey Mulliganalso part of the LFF feature films
Elsewhere on the screen, Sir Anthony Hopkins‘ new movie One Life It will take over the American Express gala.
While Fleabag a star Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal team up for the much anticipated main gala, All of us Strangers.
Killing Eve a star Jodie Comer the festival has two films, and other big names include Michael Fassbender, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson and Ozark’s Julia Garner.
In total, there will be 252 works across feature films, documentaries, short films, animated offerings and immersive experiences from 92 countries across the 12-day festival.
