Our Most Anticipated Films of London Film Festival 2025

The UK's biggest film festival returns for another year, showcasing the world's best storytellers.

Escape Film Club will be there to cover every second. Our watchlist may be embarrassingly long, but here are some of our most anticipated films the festival has in store this year.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Director-writer Rian Johnson opens the festival with another mystery for Benoit Blanc to solve. A star-studded cast sets the scene for a gothic mystery full of twists, turns and Kentucky-fried Foghorn Leghorn drawl.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has a limited UK cinema run from November 26th and arrives on Netflix December 12th.

Bugonia

Yorgos Lanthimos is no stranger to the weird and wonderful, which is why no one is surprised that his latest conspiracy-obsessed thriller follows a kidnapped CEO, as her attackers believe she is an alien. Sure, why not?

Bugonia arrives in UK cinemas October 31st.

Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi)

Recently winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, Joachim Trier follows up the exquisite The Worst Person in the World with a touching family drama reuniting with Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie.

Sentimental Value arrives in UK cinemas December 26th.

Alpha

Julia Ducournau's recurring habit of blending body horror with coming-of-age family stories shows no signs of slowing down following her Palme d’Or-winning Titane with this latest visceral genre-bending film.

Alpha is coming soon to UK cinemas.

No Other Choice (어쩔수가없다)

Park Chan-wook has a uniquely wicked sense of humour that pairs with his eye for stylish imagery and attention to detail, which will no doubt lend itself to this thriller following a man clawing back his dignity by any means necessary.

No Other Choice is coming soon to UK cinemas.

Die My Love

Lynne Ramsay returns to our screens with a bold story of postpartum psychosis, with performances from Jennifer Lawrence & Robert Pattinson that will no doubt leave their mark on the upcoming awards season.

Die My Love arrives in UK cinemas November 14th.

It Was Just an Accident (یک تصادف ساده)

Winning the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, director-writer Jafar Panahi's thriller sees two men with a shared past unexpectedly reunited, all thanks to a minor traffic accident.

It Was Just An Accident arrives in UK cinemas December 5th.

Anemone

Coming out of retirement for the 22nd time, Daniel Day-Lewis makes a highly anticipated return to our screens for a story exploring family bonds and relationships, directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis.

Anemone arrives in UK cinemas November 7th.

The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto)

Kleber Mendonça Filho's Brazilian chaotic political thriller set during the sun-drenched carnival of 1977 recently made an impact, winning Best Director and Best Actor for Wagner Moura at Cannes.

The Secret Agent arrives in UK cinemas February 20th 2026.

The Voice of Hind Rajab (صوت هند رجب)

Using real audio from actual phone conversations, Kaouther Ben Hania’s devastating film recounts the story of workers at the Palestine Red Crescent Society who receive an emergency call from a young girl in Gaza.

The Voice of Hind Rajab arrives in UK cinemas January 16th 2026.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Mary Bronstein's psychological drama explores the complexities of being a mother through a darkly comic lens with a lead performance by Rose Byrne that recently won her the Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You arrives in UK cinemas February 20th 2026.

Hamnet

Chloé Zhao follows up the Academy Award-winning Nomadland with a period drama following Agnes & William Shakespeare struggling to come to terms with the loss of their only son, Hamnet.

Hamnet arrives in UK cinemas January 9th 2026.

After The Hunt

Luca Guadagnino delivers another tense and socially relevant drama surrounding a scandal when a star pupil, played by Ayo Edebiri, makes an accusation of sexual assault against another professor.

After The Hunt arrives in UK cinemas October 17th.

Surprise Film

Last year, we went live from New York with Saturday Night. In previous years, we've seen the story of Ferrari, sampled The Menu and followed Adam Sandler getting his hands on Uncut Gems. In what is always a highlight of the festival, who knows what this year has in store?

All will be revealed on Thursday October 9th at the Royal Festival Hall.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. We haven't touched on Richard Linklater's two films at the festival, Guillermo del Toro bringing Frankenstein's monster to life, or the life of Bruce Springsteen. There is so much in store and hidden gems to discover.

The 69th BFI London Film Festival takes place from 8 to 19 October in London and around the UK. You can still buy tickets to films and events at whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff

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