The BFI London Film Festival will be back in the capital this October and has announced its opening night film. The choice? Amma Asante's A United Kingdom, starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike.
Asante's latest is set in the 1940s and follows the true story of Prince Seretse Khama of Bechuanaland (now known as Botswana) and Ruth Williams, the London officer worker he married in 1947 in the face of strong opposition from their families and respective governments.
“Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom is testament to a defiant and enduring love story that also reveals a complex, painful chapter in British history," says Clare Stewart, BFI London Film Festival Director. "We are proud to be opening the 60th BFI London Film Festival with a film of such contemporary relevance, one that celebrates the triumph of love and intelligence over intolerance and oppression, and that confirms Asante as a distinctive and important British filmmaker.”
“It's a great privilege that A United Kingdom has been selected as the Opening Night Film of the BFI London Film Festival. The Festival means a lot to me personally, having showcased my very first film, A Way Of Life, here and been honoured with the UK Film Talent Award," Asante said in a statement. "I'm a proud Londoner and in A United Kingdom we've been able to film in some of the most beautiful parts of the city as well as in the wonderful landscapes of Botswana.”
The 60th BFI London Film Festival will run from October 5 to October 16 this year, and will announce its full programme on September 1.