London Film Festival Line Up

That time of year is coming around again, when London is inundated with more films than you can shake a camera at. Yes, the Times bfi London Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday October 20 for two glorious weeks, and we got the lowdown at the official launch today. We already knew that the opening night gala will be Mike Leigh's 1960s-set abortion drama Vera Drake, which had been booked even before it grabbed Best Film and Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. Closing the festival will be I Heart Huckabees, David O. Russell's long awaited "existential comedy" and his first film since the fabulous Three Kings. In between, there's House Of Flying Daggers, Zhang Yimou's latest wushu masterpiece; Enduring Love, the Daniel Craig/Rhys Ifans psychological drama from director Roger Michell; 2046 from Wong Kar Wai; Mira Nair's Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon and Pixar's The Incredibles. Not to mention Garden State, Todd Solondz' Palindrome, Francois Ozon's 5X2, Maria Full Of Grace, Cannes favourite Nobody Knows, and Sally Potter's intriguing Yes, where all the dialogue appears to be in iambic pentameter. Frankly, we're already planning our schedule to see the lot. Actors and directors expected to turn up include Mike Leigh, Reese Witherspoon and Kevin Bacon (who people will no doubt be queuing up to see, if only to lower their Bacon number). The festival will be happening all over London, and the films touring around the country, so there's no excuse not to get out and see some serious cinema.