American Express® Gala at the 58th BFI London Film Festival announced as Foxcatcher

The 58th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express is pleased to announce Foxcatcher as the Festival’s American Express Gala. The film will receive its UK Premiere on Thursday 16 October at the Odeon Leicester Square, attended by Academy Award-nominated director Bennett Miller and stars Steve Carell and Sienna Miller.

Based on true events, Foxcatcher tells the dark and fascinating story of the unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship between an eccentric multimillionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell) and two champion wrestlers Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and his brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). Bennett Miller won the Best Director prize at Cannes for this rich and moving story of brotherly love, misguided loyalty and the corruption and emotional bankruptcy that can accompany great power and wealth.

Clare Stewart, BFI London Film Festival Director, comments:

We are delighted to be announcing that Foxcatcher will be our 2014 American Express gala presentation, marking the fifth year of our dynamic LFF partnership with one of the year’s most powerful and important films. Featuring enthralling performances from its entire cast and directed with unswerving rigour, Foxcatcher not only confirms Bennett Miller as one of the world’s most significant contemporary filmmakers, it powerfully demonstrates the clarity of his vision: get to the truth by creating fiction out of fact.

Foxcatcher (2014)

Director Bennett Miller comments:

I’m thrilled that Foxcatcher will be playing the LFF and I’m thrilled to be attending. I suspect Britons will have a special relationship with this film.

Foxcatcher is directed by Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball), with a screenplay written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, and stars Steve Carell (Little Miss Sunshine) as John du Pont, Channing Tatum (Magic Mike) as Mark Schultz and Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers) as Dave Schultz, with Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) and Sienna Miller (The Edge of Love).

Sony Pictures Classics presents an Annapurna Pictures production in association with Likely Story; produced by Megan Ellison, Bennett Miller, Jon Kilik and Anthony Bregman, with executive producers Chelsea Barnard, Ron Schmidt, Mark Bakshi, Michael Coleman, Tom Heller and John P. Giura, and co-producer Scott Robertson. Behind-the-camera talent includes director of photography Greig Fraser ASC, production designer Jess Gonchor, editors Stuart Levy A.C.E., Conor O’Neill, Jay Cassidy A.C.E., with costume design by Kasia Walicka-Maimone, the music supervisor is Susan Jacobs with music by Rob Simonsen and additional music by West Dylan Thordson, the casting director is Jeanne McCarthy C.S.A.

Entertainment One UK release the film in UK cinemas on 9 January, 2015.

The 58th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express runs from Wednesday 8 October to Sunday 19 October. The full programme for the Festival will be announced on Wednesday 3 September from the Odeon Leicester Square.