Industry programme announced for 66th BFI London Film Festival

As the world’s film and screen sector continues to build back business and develop new screen stories and pathways to attracting audiences, this year’s BFI London Film Festival industry programme follows the full life-cycle for making films and screen work, from new perspectives in an ever-evolving sector and looking at how both creators and industry are crossing frontiers into new territory, having new ideas and forming new collaborations. 

The festival is delighted to be welcoming two European industry leaders who will headline the programme’s Spotlight conversations. Italian producer and CEO/founder of The Apartment Lorenzo Mieli, has established a stellar career, working with acclaimed makers of film and television including such as Paolo Sorrentino, Marco Bellocchio and Luca Guadagnino, and in the process has played a major part in boosting the Italian industry’s creative reputation internationally. 

MK2 Films’s managing director Fionnuala Jamison runs one of the most renowned integrated production, sales and distribution companies in France, operating in the film industry since 1974 and boasting a catalogue of iconic international filmmakers from François Truffaut to Krzysztof KieślowskI, and including Ruben Ostlund, Jessica Hausner, Roy Andersson and Antonio Campos.

The programme lineup welcomes acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Jez Butterworth and Alexander Cary, writer of the first series of Homeland and showrunner, legendary Canadian filmmaker and installation artist Guy Maddin and immersive expert Julian Weiss who will feature in events alongside pioneering filmmakers Nikyatu Jusu, Youssef Chebbi and Moussa Sene Absa celebrating their experiences as filmmakers from historically marginalised background. Producers, filmmakers, funders, distributors, festival directors and exhibitors will be speaking at various panel discussions.

The festival’s programme and events create valuable opportunities for UK creatives and industry professionals to meet and make new connections with international industry professionals seeing potential creative and business collaboration.  

The BFI and the Institut français in the UK, in cooperation with UniFrance are launching New Waves, a set of co-production meetings for invited producers from France and the UK participating in the festival. The programme (8 October) will be hosted by Dragoslav Zachariev, Deputy Director, Institut Français UK.

JAMPRO, the government of Jamaica trade and investment promotions agency, will host a networking reception at the Jamaican High Commission offering an opportunity to celebrate and promote the Jamaican film industry. Four producers from Jamaican production companies have been invited by the festival, supported by LFF programme advisor Keith Shiri.

Committed to supporting UK screen-based businesses and talent and increasing opportunities for international collaboration, the 2022 industry programme features a variety of talent development initiatives as part of the UK Talent Days focus in partnership with the British Council including the third edition of the Works-in-Progress showcase for new UK work, this year presenting nine new films and documentaries; the LFF Critics Mentorship Programme; and NETWORK@LFF.

Following a fully digital programme in 2020, this year’s industry programme will comprise live in-person screenings and events as well as offering digital access to films, allowing more international and UK industry delegates to participate. 

Industry accreditation is open to UK and international filmmakers and individuals working in a professional capacity in film and/or wider screen sectors. In-person accreditation closes on Wednesday 28 September at 17:00.

The industry programme includes:

• Spotlight Conversation – Lorenzo Mieli, Founder and CEO, The Apartment Pictures, producer of Bones And All, My Brilliant Friend and We Are Who We Are
• Spotlight Conversation – Fionnuala Jamison, Managing Director, MK2 Films
• Industry panel: Writing across forms, a conversation with screenwriters –  Jez Butterworth and Alex Cary
• Industry Panel – HAUNTED HOTEL. Behind the scenes of Guy Maddin’s immersive exhibition with Guy Maddin and Julian Weiss
• Industry panel: Formations. In Conversation  –  Nikyatu Jusu, Youssef Chebbi and Moussa Sene Absa, presented by the BFI and the Anti-Racist Taskforce for European Film (ARTEF) 
• Industry panel, Anatomy of a debut: The Origin – Oliver Kassman, Andrew Cumming, Ruth Greenberg and Heather Basten 
• Industry panel: Under pressure: challenges and opportunities in feature films’ development – Mike Goodridge, Eva Yates, Dionne Edwards, Tristan Goligher
• Industry panel: Sold Out!  Moving your audience from their sofa to the big screen with Melanie Iredale, David Kapur, Anthony Andrews, Jake Garriock
• UK Talent Days programme: LFF Works-in-Progress Showcase
• LFF Critics Mentorship Programme; BFI NETWORK@LFF
• Buyers & Sellers Event
• Film London Production Finance Market