Blitz, the new film by Oscar-winning London-born director Steve McQueen, will be the opening film for this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
The Opening Night Gala on October 9 will be the world premiere of the eagerly anticipated Apple-financed wartime drama.
The film, set in London in 1940, stars Bafta-nominee Saoirse Ronan and introduces youngster Elliott Heffernan alongside an all-star cast including Harris Dickinson, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller and Stephen Graham.
Heffernan plays a nine-year-old George, evacuated to safety in the English countryside before the Blitz but he becomes determined to return home to mother Rita (Ronan) in east London, soon finding himself in immense peril.
Blitz’s world premiere marks a return to the LFF by McQueen, who has opened the festival twice before with Widows in 2018 and Mangrove in 2020.
McQueen was awarded the BFI’s highest honour, the BFI Fellowship, at the BFI London Film Festival in 2016 for his outstanding contribution to film and moving image culture.
McQueen said: “Blitz is a movie about Londoners. It honours the spirit of what and how Londoners endured during the blitz, but also explores the true representation of people in London, while at its core is the story of a working-class family desperate to be reunited during times of war.
“I could not be more thrilled that the BFI London Film Festival have invited us to open this year’s festival, and to celebrate the World Premiere of Blitz in my hometown.”
Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival Director, said: “Blitz is a film of incredible scale.
“Steve McQueen infuses the film with nuance at every turn; the depth of character and texture of the city are all peerless and make this subject feel completely new.
“It’s an astounding production that will leave audiences in awe of the director, his cast, and creative collaborators. We are honoured to share this film with audiences in London and across the UK and can think of no better way to open the 2024 BFI London Film Festival.”
The 2024 festival will run from October 9 to October 20.
Festival tickets go on sale 17 September. BFI Members can book early on 10 September.
Blitz will premiere in select cinemas on 1 November, 2024 prior to streaming globally on Apple TV+ on 22 November.
