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| Author | Mia Blakeney |
The 67th BFI London Film Festival took place from Wednesday 4 to Sunday 15 October 2023. The festival took place at venues across London, around the UK and on BFI Player, showcasing some of the best upcoming films from across the globe, including many that will be coming to cinemas over the next few months.
Members of the DCM team were lucky enough to attend some of the screenings, and have shared some of their highlights from the festival.
To find out more or discuss any opportunities for any of these films, speak to your DCM rep today.
Saltburn
Release date: 17 November 2023
Target audience: ABC1 women
Est. DCM admissions: 253k
Synopsis: Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
“Saltburn was an exhilarating watch. Visually stunning and jam-packed with nostalgia, the film spans the genres of drama, thriller and comedy to striking effect. Should Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike receive Oscar nominations for this film, it would be well-earned.”
Sophie Gale-Evans, Client Business Director
Killers of the Flower Moon
Release date: 20 October 2023
Target audience: ABC1 men
Est. DCM admissions: 811k
Synopsis: Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.
“Stacked with an A-List cast including Robert DeNiro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and recent Oscar winner Brendan Fraser – there is not a single bad or questionable performance in this film. With a 3.5-hour run-time one might be concerned the film may drag, but every minute of the film’s runtime feels justified as Scorsese brings to life the lengths the Osage tribe had to go to in order to receive justice for their senseless murders.”
Korrine Eshun, Agency Manager – Group M
May December
Release date: 17 November 2023
Target audience: ABC1 women
Est. DCM admissions: 81k
Synopsis: May December follows married couple Gracie and Joe Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore and Charles Melton) whose 23-year age gap sparked a notorious tabloid romance that gripped the nation two decades ago. Cut to modern day, and their marriage comes under renewed strain when Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) comes to spend time with the family to better understand Gracie, who she will be playing in a film about the scandal.
“What may appear at the start to be a high-camp soap opera reveals the darker truth that lies just under the surface as this excellent film unfolds. It’s no surprise to see greatness from Portman and Moore, but the breakout performance from Charles Melton (Riverdale) stole the show.”
Michael Tull, Insight Business Director
Eileen
Release date: 1 December 2023
Target audience: ABC1 women
Est. DCM admissions: 15k
Synopsis: Based on the book of the same name by literary powerhouse Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen follows a peculiar young woman whose dreary life stretches on toward unending misery. In frigid 1960s Boston, Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) shuffles between her father's dingy, emotionally haunted home and the prison where she works alongside colleagues who have ostracized her. When an intoxicating woman (Anne Hathaway) joins the prison staff, Eileen is taken. Just when the possibility of a salvational friendship (or maybe more) takes hold and forms a singular glimmer in Eileen's darkness, her newfound confidant entangles her in a shocking crime that alters all.
"A dark, pulpy comedy that had the crowd in both shock and laughter throughout the theatre. Set in the 60s, the film explores the dark psyche of a main character who finds solace in a new female friend, played by Anne Hathaway. Her performance as Rebecca stole the show and was a true highlight of the film."
Selindiona Saliasi, Sales Executive - Indies
Ferrari
Release date: 26 December 2023
Target audience: ABC1 men
Est. DCM admissions: 303k
Synopsis: It is the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle of Formula 1, ex-racer Enzo Ferrari is in crisis. Bankruptcy threatens the factory he and his wife, Laura built from nothing ten years earlier. Their volatile marriage has been battered by the loss of their son, Dino a year earlier. Ferrari struggles to acknowledge his son Piero with Lina Lardi. Meanwhile, his drivers' passion to win pushes them to the edge as they launch into the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the Mille Miglia.
“Without doubt, my favourite time of year at the festival is always the ‘surprise film’, which this year was Michael Mann’s Ferrari. The film is not a fast-paced racing film - although when the action does move to the track, audiences are in for a tense and thrilling watch - rather a close look at the man behind Ferrari and the troubles he faced financially, within his family and with the guilt he felt at the number lives the sport took back then.
Korrine Eshun, Agency Manager – Group M
Poor Things
Release date: 12 January 2024
Target audience: ABC1 women
Est. DCM admissions: 504k
Synopsis: From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe).
“Emma Stone gives a career-best performance in this wildly funny and weird tale from the mind of Yorgos Lanthimos. Stunning costume and production design, a whip-smart script, and a devilishly entertaining turn from Mark Ruffalo – expect Poor Things to feature heavily across the awards race.”
Michael Tull, Insight Business Director
The Holdovers
Release date: 19 January 2024
Target audience: ABC1 adults
Est. DCM admissions: 202k
Synopsis: From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, The Holdovers follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them - a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) - and with the school's head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).
"A really warm and funny film that makes for a great holiday viewing. Even though the film is set in the 70s, it takes you back to a 90s feel with its directing style and setting in a boarding school baring a similar likeness to titles such as Dead Poet Society - it feels nostalgic and sweet. The collective experience of watching it in the cinema was great as hearing the laughter and tears around me elevated the films experience even further."
Selindiona Saliasi, Sales Executive - Indies
Find out more about all upcoming films at www.dcm.co.uk/films