The China Mail - Sci-fi thriller and biblical epic to premiere at London Film Fest

The British capital's annual cinema showcase will close on October 15 with the science-fiction thriller, co-directed by fellow British filmmaker Kibwe Tavares, before its release in UK cinemas and on Netflix.

Set in a near-future dystopian London, the film -- nearly a decade in the making -- chronicles a marginalised underclass living on the city's fringes after all forms of social housing have been eradicated.

It features a lesser-known cast of largely British actors, including Kane Robinson -- also known as the rapper Kano -- and newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman.

Kaluuya, best known for starring in "Get Out", "Black Panther" and "Judas and the Black Messiah" -- for which he won the 2021 best supporting actor Academy Award -- co-wrote the screenplay.

The 12-day London festival, now in its 67th year, will also play host to the world premiere of "The Book of Clarence", starring Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, LaKeith Stanfield and David Oyelowo.

A biblical drama by British director Jeymes Samuel, whose Jay-Z produced reimagined western "The Harder They Fall" opened the 2021 festival, it is set for release in cinemas early in 2024.

The London showcase will open on October 4 with "Saltburn", by Oscar-winning writer, director and actress Emerald Fennell, in its first screening outside the United States after premiering this week at the Telluride Film Festival.

- 'Thrill-ride' -

Touted as one of the most eagerly-awaited British films of the year, it stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and Carey Mulligan.

Likened to cult classic "The Talented Mr. Ripley", Fennell's directorial follow-up to 2020's "Promising Young Woman" is described as a "story of obsession" centred on a British country estate, Saltburn.

"It's a thrill-ride of a film," said festival director Kristy Matheson, who is helming the event for the first time, as she unveiled this year's line-up.

Matheson called the 252 titles set to screen -- comprising feature and short films, extended reality (XR) works and TV series -- a "heartfelt cinematic mixtape".

London's 2023 roster hails from 92 countries and features 79 languages, with 39 percent made by female and non-binary filmmakers.

Among the other world premieres is a sequel to stop-motion favourite "Chicken Run", nearly a quarter-century after the original release.

"Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget", from the award-winning British stop-motion giant Aardman Studios -- the makers of "Wallace and Gromit" -- will be released on Netflix on December 15.

London will also showcase numerous films that have already premiered at other festivals and cities this year, including Oscar-winner Steve McQueen's four-hour documentary about Amsterdam, "Occupied City".

Martin Scorsese's Western epic "Killers of the Flower Moon", and Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron" will also screen in the British capital.

E.Lau--ThChM