7 brilliant things to see at the LFF (that aren’t movies)

The BFI London Film Festival is just around the corner. If you’re a movie lover and within striking distance of London or its nine satellite cities from Glasgow to Bristol, you’ve probably got tickets sorted for some of its – and if not, there’s still time and some tickets available. 

But the LFF isn’t just about catching new and newly restored feature films. There’s plenty more on offer at a festival that prides itself on its appeal to as much of the public as possible. Screen talks are there for anyone eager to get under the skin of movie-making, while LFF for Free, which goes ‘on sale’ on Thursday October 3, boasts a mini-programme of talks, screenings, Q&As and parties – and all, as the name implies, free of charge. 

1. Take a mind-expanding trip into extended reality

Extended reality (XR) is one of those ‘just take the plunge’ experiences that defies description. Suffice to say that a wander down to LFF’s XR venues – Outernet, BFI IMAX and Bargehouse at OXO Wharf – will offer a passport far from a rainy London October. Look out for Impulse: Playing With Reality (£12), a Tilda Swinton-narrated journey inside the mind of someone with ADHD, and Arcade (£12-14), a ‘choose-your-own-path’ experience that recreates the sensation of 8-bit gaming in pitch darkness. We can’t promise Pac-Man won’t haunt your nightmares afterwards.

2. Enjoy a festival freebie 

With events up for grabs from 10am on October 3, LFF for Free is delivering another Santa sack of pay-absolutely-nothing goodness at this year’s fest. Look out for literary chats with film writers, including Mark Cousins and Adam Woodward, author of a new study of cinema’s most symmetrical auteur ‘The Worlds of Wes Anderson’ (pictured above), free talks and panels, and even the odd disco. See below for more...

3. Party on at the BFI bar

With some big-hitting music docs on the slate this year, expect some big tunes blasting out for the BFI Southbank bar. These unofficial afterparties are open to all-comers, with a ska and two-tone night to celebrate Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story (9pm Saturday, October 12) and some noughts pop and R&B bangers to mark the fest closer, Pharrell Williams doc Piece by Piece.

4. Take a political journey via the Experimenta programme

For something locked in to the state of the world, head to the ICA. That’s where the fest’s politically-fuelled Experimenta programme will be taking up residence for 11 days of films from Palestine, Singapore, Philippines, Colombia and other corners of the globe. Themes of  resistance, cultural reclamation and historical memory will run through the debate-starting line-up, including Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell’s fired-up study of environmental activism Direct Action (pictured above).

5. Take the wee’uns for a movie outing

Shrek-loving kids will enjoy a celebration of 30 years of DreamWorks Animation (10.30am, Sun Oct 13), and there’s an early Christmas treat in the shape of a That Christmas workshop, themed around Richard Curtis’s new animation (1pm, Sat Oct 19). Because it’s never too early to get the festive fun started.

6. Learn from a filmmaking great 

This year’s line-up of film talks is a formidable list, with Mike Leigh, Daniel Kaluuya, Andrea Arnold and Steve McQueen all swinging by to regale audiences with career recollections and state-of-the-industry insights. Getting tickets for any of them is a whole other thing, with sellouts across the board. Happily, a few of the talks will be up on the BFI’s YouTube channel, so bookmark it now.

7. Check out a small screen show on the big screen

TV and streaming is an increasingly integral part of the LFF and this year’s programme boasts a few goodies, including Armando Iannucci’s HBO satire The Franchise and Thomas Vinterberg’s Families like Ours. LFF for Free has four episodes of Alfonso Cuarón’s knotty Apple TV+ drama Disclaimer (Fri Oct 11, pictured above) up for grabs. The Mexican filmmaker says the show was made for the big screen, so where better to watch it?

This year’s BFI London Film Festival runs from Wednesday, October 9 to Sunday, October 20.

6 great London Film Festival screenings you can still get tickets for.

Everything you need to know about this year’s LFF.