With the Venice Film Festival wrapping up last week and the Toronto International Film Festival currently underway, films are sitting firmly on the agenda. And with big names such as Priscilla, Poor Things and All Of Us Strangers on the billings, 2023 is shaping up to be an exciting year for film and television. Films that we can all enjoy when the BFI’s London Film Festival (LFF) comes to town next month.

This year will be the 67th iteration of the LFF, running from 4-15 October, and it includes a mix of world film premieres, TV showcases and headline galas for filmgoers to sit back and enjoy. Like last year’s festival, the 2023 lineup is packed with female-led and driven films covering a range of themes and narratives.

Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn takes on the opening night gala, while Emma Stone-led Poor Things, Nyad and May December with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore will all feature in headline gala slots. However, there are plenty more films across the festival’s 12 days to bookmark in your calendar.

Here’s our pick of the female-driven releases to keep an eye out for at this year’s London Film Festival.

If you loved Promising Young Woman and have been waiting for Emerald Fennell’s next project, then look no further. Details of Saltburn still remain shrouded in mystery but we do know that the film follows Oliver Quick (played by Barry Keoghan), a young man trying to find his feet at Oxford University when he meets aristocratic Felix Catton (played by Jacob Elordi). Catton invites Quick to his family’s estate for a summer that none of them will forget.

Saltburn is showing at LFF on 4, 5 and 8 October 2023.

Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Poor Things is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe among others. An official synopsis for the film describes it as “the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr Godwin Baxter”. But Bella wants more from the world and runs off with a lawyer who takes her on adventures across the continents.

Poor Things is showing at LFF on 14 and 15 October 2023.

Directed by Todd Haynes, May December is a story of celebrity, scandal and secrets and focuses on the seemingly perfect relationship between Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton). An official synopsis reads: “When Elizabeth, an actor, arrives at their home to research for a role in a film based on Gracie, it becomes clear that the couple’s relationship isn’t as strong as they’d like to believe. As the truth begins to unspool, and Elizabeth immerses herself in her role, it becomes clear that she’s not the only one acting.”

May December is showing at LFF on 6, 7 and 11 October 2023.

A heartwarming and inspiring film that tells the true story of athlete Diana Nyad (played by Annette Bening), who at the age of 60 and with the help of her former partner and coach Bonnie Stoll (played by Jodie Foster), commits to achieving her life-long dream of swimming the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without using a shark cage.

Nyad is showing at LFF on 10, 11 and 13 October 2023.

Based on the memoir Elvis And Me by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon, A24’s Priscilla looks to explore the complexities of the whirlwind romance and relationship between Priscilla and Elvis. In true Sofia Coppola style, of course. The young Priscilla is played by Cailee Spaeny and Elvis is played by Jacob Elordi, with other cast members including Dagmara Dominczyk (Succession) and Ari Cohen.

Priscilla is showing at LFF on 9 and 10 October 2023.

Jodie Comer takes the lead once again in this dystopian drama about catastrophic floods engulfing Britain, playing a young woman with a newborn baby as they try to seek refuge in a crumbling society. Directed by Mahalia Belo, The End We Start From is based on Megan Hunter’s 2017 novel of the same name and charts a tale of family and survival.

The End We Start From is showing at LFF on 13 and 14 October 2023.

Winner of the LFF’s first feature competition, Hoard is the directorial debut from Luna Carmoon and has already received critical acclaim for the film and its tackling of trauma, sexuality and coming-of-age. The official synopsis reads: “Haunted by memories of her disturbed mother, Cynthia, mixed-up teen Maria develops an animalistic bond with the troubled Michael over one hot summer in the 1990s.”

Hoard is showing at LFF on 9 and 15 October 2023.

Another British debut comes in the form of Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex. Starring Mia McKenna-Bruce (Persuasion), this film follows teenager Tara on holiday with her friends, enjoying a life of drinks, sun and sex. But when a night out goes wrong, Tara begins to question everything – experiences, friendship and even her own future.

How To Have Sex is showing at LFF on 10 and 12 October 2023.

Directed by Laura Moss, this horror puts its own modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and stars Marlin Ireland as pathologist Rose and Judy Reyes as nurse and mother Celie, both working at the same hospital. The synopsis explains that Celie’s daughter’s death leads her to “discover her colleague’s sideline in reanimation, [and] the two women are thrust together”.

Birth/Rebirth is showing at LFF on 11 and 13 October 2023.

Starring Killers Of The Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone and directed by Erica Tremblay, this film explores Indigenous womanhood and family as we follow the story of Jax and her niece Roki living on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation. The aunt and niece are searching for Roki’s mother, but when Jax risks losing her niece to her white grandparents, the pair hit the road to reunite their family once and for all.

Fancy Dance is showing at LFF on 7 and 12 October 2023.

Images: BFI London Film Festival