he BFI London Film Festival is presented by the British Film Institute.
The BFI London Film Festival is an annual event based at the Southbank and other central London venues. It runs for 12 days and wherever possible each film is presented at least twice and up to four times.
Programming decisions are made at the discretion of the Head of Exhibition of the BFI and the programming team.
All feature films screened in the festival must be at least UK Premieres. Short films must be at least a London Premiere. Prior theatrical, UK Festivals, television screenings, internet transmission or DVD releases in the UK of feature length films disqualify them from entry. For competition films, preference will be given to European, international and world premieres.
Exceptions to the UK Premiere rule for feature films may be made for UK Productions but only if the UK Premiere has taken place in the nation of origin, in which case the LFF screening must be its second UK screening. This exception does not apply to competition and gala sections, or to films originating from England, where the UK Premiere rule applies. Any exception is at the discretion of the Festival Director.
Entries must have been produced within the last 18 months. Films that have screened before the previous BFI London Film Festival at international festivals are ineligible for open submission.