With the general release of tickets going on sale this week, I thought I’d share my tips and tricks for the London Film Festival – from getting tickets to getting the most out of your festival.
This will be my 8th year attending LFF and it is always a highlight of my year. From the films to the atmosphere to the chance to hear from some titans of cinema, it is a film lover’s dream. If you can get yourself to London, you shouldn’t miss it.
I’ve picked up a fair few tips across the years, so without further ado, I hope these help you out…
TICKETS
Planning
First thing’s first, if you haven’t already then make a plan. Comb through the entire programme; in my opinion, to get the most out of the festival, it’s best to fill your schedule with variety. Whilst the big name galas might seem like the obvious films to put at the top of your list, the festival may be the only chance you have to see certain films on the big screen, or even your only chance to see them in the UK at all. I’ve attended my fair share of gala premieres and Oscar big-hitters in the past, but some of my favourites have been tiny indies without distribution or any cast or crew attending. Taking a risk on a smaller film can mean you are part of the initial group that spreads to good word to help it find its audience. My favourite years have involved a mix of big and small films, world cinema and a mix of venues (part of the fun and range from the intimacy of the smaller venues to the mass excitement of Royal Festival Hall).
Make yourself a schedule and then make yourself a priority list. I’ve been fortunate enough not to have to take part in the general sale for a number of years due to having access to the presale, but it can generally be a battle to get what you want so make sure you have a plan of attack. You have 40 minutes once you get into the website and tickets are saved in your basked for 40ish minutes once you add them (there’s a countdown), but the website is known to glitch or crash so don’t wait too long.
When scheduling your festival, make sure to leave enough time between screenings if they are at different venues. You’ll need to allow travel time and, if you are attending a premiere screening (gala or not), allow time for a potential intro and q and a (Royal Festival Hall generally only has intros). Gala premieres, especially earlier in the day, can also start late due to the red carpets so just bear that in mind too. It is also worth remembering that you might have to piece yourself back together after an emotionally shattering experience fairly quickly in order to prepare yourself for the next film (flashback to me still trying to pull myself together after Roma whilst queueing to see the Wildlife premiere back in 2018 – 100% worth it). I love hopping from screening to screening and spending the entire day wrapped up in the world of cinema – all part of the film festival experience.
Getting Tickets
Get onto the website before 10am and, if you can, have multiple devices ready as your place in the queue is completely random. Manage your expectations – there is a good chance a lot of screenings have already sold out in the presales, but do not despair. There is a second ticket release on 1st October plus tickets pop up on the website randomly and more are released the morning of screenings. Obsessively refreshing webpages can definitely pay off! I have nabbed randomly released seats to both big and small premieres. One year, I only got one ticket that I wanted during the initial sale but ultimately ended up seeing 12 films including all the ones I initially wanted to see and others I heard about later – all thanks to later releases and random checking. This year there is also no AMEX presale so it’ll be interesting to see if that means more tickets are available in the first ticket release.
If you are 25 or younger, make sure you get a 25 & Under account set up to access £6 tickets! There are also other concessions to explore and, if you’re lucky, there are some £10 tickets at all screenings (although expect those to go first). Ticket prices vary depending on the time and day as well as gala vs repeat screenings – check out the ticket page on the LFF website to help work your watchlist around your budget.
AT THE FESTIVAL
Premieres
The first screening of any film (gala or not) is generally a premiere, whether that is a UK, European, international or world premiere. For the headline galas, this means a red carpet with usually the director, some stars and potentially other members of the filmmaking team including producers, composers or cinematographers. No one is guaranteed to make an appearance but LFF has certainly gotten a bigger profile in recent years so you can almost always assume at least the directors and a good chunk of the main cast will make an appearance. They will generally walk the red carpet doing interviews and then appear on stage to introduce the film and answer some questions from the BFI director or delegate who is hosting the premiere. Sometimes they’ll watch the film with you which can be fun to know they’re getting the real-time reaction of the room. If you are a ticket holder for one of these screenings, you get to walk down a separate, small red carpet area to enter (you used to walk down the same one as the stars which was chaotic but great).
If you don’t have a ticket for a gala premiere, you can still watch the red carpet – there is an elevated walkway just above the carpet next to the Southbank Centre where you can see what is going on (albeit from a bit of a distance), and you’ll find lots of people hanging around watching.
For non-gala premieres, depending on the size of the film (remember, indies don’t have the same budget as big studios to be flying people out), there’s a good chance at least the director will be there and again probably the main cast or some other creatives (again, nothing is guaranteed). These take place in smaller venues (offering a more intimate experience) and whoever is there from the film’s team will usually do both an intro and q and a (usually including audience questions – be quick to raise your hand to be in with the chance). If the first two screenings are on the same day and only a short amount of time apart then it’s likely whoever is there to represent the film will appear at both.
For other screenings of the film (after the first), it is unlikely the filmmakers will make an appearance, but not unheard of; don’t have high expectations, but you might get a nice surprise.
A Communal Atmosphere
One of the best things about LFF is the atmosphere it creates. As a haven for movie lovers you already know you’ve got something in common with the people around you and everyone is generally much more friendly and open to chat than in usual London life. There are so many times I’ve ended up making friends with the people around me whether that was hanging around watching a red carpet or in my seat ready for the film to start. You’ve got an easy ice-breaker in asking what they’ve seen at the festival and you can get some great recommendations. I think it’s part of the fun but, equally, if you’re not so chatty there is no pressure and people will be happy to let you do your own thing.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
With so much great talent in town to promote their films, keep an eye out as you are walking around as you never know who you might spot. After some screenings, I’ve happened to walk by the directors and just said a quick thank you for the film. We’re all here for the movies and it can give you a fun little anecdote if, for example, you were sat in the same row at a premiere as Ethan Coen (I was). I am absolutely not saying to bother these people, just that paying attention can add even more excitement to your experience.
Souvenirs
There is a shop inside the Southbank Centre as well as the usual BFI shop that sells some LFF merch like posters alongside more general film merch or books. There are also free LFF programmes around these venues that can be a nice thing to take home! I, personally, also like to get my tickets physically (picking them up from the BFI box office) to collect.
Overall, just enjoy it! Get excited – there are few places in the world that we, the public, get to see films before release and hear from the filmmakers behind them. I would wholeheartedly recommend LFF to any movie lover – if you get to go, I hope you love it as much as I do. I have so many great memories of the festival and I can’t wait to make some more.
