BFI Screen Talks in London: 11 stars and ticket sale date

Eleven prominent actors and filmmakers will take audiences behind their work during the Screen Talks programme at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, running from Wednesday 7 October to Sunday 18 October 2026. Most talks will take place at BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XT, with Danny Boyle appearing at HOME Manchester.

Tickets go on general sale on 17 September, while BFI Members can book earlier. Individual ticket prices and session times have not yet been published in the supplied announcement. The programme is aimed at film enthusiasts and industry professionals interested in detailed conversations about performance, directing and the creative process.

Eleven careers spanning independent films and blockbusters

The Screen Talks line-up brings together Andrew Scott, Ava DuVernay, Brad Bird, Cynthia Erivo, James Gray, Jesse Eisenberg, John Malkovich, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Ackie, Sofia Coppola and Danny Boyle.

Scott will discuss a career crossing cinema, television and theatre, including All of Us Strangers, Ripley and Pride. His appearance also connects directly to the festival programme: he portrays actor Ian Charleson in Elsinore, the London Film Festival’s Opening Night film.

DuVernay’s session will range across dramas such as Selma and Origin, the documentary 13th and the family adventure A Wrinkle in Time. Bird brings a different perspective, having directed animated films including The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille as well as live-action productions such as Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Erivo will reflect on work including Harriet and Wicked, alongside the Broadway performance in The Color Purple that brought her international recognition. Gray’s discussion is set to cover films rooted in New York life, including Little Odessa, The Yards and We Own the Night, as well as the more expansive The Lost City of Z and Ad Astra.

Opening and closing films shape two of the talks

Eisenberg arrives at the festival with The Debut, its Gala Closing Night film. His Screen Talk will cover both acting and filmmaking, from The Social Network and Zombieland to the films he directed, When You Finish Saving the World and A Real Pain.

Malkovich will look back over four decades of screen and theatre roles, including In the Line of Fire and Being John Malkovich. Ali’s session follows a body of work that includes Moonlight, Green Book, House of Cards and True Detective, while Ackie will discuss a career extending from Lady Macbeth and Small Axe: Education to Blink Twice and Mickey 17.

Coppola joins the programme after a directing career that began with The Virgin Suicides and continued through Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette and Priscilla. Her films repeatedly examine celebrity, isolation and the private lives behind public images.

Danny Boyle takes the Screen Talks format beyond London

Boyle’s appearance will be held at HOME Manchester, marking the festival’s first Screen Talk outside London. His conversation is expected to span the genre shifts of a career that includes Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, Steve Jobs, Yesterday and 28 Years Later, as well as his direction of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

The remaining Screen Talks are based at BFI Southbank, which also hosts the festival’s competition programme and LFF for Free events. Festival screenings will extend to the Royal Festival Hall, BFI IMAX, four West End cinemas and ten partner venues around the UK.

The British Film Institute says the talks are designed to explore guests’ influences, careers and creative processes in depth. Audiences will also be able to catch up with the conversations through BFI Player and the BFI YouTube channel.

Booking opens after the full programme release

The complete festival programme is due to be revealed on Wednesday 2 September. General ticket sales begin on 17 September, with an earlier booking window for BFI Members, although the announcement does not specify its opening date.

Prospective attendees will need the full programme release for individual Screen Talk dates, start times and prices. The next confirmed booking milestone for the wider public is 17 September, ahead of the festival opening on 7 October.

Source: British Film Institute News