BFI London Film Festival 2014: What To See

55th BFI London Film Festival kicks off today with a stellar line-up of world premieres, new feature films, documentaries and shorts.

It’s the perfect chance to catch a preview of this year’s must-see films ahead of their general release and celebrate all kinds of cinema from around the world.

Here’s a look at the festival films that you won’t want to miss…

The Imitation Game

The festival begins this evening with the Opening Night Gala of The Imitation Game. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a compelling performance as British mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing in Morten Tyldum’s historic biopic.

The film explores three key periods in his life – working to break the German Enigma code with the team at Bletchley Park, his arrest in 1952 for ‘gross indecency’, leading to his unfair conviction for crimes of homosexuality and flashbacks to his childhood and an intoxicating friendship with his school friend Christopher.

Keira Knightley charms as Joan Clarke, Turing’s fellow code-breaker and great friend, who he proposed to.

Foxcatcher

Channing Tatum stars in Foxcatcher, a psychological thriller telling the dark side of competitive sport. Mark (Tatum) is a sporting success, however his older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo) seems to have it all – an athletic career, a coaching job and a perfect family set-up with his wife (Sienna Miller) and two children.

When the wealthy and enigmatic Mr du Pont (Steve Carrell) takes the susceptible Mark under his wing and coaches him at his family home, his confidence grows with his new-found esteem. However, the relationship begins to deteriorate as Mr du Pont’s behaviour becomes more erratic and he takes a shine to older brother Dave. Expect to be surprised by Steve Carrell’s serious, unnerving performance.

Serena

The dream team of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper see their perfect lives unravel in the extravagant period drama Serena. Set in depression-era North Carolina, logging magnate George Pemberton (Cooper) and his ruthless wife Serena (Lawrence) are flying high until they find out she can’t bear children and he previously fathered a child out of wedlock. Jealousy, murder and ambition ensue, as Jennifer Lawrence proves a tempestuous force to contend with.

Listen Up Philip

Philip (Jason Schwartzman) is a celebrated yet angry young novelist living in New York. Instead of revelling in his acclaim – he’s named in the ‘35 under 35’ issue of the New York Literary Review – he hits the self-destruct button, much to the ire of his photographer girlfriend Ashley (Elisabeth Moss).

When the Great American Novelist Ike Zimmerman (Jonathan Pryce) extends an invitation to his tranquil country retreat, Philip sees it as a perfect chance to escape his ennui in the city.

The White Haired Witch Of Lunar Kingdom

Liang Yusheng’s classic novel ‘Baifa Monu’ is the inspiration behind this epic tale of good against evil, set in the final years of the Ming Dynasty. Fan Bingbing is the mystical sorceress known as the Jade Raksha, tasked with fighting the Imperial Court’s corrupt tyrants to free the people from war and famine.

With the promise of impressive action sequences, dazzling visuals and a compelling love story between the noble witch and young heir to the Yudang clan (Huang Xiaoming), it’s definitely a film to be seen on the big screen.