A woman (Saoirse Ronan) and a child walking through a tunnel with tiled walls and lit by lamps.

About London Film Festival: Blitz - Opening Gala

BFI London Film Festival Opening Gala

In the face of nightly air raids, East End mum Rita (Saoirse Ronan) grows increasingly worried about her son George’s safety. Under the counsel of her father, Gerald (Paul Weller), she makes the heart-wrenching decision to send him to the countryside. But a few hours into his journey, George alights the train, determined to return to Stepney Green and his family.

McQueen’s incredible ensemble cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clémentine, Harris Dickinson and Stephen Graham. They inhabit a war-torn London that’s impeccably realised by Adam Stockhausen’s (12 Years a Slave, Asteroid City) production design and Yorick Le Saux’s (A Bigger Splash, Irma Vep) cinematography, while Hans Zimmer’s score revels in the scale and intimacy of the director’s vision.

But the film’s trump card is newcomer Elliott Heffernan, who captures George’s emotional strength, impish humour and sense of loyalty to his family with a wisdom beyond his years.

Please note there will be no trailers or ads for this screening.

Pre-screening short film

Aajao - Wed 9 Oct only

Dir: Maanuv Thiara
Cast: Karan Gill, Pria Kalsi
15 mins

Aajao (Welcome) is the story of Taj, a second generation immigrant caught between two worlds. Following the recent loss of his beloved father, Taj must find a way to pay tribute to him by mending broken bridges with the community he left behind.

MAC's London Film Festival pre-screening short films are all made in the Midlands by Midlands filmmakers.