The London Film Festival is in the process of announcing this year’s lineup, and the perfect project was chosen to kick off this year’s event. Steve McQueen’s upcoming drama Mangrove will serve as the opening movie at this festival.
Mangrove focuses on the trials and tribulations of Mangrove 9, a group of Black activists who clashed with London police during a protest march in 1970. Its cast includes Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes, and Malachi Kirby, and it’s the first chapter of McQueen’s Small Axe anthology series.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker previously opened the London Film Festival with his last feature film Widows, and he said that now’s the perfect time for him to return to this festival with another project. “I couldn’t be happier that Mangrove will open this year’s BFI London Film Festival. Although the themes are universal, Mangrove is a London story. It may have happened fifty years ago, but it’s as relevant today as it was then,” said McQueen in a statement.
The London Film Festival will take place between October 7–18, and it’s expected to feature a mix of physical and online programs.
