Festival season is here! It’s already been a busy time with the likes of Venice, Telluride, and Toronto hosting their own festivals full of world premieres and lengthy standing ovations. In October it will be London’s turn, with the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) gracing the capital and select regional cinemas from October 9th-20th.
For critics and journalists attending for the first time, it can be daunting trying to navigate the logistics, figure out what the press pass actually gives you access to, and work out a schedule that’ll make sure you don’t go bankrupt or burnout. This handy guide will highlight the essentials of attending LFF and provide top tips so you can get the most out of festival coverage.
*Information and details are subject to change, and festival experiences can be different from person to person. We will also update the article with any additional key information the BFI may provide.
The Press Pass
A big question every year (even for veteran attendees) is what, where and when you can see the films during the festival. At its core, the press pass grants you access to in-person and online press and industry (P&I) screenings, with in-person offerings taking place from September 30th to October 20th. During the weekdays between September 30th to October 8th, the BFI will be running pre-festival screenings. Last year, films like Hitman and Priscilla only had press screenings during the pre-festival run, so it’s worth keeping that in mind. Most P&I screenings will take place during the festival itself, although past editions of the festival were front-loaded and had most films play during the first half of LFF. The digital viewing library—the online platform for watching press screenings—is available from September 30th to October 31st, but the offerings there tend to be rather limited.
P&I screenings play throughout the day, with gala screenings usually first with 8am start times; so get your caffeine in! Screenings tend to run until mid-afternoon, which is when the public screenings begin playing. Your pass gives you access to all press screenings, but you are not guaranteed a seat. In past years, it was a case of queuing up and being let in, but the BFI have announced a new online ticketing system for 2024. What we know so far is that delegates are required to book seats for every P&I screening through the Eventmaker website—which is the online platform you’ll already have a login for. Bookings open at 8am, two days in advance of the screening date. A rush queue will be in place for every screening that is fully booked online, so there’s still a chance to catch P&I screenings any issues occur online.
Another key aspect of the press pass is the ticket ballot. You’ll be sent an email closer to the start of the festival where you can put in a request to attend public evening and weekend screenings; sometimes including gala and special presentation screenings. If you fill in the forms for each day, you’re usually notified whether your requests are successful or not the day before the actual screenings. With a press pass, you can also join the rush queue: a last minute attempt just before a public screening to grab any unsold tickets. Each venue will signpost near their box office where press can form their own queue, and staff are always helpful if you ask them about rush queues. The BFI states this only applies for weekday screenings but press in the past have been successful with rush queues for other public screenings regardless of day or time.
A nice bonus is that you get a digital goody bag with discounts on food and drink across BFI sites, as well as nearby fast food restaurants. You’ll need to fuel up!
Scheduling Your Festival
With a stacked lineup and different ways of watching the festival’s offerings, it can be a headache planning out what will be a busy few weeks. The pre-festival screening schedule will go live on September 18th, and the festival screening schedule on September 25th. These schedules will break down what films are showing where and at what time. What’s nice is that the schedules also inform you exactly what time they finish, so you can plan each day down to the minute. It’s worth noting that some screening details can change, but the festival team send out daily updates and any urgent changes—keep an eye on your emails!
Accessibility
In the public programme there are plenty of accessible screenings; including subtitled, audio described, and BSL interpreted presentations. When it comes to the press screenings, however, there are far less options. In Sarah Buddery’s experience, “There’s usually just one press screening per film and in all my years of attending I don’t think any of these have come with these options as standard, so you do have to ask. If you’re attending as press and have specific needs, it is worth chatting to delegate services ahead of time so you can make a plan”.
You can contact delegateservices@bfi.org.uk to discuss access requirements. Every cinema, except the Prince Charles Cinemas, has step-free and wheelchair access. The Picturehouse Central, BFI Southbank, Southbank Royal Festival Hall and BFI IMAX have lifts, accessible toilets and accessible seating. You can find links to accessibility information for other venues here.
Networking and Working
There’s plenty of opportunities to meet other press and crack on with producing your festival coverage.
The Picturehouse bar (the cinema hosting most press screenings) is open after the early morning screenings, so you can grab a seat, as well as drinks and snacks, and work from your laptop or mobile device. There are power sockets dotted around the bar to charge devices but naturally they get claimed pretty quickly. Over at the BFI Southbank is more space to claim a seat, and maybe a plug socket too, to work or relax.
When it comes to publishing work, triple-check embargos. Most films at the festival have played elsewhere, so you can publish your reviews or features as soon as you want. But there are some world premieres (including Opening Gala Blitz) in which you can’t post reviews—whether they’re social reactions or published pieces. The P&I schedule will indicate which films have an embargo, and they usually lift right after the credits roll at its gala/premiere.
LFF will be inundated with critics and journalists, and most are more than happy to socialise and make new acquaintances—don’t be put off by tired looks, these will be long days. If you are on social media, mention that you’re attending the festival and contact others that you might already know, and use the #LFF hashtag and follow that hashtag for updates from other reviewers.
You can also keep an eye out for Luke Hearfield‘s posts about his annual social event. Each year the YouTuber and FILMHOUNDS contributor hosts a drinks social usually on the evening of the Surprise Film — and the best part is it’s open to anyone. This is the fourth year of the event and each year has only gotten bigger and bigger. No dress code either. Come as you are, and meet and mingle with some lovely industry folks in a safe and friendly environment.
Finances
Many press who have attended can attest to the fact that LFF can quickly become a very expensive experience if you’re not careful.
The biggest question most people ask is whether they need to buy public tickets to see films on their watchlist. You absolutely do not! There are so many different ways to watch films as press: through P&I screenings, online offerings, the ticket ballot, and rush queues. You’ve already paid the accreditation fee, you shouldn’t be expected to pay more than that. Also keep in mind that as press you’ll have access to PR contacts who could potentially provide screener links, which will save you forking out for public tickets if you end up missing out on press screenings.
Not everyone lives within the M25 and can easily travel into Central London each day. Many press travel from all over the country, and international journalists even come over for LFF. Staying in hotels, hostels or Air BnBs can quickly drain your bank account, so don’t be obliged to stay for the entire week and a half. You could reach out online and see if other press are open to sharing accommodation to reduce costs — this is more common than you might think.
Something else to think about is food and drink. The days are long, often starting at first light and finishing close to midnight, so many press end up eating out every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thankfully there is a Tesco Express only a few minutes walk away from the Picturehouse, perfect for grabbing a cheap breakfast or a meal deal lunch. You’re more than welcome to bring your own food into each venue and even the P&I screenings too, saving you splashing out on bougie takeaways. If you can, try to bring as much of your own food and drink in as possible.
To help alleviate financial stress, critics Hanna Ines Flint and Amon Warmann are once again running the LFF Critics Support Fund; offering financial aid to critics and journalists from low-income backgrounds to attend the festival. There is a criteria, making you eligible if you fit into one of the following: you’re earning less than £25,000 a year, live beyond the M25, are in full or part-time education, are unemployed or in receipt of benefits (including PIP or state pension), have childcare or caring responsibilities, have to take unpaid leave to attend LFF, will be paying for travel into London or accommodation to attend, or have a physical disability, neurodivergence or related condition that may require adjustments for your festival experience. This isn’t an exhaustive list either, so apply if you feel you could benefit from the fund. Applications are being accepted until 11:59pm on Wednesday 18th September, and the form can be found here.
A Typical Day
To put things into context, here’s a rundown of what an average LFF day looked like for me in previous years:
06:10 – Travel to Picturehouse Central from Hertfordshire
07:30 – Queue up, eat breakfast (chocolate brioche buns and fruit), chat with other press
08:30 – Start of first P&I screening
10:15 – Exit first film, grab caffeine and fresh air, socialise in the Picturehouse bar
12:10 – Start of second P&I screening
14:15 – Exit film, grab a Tesco meal deal
15:15 – Start of third P&I screening
16:50 – Exit film, eat fast food dinner (using BFI press discount), write up a review
20:35 – Start of public screening at Prince Charles Cinema thanks to the ticket ballot
23:00 – Exit film and head home for much-needed rest!
Top Tips
Even with information laid out here and across BFI websites, it can be difficult to grasp the moment-to-moment experience of attending LFF. Below are some helpful tips and tricks from press who have attended the festival before.
I would suggest having the delegate links available offline or on phones so that assets, timetables, booking links etc. would be readily available, especially if P&I bookings open at 8am.
Katie Smith-Wong
Got a film or Screen Talk you’re dying to see at a public screening? Or perhaps you can no longer attend a public screening and you want to sell or give your ticket away? Be sure to follow the @LFFstubs account on Twitter/X. People are always trading/selling tickets on there if you’re in a pinch.
Luke Hearfield
Need a rest? Want to do work instead of a screening? Do it! Skipping screenings is not making you appear weak, but sometimes we need the rest to be able to enjoy the festival!
Tasha Jagger
Trying to squeeze ten films in a couple of days will lead to burnout quickly, so know your limits. Set yourself a mini schedule of what films you want to prioritise over ones you’re not as fussed about. That way you can figure out how much time and energy you spend on the festival as a whole.
Aaron Gillingham
Don’t let the amount of queue pictures online stress you out, the theatres are large and as long as you turn up 15 minutes before, you will be fine. Standing outside Picturehouse way before it opens is only going to make your day longer and the festival burnout hit faster.
Billie Walker
Don’t panic if you see a queue — people love to queue as early as possible for the next film when they don’t have to. This will be worthless when they bring in the ticketing system for press screenings this year.
Josh Barton
I’d say don’t be afraid to say hi to people if it’s your first LFF. Always found that people in the queues can be very welcoming and friendly.
Chris Connor
My top tip is to talk with your seatmate because there are a lot of really interesting, fun people who attend the events.
Jordan Cracknell
When covering films, don’t ignore the smaller films from the strands. There’s plenty of hidden gems to be discovered! Everyone clamours for galas, so strand films will have smaller queues.
Katie Hogan
You’ll get into 99% of screenings if you’re willing to queue or check Twitter for spare public tickets.
Rob Jones
Final Thoughts
The introduction of the pre-booking system is the biggest change up for this year’s edition, so we won’t know how it’ll exactly work until we’re all on our phones and laptops trying to secure tickets. It’s a step in the right direction from the BFI to eliminate queuing up from 6am every morning, but be prepared for things to not go as planned. Thankfully there are the ticket ballots, rush queues, online offerings, and other methods to still get the most out of your press accreditation.
All the anxiety of securing tickets and planning schedules will wash away once you’re watching the latest festival hits and meeting up with other critics. Remember to enjoy the experience, be kind to the festival volunteers, and don’t burn yourself out!
Special Thanks: David Garlick, Jasmine Valentine, Latoya Austin, Katie Smith-Wong, Sarah Buddery
Top Tip Contributors: Luke Hearfield, Tash Jagger, Aaron Gillingham, Billie Walker, Josh Barton, Chris Connor, Jordan Cracknell, Katie Hogan, Rob Jones
Photo: Getty Images for BFI
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