The 66th London BFI Film Festival is now open. Kicking off the proceedings was the eagerly anticipated Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical – starring Alisha Weir as Matilda, who makes her debut in the titular role, and Emma Thompson as the dastardly Miss Trunchbull. Supporting actors include Andrea Riseborough, Stephen Graham, and Lashana Lynch.

Tricia Tuttle, director of the festival, took to the stage at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall before introducing the actors. She referred to Roald Dahl’s protagonist Matilda as “Arguably, the best female character in children’s literature.”

Matilda is about a girl with telekinetic powers who takes a stand against her oppressive parents and head teacher. As for the message of the story, Tuttle said to the audience, largely made up of children, “It couldn’t feel more relevant. If you grin and bear it and let the bullies win, then nothing will change.” She was later joined on stage by Emma Thompson, Stephen Graham, Sindhu Vee, Lashana Lynch, and, of course, Alisa Weir.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical marks the third adaptation of the beloved children’s book following the 1996 comedy starring Danny DeVito and Mara Wilson. The book was also adapted into a Tony Award-winning musical in 2010 by Australian comedian and musician Tim Minchin, who also composed music for the 2022 film.

The festival runs from October 5 to 16 and will include Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a stop-motion animation adaptation that will premiere worldwide on October 15. The film follows the Robert Zemeckis film of the same name starring Tom Hanks, but in true del Toro style, he offers a darker take on the classic fairy tale. It boasts a stellar cast, including Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Finn Wolfhard, John Turturro, and Christoph Waltz.

Some of the other festival favorites screened at the BFI include Sam Mendes’ latest offering, Empire of Light, starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward (Blue Story, Top Boy), and Colin Firth. Mendes will attend the screening on October 12 along with key cast members.

Other films presented include The Banshees of Insherim, Triangle of Sadness, Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, She Said, The Whale, White Noise, Decision to Leave, Women Talking, The Son, and Bones and All. Closing the festival will be Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the sequel to the 2019 mystery caper, Knives Out, starring Daniel Craig.

The 2022 BFI will screen 164 films. From that list 24 films and 10 shorts will be in competition, as well as eight TV series and a Virtual Reality section. Additionally, the Grierson Award is given to the best documentary feature.

This year’s competition jury presidents are Tanya Seghatchian (The Power of the Dog, Cold War), First Feature competition Nana Mensah (Queen of Glory), Documentary competition Roberto Minervini (What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?, The Other Side), Immersive Art and XR competition Misan Harriman, and Short Film Competition – Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor (Blue Story, Boxing Day).

The esteemed festival began in 1957 and has been held ever since, with the exception of 2020, under Covid restrictions, when it was possible to view the films online only. This year the festival is not confined to London. It has expanded to ten cities around the UK, which will participate via online platforms.