And thats our core audience, she said.
The event runs October 9-20.
DEADLINE:Kristy, when do you lock your program?
Kristy MathesonShane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images for BFI
DEADLINE:Big opening-night premiere: Steve McQueensBlitz.
How did you land that?
MATHESON:Steve McQueen and the LFF have enjoyed a long association.
It was a film we were desperate to see.
I couldnt think of a better way to pop swing open the festival.
DEADLINE:Whats it been like working with Steve on the premiere?
I know hes a very engaged filmmaker.
MATHESON:Weve worked with him on openings before.
This is a dream opening night for us.
DEADLINE:Six out of 11 films in competition are directed by women.
Was that a conscious decision?
MATHESON:We certainly think about the competition very carefully in terms of how we curate it.
We aim to show audiences the breadth of cinema this year.
DEADLINE: Its clear what audience the gala screenings are geared toward.
But what is the audience for the competition titles?
MATHESON:As I said, were really trying to give people the breadth of cinema.
But we have a very cinema-literate audience here in London.
There are so many amazing cinemas all across the city screening great work all year round.
And thats our core audience.
We have a very strong membership base as well.
DEADLINE:I agree.
I think the BFI has a very engaged audience.
I sawEraserheadat Southbank a few weeks back, and the cinema was packed.
Ben Roberts was theretoo.
They ask good questions, but theyre very adventurous, and theyre hungry to discover new cinema.
They know their cinema, which gives us a lot of room to move as programmers.
We dont have to stay in such a narrow band.
We can think of cinema quite expansively.
Its a real gift to us as programmers.
This year weve been blessed with a number of terrific series.
DEADLINE: Series are included in the wider programming this year.
Will there no longer be a dedicated series strand?
We thought it would be an easier way for audiences to navigate the festival.
DEADLINE: Rowan has left for the Edinburgh TV festival.
Who is heading series programming?
Will that be done by you and your team?
MATHESON:Yeah, well continue to program that in-house.
DEADLINE: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy ChinsEndurancewill debut at the festival.
No one really knows anything about that film.
What can you tell us?
MATHESON:Its really terrific.
Its an incredible documentary in two parts.
They take the original footage that Frank Hurley shot during the Shackleton polar expedition.
So you have that original Shackleton footage.
You also have the story of contemporary polar explorers trying to find the wreckage.
The fact that this footage survived is remarkable.
Its a real love letter to exploration and science.
DEADLINE:LFF has added video games this year.
MATHESON:For us, its audience-led.
They want to see great storytelling that makes them think and feel.
Video games are a very natural extension of that.
Its such a beloved art form by millions and millions of people across the world.
And its a space where really interesting things are happening in terms of storytelling.
This year were operating what we are calling a free games lounge so people can drop in.
DEADLINE:I dont know if youre aware but theres a funny debate online about LFFs ticketing system.
People often post online complaining about being stuck in long online queues and missing out on tickets.
People are always wanting to talk about the doom and gloom of cinema being dead.
And thats just not what we see here at Southbank every day.
