This year’s BFI London Film Festival has unveiled a raft of talent set for its Screen Talks lineup, including Andrew Scott, star of Sherlock, Fleabag and, more recently, Pressure; Cynthia Erivo, an Oscar nominee for her performance in Wicked, Social Network actor-turned-filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg; and two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, best known for roles in Moonlight and Green Book.
Also joining for a discussion — in which the creative reflects on their processes, influences and careers in depth in front of an audience at BFI Southbank in central London — are Oscar-nominated actor John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich, Dangerous Liaisons), U.S. filmmakers Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette), Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th), Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) and James Gray (Ad Astra, Paper Tiger).
They’re scheduled for wide-ranging conversations alongside British actress Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice, Mickey 17) and prolific director in the U.K. Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later), whose event will take place in Manchester, marking the festival’s first Screen Talk outside of London.
Among some of the projects they’ll be promoting are Scott’s London Film Festival opener Elsinore with Olivia Colman, Johnny Flynn, Billie Piper, Luke Thompson and Peter Mullan. The feature, written by BAFTA winner Stephen Beresford (Pride), is based on the life of Ian Charleson. It follows the actor’s final weeks before his death from AIDS, playing Hamlet at London’s National Theatre in the 1990s. Daniel Day-Lewis had abruptly pulled out mid-performance, forcing Charleson to step in.
Eisenberg will likely cover his latest movie (and LFF closer) The Debut with Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. The film follows a shy woman who is unexpectedly cast in a local production of an original musical. Under the spell of the strong-willed and enigmatic director, she loses herself in the role and the high-stakes world of this community theatre production.
The full lineup for the 70th BFI London Film Festival is coming in due course. The event runs Oct. 7-18 2026.
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