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Every BFI London Film Festival opening night film

Travel back through the years with our list of the opening night films of the BFI London Film Festival!

During its 66 years, LFF has not had a consistent policy on identifying an ‘opening night gala’ and programmers were often at great pains not to focus on one film above the rest of the programme. In some cases films are identified as ‘opening night’ but in subsequent years the film listed may just be the first film in the programme. From the 1986 festival onwards there is a clearly defined opening and closing film.

Check our lists for every closing night film and every surprise film!

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  • Throne of Blood
  • H-8...
  • A Midsummer's Night Dream
  • The Love Game
  • Lola
  • The Elusive Corporal
  • Funny Side of Life
  • The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
  • Loves of a Blonde
  • The Shameless Old Lady
  • La Marseillaise
  • The Firemen's Ball
  • My Night at Maud's
  • The Wild Child
  • Trafic
  • Company Limited
  • Payday
  • Akenfield
  • Winstanley
  • Requiem for a Village
  • The Devil's Playground
  • 1900
  • Newsfront
  • Those Wonderful Movie Cranks
  • Kagemusha
  • Gallipoli
  • Scrubbers
  • The Draughtsman's Contract
  • Hero
  • Confidentially Yours
  • Gremlins
  • Ran
  • Castaway
  • A Prayer for the Dying
  • Things Change
  • Parenthood
  • Texasville
  • Enchanted April
  • Peter's Friends
  • The Remains of the Day
  • Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
  • Strange Days
  • The First Wives Club
  • Keep the Aspidistra Flying
  • Little Voice
  • Ride with the Devil
  • Almost Famous
  • Gosford Park
  • Dirty Pretty Things
  • In the Cut
  • Vera Drake
  • The Constant Gardener
  • The Last King of Scotland
  • Eastern Promises
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox
  • Never Let Me Go
  • 360
  • Frankenweenie
  • Captain Phillips
  • The Imitation Game
  • Suffragette
  • A United Kingdom
  • Breathe
  • Widows
  • The Personal History of David Copperfield
  • Mangrove
  • The Harder They Fall
  • Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical
  • Saltburn
  • Blitz
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