Record audiences for 2025 BFI London Film Festival

The 2025 edition of the BFI London Film Festival reached the event's biggest audience of 235,853 over 12 days of screenings, events and the LFF Industry Forum.

Occupancy across both free and paid-for in person screenings and events at London venues increased to 94 per cent, up from 92 per cent in 2024, with 47 per cent of these tickets being booked by first-time LFF attendees.

More than 1000 international and UK filmmakers, XR artists and series creatives and their teams presented their work in person at the Festival, which is in partnership with American Express. The industry forum welcomed over 3,400 delegates.

Filmmakers and talent engaged in more than 40 red carpets while Filmmaker Afternoon Teas gave a range of media access to over 80 filmmakers and talent, plus se emerging writers from underrepresented backgrounds took part in the LFF’s 8th Critics Mentorship Programme.

Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao’s period drama HAMNET, based on author Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel, was chosen as the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

The winner of the Audience Award for Best British Discovery was Yemi Bamiro’s documentary BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY, a tribute to the forgotten photographer, freedom fighter and activist, who helped popularise the transformative ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement. The World Premiere of BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY took place on 9th October at BFI Southbank with Yemi Bamiro, producer Joanna Boateng and the film team in attendance as well as Kwame Brathwaite Jr.

The winners of this year’s BFI London Film Festival Awards were announced at the festival’s close on 19th October. They were chosen by juries, presided over by Elizabeth Karlsen, (Official Competition), Kibwe Tavares (First Feature Competition), Eloïse King (Documentary Competition) and Ming-Jung Kuo (Short Film Competition).

The winners of the competitive awards were:

Winner of the Best Film Award in Official Competition – LANDMARKS (Dir. Lucrecia Martel)

Winner of the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition – ONE WOMAN ONE BRA (Dir. Vincho Nchogu)  

Winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition – THE TRAVELERS (Dir. David Bingong)  

Winner of the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition – COYOTES (Dir. Said Zagha)

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “This year's record-breaking BFI London Film Festival showed why it is one of the world's best celebrations of cinema. I am delighted that Chloé Zhao's adaptation of Hamnet, which was screened as the Mayor's Gala, has won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. The Mayor and I are proud to support our capital’s film industry - a global success story - as we build a better London for everyone.”

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