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Steve McQueen will premiere his latest film Blitz, Exploring London during World War II, on opening night at this year’s BFI London Film Festival. The picture will be shown as a world premiere.
Directed, produced, and written by McQueen, the film follows the epic journey of George (Elliot Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London who is sent to safety in the English countryside by his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan). The synopsis reads: Defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George sets out on an adventure, only to find himself in immense danger while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son. Blitz This film is McQueen’s first solo screenplay.
The film stars Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliot Heffernan, as well as Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Lee Gill, Micah Ricketts, C.J. Pickford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Meacham.
McQueen’s Lammas Park is producing alongside Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films, and Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, and Michael Schaffer for New Regency, with producers Anita Overland and Adam Sumner.
The premiere will take place on Wednesday 9 October at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, with simultaneous screenings across the UK. The evening will see McQueen return to the LFF opening night. He had previously opened the festival twice before Widows In 2018 and Mangrove In 2020.
“attack It’s a film about Londoners. “It honours the spirit of what Londoners endured during the Blitz, but it also explores a real representation of the people of London, while at its core it’s a story of a working-class family desperate to be reunited in times of war,” McQueen said this afternoon. “I couldn’t be more thrilled that the BFI has invited us to open this year’s festival, and to celebrate the world premiere of Blitz In my town.”
Kristy Mathieson, Director of the London Film Festival, added:Blitz “It is a film of incredible scale. Steve McQueen brings nuance to the film at every turn; the depth and character of the city is unrivalled and makes this subject matter feel entirely new. It is a stunning production that will leave audiences in awe of the director, his crew and creative collaborators. We are honoured to share this film with audiences in London and across the UK, and we can’t think of a better way to open the 2024 BFI London Film Festival.”
Raid It will premiere in select cinemas on November 1 before streaming globally on Apple TV+ on November 22.
The London Film Festival is scheduled to take place from October 9 to 20.
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