Steve McQueen’s Widows to open the 2018 BFI… | Little White Lies

Festivals

Steve McQueen’s Wid­ows to open the 2018 BFI Lon­don Film Festival

12 Jul 2018

Words by Hannah Strong

Four people in a backstage area, packing boxes on a table. The scene features diverse individuals in casual attire, suggesting a behind-the-scenes or production environment.
Four people in a backstage area, packing boxes on a table. The scene features diverse individuals in casual attire, suggesting a behind-the-scenes or production environment.
The festival’s 62nd edi­tion kicks off with the inter­na­tion­al pre­mière of the British director’s fourth feature.

Excel­lent news for heist movie fans: the 2018 BFI Lon­don Film Fes­ti­val open­ing gala has been announced as Steve McQueen’s high­ly-antic­i­pat­ed Wid­ows. With a star cast includ­ing Vio­la Davis, Daniel Kalu­uya, Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Nee­son and Col­in Far­rell, the film is McQueen’s first since 12 Years a Slave, which won Best Pic­ture at the 2014 Oscars.

Based on a 1980s British TV series of the same name, Wid­ows fol­lows a group of women whose crim­i­nal hus­bands are killed dur­ing an armed rob­bery. It’s up to their, ahem, wid­ows to take up the man­tel in their absence. The first trail­er for the film was released at the begin­ning of June, giv­ing us a glimpse of the women (Davis, Rodriguez, Eliz­a­beth Debic­ki and Cyn­thia Eri­vo) in action.

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With McQueen at the helm and a script from Gone Girl writer Gillian Fly­nn, the film is a poten­tial con­tender for the 2019 Oscars. Last year Andy Serkis’ direc­to­r­i­al debut Breathe opened the fes­ti­val, while Mar­tin McDonagh’s Three Bill­boards Out­side Ebbing, Mis­souri closed it. The inter­na­tion­al pre­mière of Wid­ows will take place on Wednes­day 10 Octo­ber at Cineworld Leices­ter Square, and the full LFF pro­gramme will be announced on 30 August.

Of the announce­ment, McQueen has this to say: ​“I am absolute­ly delight­ed that Wid­ows will be open­ing this year’s BFI Lon­don Film Fes­ti­val. Watch­ing the UK TV ver­sion of Lyn­da La Plante’s orig­i­nal thriller as a teenag­er in the ​’80s had a major impact on me and so it feels very spe­cial to be shar­ing this film with a UK audience.”

The BFI Lon­don Film Fes­ti­val runs 10 – 21 Octo­ber. For more info vis­it what​son​.bfi​.org​.uk/lff

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