London Film Festival opens with 70th anniversary program

The 70th London Film Festival opens this Wednesday, featuring a 12-day program of world premieres and award contenders. The festival is bookended by two films centered on theater: Simon Stone’s “Elsinore,” a biographical drama starring Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott, serves as the opening film, while Jesse Eisenberg’s musical comedy “The Debut,” starring Julianne Moore, will close the event on October 18.

Notable highlights include the debut of two animated films: Laika’s stop-motion fantasy “Wildwood” and Brad Bird’s neo-noir “Ray Gunn,” which features the voice work of Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell. The festival is expected to host several international stars on red carpets, including Adam Driver, Robert Pattinson, Jenna Ortega, and Sebastian Stan.