The BFI has unveiled its full London Film Festival Industry Forum lineup, with new additions including Danny Boyle, costume designer PC Williams, and an event with international partners on successful co-productions such as Fjord and Paper Tiger, produced in association with The Hollywood Reporter.
Following previously announced Spotlight Conversations with acclaimed U.K. producers James Wilson and Pippa Harris, the BFI has confirmed a session with director and producer Boyle. He’ll be interviewed by former THR editor-in-chief Matt Belloni for The Town podcast on Oct. 9, where the pair will dive into the state of the British film industry and Boyle’s most recent work on the Murdoch drama Ink.
The program also includes a panel on Oct. 12 with producers from Ireland, Spain, Norway and Brazil, including Alan Maher (Everybody Digs Bill Evans), Adrià Monés (The End Of It), Dyveke Bjørkly Graver (Fjord) and Rodrigo Teixeira (Paper Tiger, I’m Still Here). The panelists will discuss their experiences of co-productions, addressing the business and funding opportunities, as well as the creative challenges often embedded in cross-country collaborations. The event will be produced in association with THR.
On Oct. 10, costume designer PC Williams (We Are Lady Parts, My Father’s Shadow) will be in conversation with British-Nigerian filmmaker and visual artist, Akinola Davies Jr., whose feature My Father’s Shadow was the U.K.’s pick for best international feature film at last year’s Oscars. They’ll discuss the art and craft of costume design across different genres, locating the space for experimentation and the importance of encouraging and creating opportunities for emerging talent. The event is in association with Variety.
The Industry Forum opens Oct. 8 with a panel of cinema programmers reflecting on the state of the U.K.’s cinema exhibition industry following a record-breaking spring-summer 2026 season — from indie horror breakout Obsession to the blockbuster frenzy for The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Ben Lyndon, head of cinema program at Curzon, Carol McKay, director of programming at Picturehouse and Madeleine Mullett, program manager at BFI IMAX, will share insights into audience trends, the impact of recent releases in shaping their future programmes, and how they work with both mainstream and independent films. The event is in association with Screen International.
In collaboration with Sheffield DocFest and hosted by its Creative Director, Raul Niño Zambrano, a panel with directors Theo Rollason (Queer Edward II), Nanette Burstein (Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff), Rafael Guendelman (Az Zeeb) and the BFI National Archive’s Simon McCallum on Oct. 13 will explore the process of working with archives while shaping a creative storyline.
The fourth edition of Fade In will take place on Oct. 11 with a panel showcasing emerging voices in the screenwriting space: Travis Alabanza, Gemma Bedeau, Paul Carey, Alice Clark, Alex Mathias and Carly Mills.
As aforementioned, Neal Street Productions co-founder Pippa Harris (The Beatles, Hamnet, 1917) and indie producer James Wilson (The Zone of Interest, The Voice of Hind Rajab) are set to discuss their careers, current projects and navigating the international film and TV market in a rapidly changing landscape at separate Spotlight Conversations.
The Industry Day runs alongside LFF Expanded, the BFI London Film Festival‘s showcase of Immersive Art, Extended Reality and Video Gaming works. This year, nine projects spanning immersive art, virtual reality, AI and video gaming are presented at BFI IMAX, BFI Southbank Atrium and new venue, St Martin-in-the-Fields. Take a look at the full Industry Forum for this year’s BFI London Film Festival here.
“This year’s Industry Forum brings together an exceptional group of filmmakers and industry voices, including both U.K. and international talent whose work is having a real impact on cinema around the world,” said Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival director. “From world-class producers, directors and craftspeople to programmers, writers and archivists, we’re proud to showcase the remarkable range of people shaping cinema today, while creating opportunities for the wider industry to come together, exchange ideas and build new connections.”