With just three months to go before the British Film Institute hosts the London Film Festival, it has been confirmed that BAFTA-nominated Simon Stone will open the 70th BFI London Film Festival with Elsinore, his third feature film following The Daughter and The Dig.
Elsinore features a powerhouse cast including Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, David Dawson, Monica Dolan, Matthew Beard, Joe Locke, Georgie Glen, Sadie Soverall, Adeel Akhtar, Dickie Beau, Kadiff Kirwan, alongside Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan.
The film reads as “a powerful, deeply moving and inspiring true story of the actor Ian Charleson who faced incredible odds while preparing to give the performance of his life in Hamlet at the National Theatre in London.”
“We couldn’t be prouder to be able to present this quintessentially London film on the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival. Ian Charleson had many of his greatest triumphs on the stages of the West End, at the Young Vic and of course the National, where he ended his short but dazzling career playing an unforgettable Hamlet,” the director shared in a statement. “We are so lucky to have Andrew Scott, a London Hamlet himself, breathing delicate, inspiring life into this beautiful story. I can’t wait to share it with the hometown audience!”
Kristy Matheson, the Artistic Director for the BFI London Film Festival, also stated how the film is “anchored by Andrew Scott’s astounding central performance” and that “few films will leave a lasting imprint on audiences this year quite like Elsinore.”
“Stephen Beresford’s script offers a richly drawn world from which director Simon Stone and his exceptional ensemble of some of the UK’s greatest talents vividly bring the story of renowned actor Ian Charleson to the screen,” she added. “We could not be prouder to open the 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival with Elsinore, a film that centres community, resistance and the triumph of art.”
Elsinore will be released to UK cinemas on the 29th January 2027 by StudioCanal UK and on the 20th November 2026 by Focus Features.
The 70th BFI London Film Festival takes place from Wednesday 7 October to Sunday 18 October 2026, with screenings around London. An Opening Night Gala is hosted at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on 7th October with screenings around the UK.
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