Empire of Light by Oscar® and BAFTA winning filmmaker Sam Mendes will receive its European Premiere as the American Express Gala film of the 66th BFI London Film Festival.
Director Sam Mendes as well as Producer Pippa Harris and key cast including Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tanya Moodie, Tom Brooke and Crystal Clarke are expected to be in attendance.
The film will be released theatrically in the US on December 9th, and in the UK on January 13th.
Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, Empire of Light is a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema from Academy Award® winning director Sam Mendes. Empire of Light, which marks Mendes’ first solo credit as screenwriter, features a stellar cast led by Academy Award winner and BFI Fellow Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Lost Daughter), BAFTA winner Micheal Ward (Blue Story, Top Boy) and Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man). It also reunites Mendes with Academy Award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (1917, Skyfall).
Sam Mendes, Writer/Director/Producer of Empire of Light, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be included in this year’s BFI London Film Festival as the AMEX Gala screening. Empire of Light is a very personal movie for me, and I can’t wait to show it in my home town”
The 66th BFI London Film Festival takes place from Wednesday 5th October – Sunday 16th October, 2022.