It’s been announced that the film chosen to open this year’s 54th BFI London Film Festival is Never Let Me Go, Mark Romanrek’s (One Hour Photo) film based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (Remains Of The Day), which will get a gala European Premiere on Wednesday October 13th to kick off the LFF.
The film, which has a script by Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) and stars Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield, is about Kathy (Mulligan), Tommy (Garfield) and Ruth (Knightley), who spend their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school, where they discover a dark and haunting secret about their future, which suggests they may just have been bred as spare parts for someone else. As they leave the shelter of the school behind and draw inexorably closer to the devastating fate that awaits them as adults, they must also confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.
Mark Romanek commented on his film being selected to open the festival, I think I can speak for the entire cast and crew when I say that we are deeply honoured and excited to have been selected to open this year’s festival. For me personally, it seems the perfect way to celebrate the conclusion of an incredible filmmaking experience in the UK.
The movie itself does arrive on general release in the UK until January 14th, but should definitely get a boost from its prestigious festival slot.