Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” opens the 68th BFI London Film Festival

Apple

Steve McQueen’s World War II drama Blitz will have its world premiere at the opening gala of the 68th BFI London Film Festival (LFF). The Apple Original Film, directed, produced and written by McQueen, marks the Oscar and BAFTA winner’s return to the festival.

Blitz follows George (Elliott Heffernan), a nine-year-old boy in wartime London, as he is sent to the countryside for safety by his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan). The film chronicles George’s journey back to London and Rita’s search for her missing son.

The cast also includes Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller and Stephen Graham. McQueen’s Lammas Park is produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films and Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer of New Regency.

With this premiere, McQueen opens the LFF for the third time, after “Widows” in 2018 and “Mangrove” in 2020. The London-born director received the BFI Fellowship at the 2016 festival.

McQueen said: “‘Blitz’ is a film about Londoners. It celebrates the spirit of what and how Londoners endured during the Blitz, but also explores the true portrayal of the people of London, while at its heart is the story of a working-class family desperately trying to be reunited in wartime.”

LFF director Kristy Matheson added: “Steve McQueen brings nuance to the film at every turn; the depth of character and the texture of the city are unparalleled and give this subject a whole new feel.”

The film reunites McQueen with production designer Adam Stockhausen, costume designer Jacqueline Durran and composer Hans Zimmer. Yorick Le Saux serves as cinematographer and Naomi Donne as makeup artist.

“Blitz” will be released in select theaters on November 1st and will stream worldwide on Apple TV+ starting November 22nd.

The 68th BFI London Film Festival takes place from 9 to 20 October and includes screenings at various venues in London, including the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre, BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX. The festival also includes screenings at partner cinemas across the UK, including in Nottingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Sheffield, Newcastle and Bristol.