Three Flemish films at London Film Festival

Coward

For Lukas Dhont, London marks the next step in the international journey of his latest film, Coward. It began in Cannes, where the film won the acting award for its two lead performers. Toronto and San Sebastian await in the coming days. Before the London screening, Coward will open the 53rd edition of Film Fest Gent. Even before Cannes, international sales agent The Match Factory announced that rights to Coward had been sold to Mubi for territories including the United States, Spain, Italy, Latin America, and the United Kingdom. As previously reported, the film will hit cinemas here on 21 October and in France on 18 November. The North American release is scheduled for December. On 15 December, we will learn if Coward is in the running for an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film.

Heysel 85

On 29 May 1985, 39 people lost their lives when Liverpool and Juventus supporters clashed before the European Cup final played at the Heysel Stadium. In her latest film, Heysel 85, Teodora Ana Mihai intercuts documentary footage of those tragic events with a fictional storyline in which the daughter of the Mayor of Brussels must make crucial decisions alongside her father. They find themselves at the heart of the tragedy. A journalist of Italian descent also becomes caught up in the drama. The outstanding film had its world premiere at the Berlinale, where Violet Braeckman, who plays the daughter, was named a "Shooting Star." Since then, the film has been sold to more than forty countries. It will be released in local cinemas on 18 November.

Mariinka

In London, Pieter-Jan De Pue’s documentary Mariinka is featured in the "Debate" program. Earlier this year, the film opened both CPH:DOX, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, and DOCVILLE in Leuven. Over the course of nearly a decade, De Pue followed several residents of the Ukrainian frontline town of Marinka during the war in the Donbas region, which began in 2014. Their lives are completely upended, reaching a point where two brothers find themselves on opposing sides: one fighting for Russia, the other for Ukraine. A third brother lives in the United States, having been adopted. Thanks to its poignant, personal approach and cinematic style, Mariinka ranks among the best films ever made about Ukraine.

The BFI London Film Festival takes place from 7 to 18 October 2026. Organised by the British Film Institute, it brings a wide selection of international feature films, documentaries, short films, and experimental works to London.

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