The 66th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express has announced that this year’s American Express Gala will be Empire of Light, written, produced and directed by Oscar and BAFTA winning filmmaker Sam Mendes. The film will receive its European Premiere on Wednesday 12th October at the Southbank Centre in the Royal Festival Hall, with director Sam Mendes in attendance 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.
What is Empire of Light? We’re glad that you asked because we have all of the details… Well, all of the details that are currently available which turns out to be not a lot. However, if it’s coming from Sam Mendes you know that it’s going to be good straight away. This film will also mark Mendes’ first solo credit as screenwriter, isn’t that exciting?
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 features a stellar cast led by Academy Award winner and BFI Fellow Olivia Colman , BAFTA winner Micheal Ward, and Academy Award winner Colin Firth. It also reunites Mendes with Academy Award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (1917, Skyfall).
Sam Mendes had this to say: “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”.
Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director, added: “When I read that Sam Mendes’ next project was centred around a cinema, I was so excited about the possibility of being able to present it in the BFI London Film Festival. Mendes is a masterful storyteller and here vividly captures a sense of the South coast of England, in the 1980s. Empire of Light explores the importance of community, the power of storytelling and of the movies, specifically the thrill of watching a film in a dark cinema, and the tactile pleasures of celluloid. And these are themes so close to our hearts at the BFI. The entire ensemble cast is truly exceptional, with Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward offering stunning central performances. We are so looking forward to presenting the European Premiere of Empire of Light as the American Express Gala at the 66th BFI London Film Festival”.
The 66th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express takes place from Wednesday 5th October – Sunday 16th October, 2022. However, Empire of Light will release theatrically in the US on 9th December and in the UK on 13th January.
The entire project is shrouded in mystery, but that makes it even more exciting doesn’t it? Hopefully soon we’ll receive our first trailer which will provide us with a more detailed insight.
We’ll be sure to keep you posted on any further updates. For now, you can check out all of the latest movie news right here.
