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23 Jun 2015 | 2 min read
A United Kingdom will open the BFI London Film Festival on 5 October 2016, marking the second consecutive year that an Ingenious production has headlined the 60-year-old event. Directed by Amma Asante, the drama stars David Oyelowo (Selma) and Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and will make its European premiere at the LFF.
Set in the late 1940s, A United Kingdom depicts the controversial marriage of Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana (Oyelowo) and British office worker Ruth Williams (Pike), in the face of fierce international opposition.
Other cast members include Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean), Terry Pheto (Mandela), Tom Felton (Harry Potter) and Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey) with the screenplay written by Guy Hibbert (Eye in the Sky).
The film is produced by Rick McCallum (Star Wars), David Oyelowo, Justin Moore-Lewy, Brunson Green (The Help) and Charlie Mason. Executive producers are Cameron McCracken (Pathé), Christine Langan (BBC Films), Ben Roberts (BFI), Eleanor Clark Windo (Ingenious Media) and Guy Hibbert.
Asante is the second consecutive female director to open the festival, following on from Ingenious’ Suffragette in 2015, directed by Sarah Gavron.
The festival will run from October 5 – 16 and the full programme of events will be released on 1 September.
