The 255-strong library of international films features stars such as Sir Elton John, Daniel Craig, and Angelina Jolie.
The world premiere of London-born director Steve McQueen’s World War II epic Blitz will mark the festival’s third opening. The film reconstructs a war-torn London under constant airstrikes at night, with fighting raging all around.
Played by Saoirse Ronan, Rita is an East End mother who, after much thought, decides to leave her little son George—played by actor Elliott Heffernan—to live in safety in the country. However, George is adamant and has different ideas.
With a score by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, the ensemble cast features Kathy Burke, Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, and Benjamin Clementine.
After a few years hiatus, Angelina Jolie returns to the big screen in a biopic about renowned opera singer Maria Callas, regarded as one of the finest sopranos of all time.
Jolie’s voice is largely used in the scenes where Callas is shown singing near the end of her life, even though the majority of the vocals in the film are from authentic recordings of the singer in her heyday. The Oscar-winning actress described the part as the most challenging of her career after putting in seven months of preparing for it.
