Midlands on the Move: A Local Lad in London
Local film critic Jacob Holmes heads outside the region to the BFI London Film Festival. In our latest Midlands on the Move feature, Jacob shares some helpful hints in a first timers guide to what to expect when visiting these type of events that may be new to local filmmakers and film fans.
In 2025 I had the honour of attending the 69th BFI London Film Festival for a week, I attending premieres for some of my most anticipated films of the year. And even grabbed a press pass too. This wasn’t my first film festival, but this was my first London Film Fest and to be brutally honest, in the build-up, I was nervous!
Sadly, I found the BFI and Accreditation websites not very intuitive and quite confusing. So this this article hopes to give some peace of mind and let people know what they can expect when attending such UK festivals - both as a regular guest and as press.
Tickets
Getting regular tickets can be stressful, akin to a big concert. And in a way it's like the Hunger Games, a survival of the fittest type of vibe. First off, BFI advertise tickets go on sale at 10am in September, which is true but not wholly accurate. Instead, at 9am you head to the website and get put in a waiting room with a random allocated number for when the actual sale start at 10am. At that time it tells you where you are in the queue. If you get lucky, you could wait 15 minutes, but often the wait can be an hour plus. Finally when you can make a purchase, you are let in and can put all tickets into your basket. I have two years of experience with this queue! The first time, I failed completely and all movies I wanted to see were sold out. But this year I had a plan! The key to success is knowledge to how to play the game.
Tip 1: For the best possible chances, subscribe to the BFI and become a member. The year membership was £35 at its cheapest. And if you're in the Midlands like I am, outside the festival a membership can be fairly useless unless you go to London often. But what this membership gives you is important. A week before general release there is a presale for BFI members. Not only is this a benefit, it also gives you a crucial second chance. By that I mean if things don't go your way the first time, you can try again in the general sale. And I had to do exactly this. When general admissions came out, I tried again for tickets for Wake Up Dead Man and got my ticket!
Tip 2: Quantity. There's nothing against the rules saying you can’t enter the queue on multiple devices! I was placed very low down in the queue in my first year on one laptop, but this year I used my phone, PC, laptop, my friend's laptops AND my friends' devices! But it all paid off. Devices can take 2 hours or only 30 minutes. More Devices = Higher chance of getting tickets.
Tip 3: Know the films you want to see beforehand. If you don’t know what films you want to see or when they screen you will be completely lost. Write a timetable - and furthermore, have back up plans. Sometimes you'll click on what you want and it will be sold out, but having a backup plan will be much easier overall.
Tip 4: Even if you don’t get tickets, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of second-hand ticket websites selling tickets at normal (or sometimes cheaper) prices. Websites like Twickets, social media accounts like @LFFstubs on X or the r/londonfilmfestival on Reddit will have second-hand tickets. In fact, I sold one of my tickets on Twickets and had no complaints either.
Press passes
As you can imagine, this process is very different for industry passes. The biggest issue is tickets go on sale in waves each day. Instead of one go, pass holders book their tickets day by day. Tickets go on sale at 8am two days before, usually taking place on the accreditation app or website. In some ways this is easier, but it's also a gigantic pain. Although it's MUCH easier to get a ticket, do have to wake up every single day to go onto a laggy website and book a few tickets. You may even have to book tickets in the cinema.
Another issue can be if you plan to see both general and press screenings. One you book way in advance, but press screenings are booked during the fest. Ticket prices for public screenings vary, but the gala/premiere screenings are usually £30-£40. Whilst the press screenings are completely free, you just have to pay for the pass itself which is around £55.
Attending screenings
You’ve got your tickets and now you just have to go to the screenings! This is the easy part. For public screenings you have allocated seats so what time you arrive doesn’t really matter. As a rule of thumb, 15-45 minutes will be more than fine but do remember there are no adverts or trailers, so the movie starts bang on the allocated ticket start time. They have a tendency to be late getting started but you arrive early and although you stand in line, once the doors open you'll get in fine. If attending a gala, you can walk the red carpet, but do allow more time. If you not too fussed, you can literally walk into the Royal Festival Hall, scan your ticket and find your seat. (A little side note - if you have a balcony seat at the Royal Festival Hall, don’t worry about not being able to see the movie, the screen is massive!)
Whilst there is a general hub in BFI southbank, public screenings are dotted around London - from the Prince Charles to the Curzon - so allow plenty of travel time. For pass holders, this is different as you don't have allocated seating, so get there early for a better seat. And note that the start of the festival is when it's the busiest. Films that didn't seem as 'big' (for me Bad Apples and Good Boy) there were surprisingly long lines. As the festival goes on there's gradually less people. But don't worry, even if you are the last in the queue you will still be able to see the film - perhaps just not with the greatest view.
Another press pass positive is the vast majority of screenings are shown in one place - the Picture House Central Cinema. This makes seeing as many films as possible so much easier and can literally finish one movie and go straight into the next. One downside is you won't usually have any filmmakers or actors make special appearances, as they are more likely to attend the public screenings. This means no introduction by the director and no Q&As. Which is why I recommend attending both public and press screenings for the full experience.
Festival etiquette
One thing I worried about was not understanding the rules and etiquette of the festival. What should I wear? How should I act? Will I make a fool of myself? But you needn't worry.
Premieres sound really fancy and I had no idea if my clothes would be appropriate. I didn’t want to be refused entry but it turns out I could have warn an old hoodie and joggers! Most public screenings see people wear their everyday clothes. There are plenty 'smart casual' too, but the right vibe can be achieved with a nice outfit. For press screenings it's actually a similar deal. You don’t have to wear smart clothes and most are wearing everyday outfits.
The big one were galas and premieres - surely, I must have to look smart and suited up the entire time? Turns out there is no dress code, but it is important to note that a lot of people do dress up smart for these events. Whilst at the gala, you’ll see everything from everyday clothes to full glamour. I opted to wear something in the middle for most of the galas. A smart shirt with jeans and a nice jacket worked for me. It felt I had made an effort whilst also feeling comfortable. The only gala I attended in a full suit was for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, and that was because del Toro is my favourite director and I wanted to show a bit more appreciation and respect.
Another big worry I had was looking like I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. To an extent, I did have no idea what I was doing! But there are hundreds of first timers that also have no idea what they are doing and there are plenty of festival veterans that also get confused. What I am trying to say is if you are confused about something that's going on, the film community is genuinely very welcoming, if you have a question, there are plenty of people more than happy to answer. And you can also talk to staff or just be confused together. Remember everyone who attends has common ground; we all love film! So please talk to someone if you need help.
Final thoughts
The BFI Film Festival is the pinnacle of the British film industry; it'ss a massive event that should be enjoyed and remembered. Going to something as big as this can seem daunting to a Midlander who has never been before. But as someone who was worried about going on my own and experiencing it for the first time, I am here to say there is nothing to worry about. Enjoy yourself and have fun. To any readers who still have questions about anything I recommend checking out Reddit page r/Londonfilmfestival. If your question isn't answered on there already, ask it yourself and people are than happy to answer. That subreddit saved my skin on many occasions. Thanks for reading and happy film festival travels!
Jacob Holmes
Instagram: _jacob.holmes
Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/2vL6V
