KASI LEMMONS is set to talk about her trailblazing career and the making of Harriet: a rousing biopic of slave turned abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman, brilliantly portrayed by Cynthia Erivo, at the first ever LFF For Free, a new initiative for 2019.

With 30 exciting free events to complement and expand the Festival fun LFF For Free programme offers an eclectic, thought-provoking and creative mix of events for all ages and families, and for audiences of all tastes.

Starting out as a child actor, the St Louis, Missouri-born Lemmons subsequently appeared in such US television staples as Murder, She Wrote and ER, while also scoring big screen supporting roles in Spike Lee’s collegiate musical School Daze (1988), the cult Nicolas Cage black comedy Vampire’s Kiss (1988), multiple Academy Award winner The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and horror classic Candyman (1992).

Having enrolled in the film program at New York’s renowned New School for Social Research, she made an unforgettable directorial debut with the hugely acclaimed Eve’s Bayou: a lyrical, multi-layered and avowedly feminist family saga set in early ’60s Louisiana. Hailed as the best film of 1997 by Roger Ebert, Lemmons’ landmark first outing behind the camera was recently selected by America’s Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

She reunited with Eve’s Bayou star/producer Samuel L. Jackson for twisted mystery The Caveman’s Valentine (2001); won both the African-American Film Critics and NAACP Image Awards’ Outstanding Director prizes for second feature Talk to Me (2007, starring the equally garlanded Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor); and most recently directed Angela Bassett to an NAACP Image Award Outstanding Actress prize with 2013’s Langston Hughes adaptation Black Nativity.

The BFI Southbank becomes a Festival Hub for the public, with free events concentrated over the two weekends in the BFI London Film Festival, October 4-6 and October 11-13.

Tickets for this event are FREE but should be booked in advance from the BFI Box Office in person or by calling 020 7928 3232. Tickets will be available to BFI Champions/Patrons October 4, 10:00, BFI Members 11:00 and to the public from 16:00.  Max 2 Tickets per person. Seating will be unallocated.

In person: BFI Southbank Office: 11:00 – 20:30

Telephone Bookings: +44 (0)20 7928 3232 between 10:00 – 20:30

SCREEN TALKS

Previously announced, with tickets on sale now:

Michael B. Jordan – October 6, 11:30, ODEON Luxe Leicester Square – Michael B. Jordan’s rise has been meteoric, with a career trajectory that parallels frequent creative collaborator Ryan Coogler, and we welcome him to LFF on the occasion of his latest starring role in Just Mercy to discuss his approach to acting and producing.

Kim Longinotto – October 6, 15:30, ICA Cinema, Screen 1 – Acclaimed documentarian Kim Longinotto joins us to discuss her storied career and her new documentary Shooting the Mafia.

Lukas Moodysson – October 8, 11:00, BFI Southbank, NFT3 – Swedish writer-director Lukas Moodysson joins us to discuss his filmmaking career and the making of his first TV series Gösta.

Rian Johnson – October 8, 15:00, BFI Southbank, NFT1 – Genre-hopping director Rian Johnson joins us to talk about his acclaimed career and the making of his fifth feature Knives Out.

Céline Sciamma – October 9, 12:00, BFI Southbank, NFT1 – Acclaimed director and screenwriter Céline Sciamma joins us to talk about her career and the making of her fourth feature film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Robert De Niro – October 11, 16:30, BFI Southbank, NFT1 – Celebrating his ninth collaboration with Martin Scorsese, American actor Robert De Niro joins us to discuss his formidable career on the occasion of the international premiere of his latest film The Irishman.