That has left a great stamp on this festival, and this is something I hope to continue.
Matheson joined the BFI following Tricia Tuttles exit in 2022 after five years in post.
Its at a scale thats inconceivable at times, Matheson said of Samuels biblical comedy-drama.
BFI Festivals Director Kristy Matheson.Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for BFI.
DEADLINE:Kristy, youre an Aussie?Where in Australia are you from?
KRISTY MATHESON:Yes!
Ive been living in Melbourne.
Its not my hometown, but Ive lived there for a long time, so it feels like home.
DEADLINE:Whats your story?
How did you end up working in the UK?
LFF was the same.
The job was advertised, so I threw my hat in the ring.
I went through the interview process and it was quite straightforward in that way.
DEADLINE:What was attractive about the LFF job?
Parliament can be quite an unstable place.
Your predecessor worked with many different culture ministers.
How have you found navigating that relationship?
MATHESON:In Australia, similar to the UK, most arts organizations have a level of government funding.
Our colleagues in America have quite a different experience.
But most people in the arts in the Anglosphere and across Europe have a connection to government.
The way these institutions are funded allows for some distance between you and a minister.
But its just the nature of doing this work.
I remember he mentioned the LFF had some funding gaps.
Have these been resolved?
This years program has been on sale for ten days, and ticket sales are great.
DEADLINE:You have a fair few world premieres this year.
One is Jeymes Samuels latest film.
What can you tell me about it?
MATHESON:I cannot wait for people to see this film.
I had the best time watching it.
Its fun, political, and very moving.
The LFF opened with Jeymes previous film in 2021.
People loved that screening.
If you liked his last film, youre going to be blown away by this film.
Its at a scale thats inconceivable at times.
Hes knocked it out of the park.
DEADLINE:The Kitchen, co-directed by Daniel Kaluuyaand Kibwe Tavares,also debuts at LFF.
Tell me about that film.
MATHESON:Its such a London film from start to finish.
At the heart of the film is an incredible, very emotional story about a community.
Within that community, theres a story about a father and son reconnecting.
The performances are great, but then around that is a futuristic version of London.
And its executed in a way you dont expect outside of a big Hollywood film.
People are going to be blown away by it.
DEADLINE: The official competition is very strong this year.
Names like Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Kitty Green are screening.
This hasnt always been the case at the LFF.
Is this the result of a concerted effort to change?
MATHESON:Were strong across all three competitions.
The Sutherland Competition (First Feature Competition) as well.
We were seeing a lot of terrific first features from the UK, so the Sutherland came together first.
It felt quite freeing, adding some nonfiction work into the mix.
That allowed us to position work that we think of as more hybrid.
DEADLINE: A big part of the LFF is the headline galas.
How do you think these will be affected by the Hollywood strikes?
There are a lot of studio films in the selection.
MATHESON:When the strike was announced, we were very far down the road of programming.
Obviously, it has major effects.
But we tried to focus on the films.
We welcome any film teams that can attend.
But were also not looking to push that.
We understand that this is a very sensitive issue.
But we still have a robust roster of guests joining us.
Each year, 70% of our guests come from all over the world.
So I think were gonna have very full carpets.
DEADLINE: The industry section at the LFF has gradually grown in prominence over the last few years.
Whats your vision for the industry as you take on the mantle?
MATHESON:Our focus is on bringing the international marketplace into direct contact with the industry.
There are a lot of great moments for informal networking.
