Capital Celluloid - Day 283: Wednesday Oct 12

The London Film Festival (Wednesday October 12 - Thursday October 27)

Today is the opening day of the London Film Festival. Tonight's opening film and the only movie screened on the first day is the premiere of Fernando Meirelles's 360, which from all accounts is pretty disappointing.

From tomorrow onwards there will be plenty of opportunity to watch the best films from around the world but with 300-plus movies on offer over 17 days on 15 screens and at ten different venues across the capital it's very easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume on offer. With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the new Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in his preview, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I've read the reviews and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they sold out some time ago. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 13 to October 27) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

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