Veteran producer Jeremy Thomas has been named head of the official competition jury for the upcoming BFI London Film Festival.
In an announcement made Tuesday, the appointment of the prolific producer behind titles such as The Last Emperor, Crash, Naked Lunch and Only Lovers Left Alive — and a former BFI chair — was revealed alongside Luc Roeg, Sophie Fiennes and Finola Dwyer, who are set to preside over the first feature, documentary and best British newcomer competition juries, respectively.
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On the official competition jury, Thomas will be joined by rising Egyptian director and last year’s best film award nominee Ahmad Abdalla (who also has his film Decor in the program), Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, producer Lorna Tee, X-Men star James McAvoy and Variety chief film critic Scott Foundas.
The festival also announced that The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby would be joining its lineup of screenings. The U.K. premiere of the McAvoy and Jessica Chastain-starring drama is set to take place on Oct. 17 at the Odeon West End in London's Leicester Square, with McAvoy and director Ned Benson set to attend.
Last year, Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida — Poland's foreign-language entry for the 2015 Academy Awards — picked up the BFI London Film Festival's Best Film gong. Previous winners include Rust & Bone, We Need to Talk About Kevin and A Prophet.
