Elsinore is selected to be the opening film at this year's BFI London Film Festival.
Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman headline the film.
Directed by Simon Stone, the film chronicles the actor Ian Charleson's final weeks before his death.
Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman will open this year’s BFI London Film Festival with the European premiere of their film Elsinore. The feature, written by BAFTA winner Stephen Beresford is based on the life of Ian Charleson. It follows the actor’s final weeks before his death from AIDS, playing Hamlet at London’s National Theatre in the 1990s. He was the first showbiz star in the UK to request that AIDS be listed as the cause of death. The decision is said to have significantly changed public perception and stigma around AIDS in the UK. Simon Stone has directed Elsinore.
“We couldn’t be prouder to be able to present this quintessentially London film on the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival,” Stone said in a statement. “Ian Charleson had many of his greatest triumphs on the stages of the West End, at the Young Vic and of course the National, where he ended his short but dazzling career playing an unforgettable ‘Hamlet.’ We are so lucky to have Andrew Scott, a London Hamlet himself, breathing delicate inspiring life into this beautiful story. I can’t wait to share it with the hometown audience!”
Elsinore has also been selected as a gala screening at the Toronto film festival, with a world premiere a week beforehand at the Telluride film festival predicted. Scott is also a producer on the film. The wider cast features Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, David Dawson, Monica Dolan, Matthew Beard, Joe Locke, Georgie Glen, Sadie Soverall, Adeel Akhtar, Dickie Beau, with Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan.
Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival artistic director, added: “Anchored by Andrew Scott’s astounding central performance, few films will leave a lasting imprint on audiences this year quite like Elsinore. Stephen Beresford’s script offers a richly drawn world from which director Simon Stone and his exceptional ensemble of some of the U.K.’s greatest talents vividly bring the story of renowned actor Ian Charleson to the screen.”
The 2026 BFI London Film Festival runs from Oct. 7-18. Focus Features acquired Elsinore for the US run, releasing it in select theatres on November 20. Focus is believed to be pushing the film for awards race. StudioCanal will release the film in UK cinemas on January 29, 2027.
