Simon Stone drama Elsinore opens 70th BFI London Film Festival

The 70th BFI London Film Festival opened on Wednesday evening with the European premiere of Elsinore at the Royal Festival Hall. The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Deadline reported that lead actor Andrew Scott and director Simon Stone attended the opening screening alongside cast members Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, and Joe Locke. [1][3][4]

The Hollywood Reporter noted that Andrew Scott brought out the real-life figures who inspired characters in the film onto the stage during the opening ceremony. Studiocanal is handling the distribution for the project, having recently released the official UK trailer for the drama, according to FirstShowing. [1][5]

Directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford, Elsinore is a biographical drama about Scottish actor Ian Charleson, who died from AIDS in 1990. The film focuses on Charleson preparing for and performing as Hamlet at the National Theatre during the final months of his life. [1][5][12]

The annual festival, which was established in 1957 in collaboration with the British Film Institute, runs every October in London. [14]