- London
- 3 updates
BFI Film Festival latest
British star Chiwetel Ejiofor has defended the violent scenes in his new film 12 Years a Slave, which had its UK screening at the BFI London Film Festival.
Live updates
Emma Thompson hails BFI London Film Festival
The true story of how Walt Disney convinced the author of Mary Poppins to turn the novel into a Hollywood movie will end this year's London Film Festival. Saving Mr Banks premieres in the capital this evening - as well as Tom Hanks, it stars London actress Emma Thompson.
Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks in London for last day of film festival
Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson will be in the capital for the last day of the BFI London Film Festival.
The pair will be on the red carpet for the screening of their film Saving Mr Banks, the story of how the movie Mary Poppins was made.
Advertisement
Chiwetel Ejiofor 'kept things real' in 12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor has revealed he had no reservations about the harrowing scenes in the film, directed by Steve McQueen.
The British actor,36, plays Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped, tortured and sold into slavery in 1841.
"There was no other way to tell the story. I have to just slip down the rabbit hole and see what happens," he said ahead of the film's UK screening at the BFI London Film Festival.
Ejiofor continued: "I was aware of Steve and his films so I knew those places you'd have to go to and that's what I wanted - to tell the story. You can't tell a story about slavery without showing those scenes."
