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Hirokazu Kore-eda, Carol Morley and Lili Horvát Among Directors Set for London Film Festival Official Competition
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Culture/The Apex Times/Aug 17, 7:08 AM EDT

Hirokazu Kore-eda, Carol Morley and Lili Horvát Among Directors Set for London Film Festival Official Competition

Ten films will contend for the top prize at the 2026 London Film Festival, with the winner scheduled to be announced at the LFF Awards on Sunday, Oct. 18.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

The London Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for its Official Competition, naming Hirokazu Kore-eda, Carol Morley and Lili Horvát among the directors whose new works will vie for the top award at the festival this October. Deadline reported that 10 titles are set to compete, bringing together filmmakers from multiple countries across Europe and beyond.

Festival organizers will announce the winner at the LFF Awards on Sunday, Oct. 18, according to Deadline. The competition program is positioned as the festival’s central slate of feature films, with the announced prize timing tied to the awards ceremony at the end of the festival period.

Deadline’s report says the participating countries represented in the Official Competition include the UK, Ireland, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan and Poland. The broad geographic spread reflects the festival’s international scope for this year’s major works.

Hirokazu Kore-eda is listed among the competing directors, with Deadline identifying his film as Look Back. Kore-eda, whose work has previously appeared on major international festival stages, is among the filmmakers added to the London slate for the 10-title race.

The Official Competition also includes Carol Morley and Lili Horvát. Deadline’s accompanying coverage includes an image caption tied to the competition program, referencing Look Back alongside 7 Miles Out and My Notes on Mars, as shown in Deadline’s festival artwork for the announcement.

The festival’s decision to place Morley and Horvát in the Official Competition adds to a slate that spans established filmmakers and international newcomers. With the competition field finalized, the next public milestones for audiences will be the LFF screening schedule and the awards ceremony on Oct. 18, when the winner will be formally announced.

Why It Matters

  • The Official Competition is the festival’s marquee programming tier, and the Oct. 18 awards date sets a clear timeline for which films will be recognized publicly.
  • A 10-title field with multi-country representation can shape international distribution attention for the featured directors during and immediately after the festival.
  • For audiences and industry professionals, the announcement indicates what will be screened during the main festival window rather than later specialty programming.
  • The inclusion of directors spanning multiple national cinemas reflects the festival’s role as an international showcase, potentially affecting press coverage and sales discussions.
  • The Oct. 18 awards ceremony will determine which of the competing works receives the festival’s top prize, consolidating attention on that title and its creative team.

Sources

Key Facts

  • The London Film Festival has named Hirokazu Kore-eda, Carol Morley and Lili Horvát among directors in the Official Competition.
  • Deadline reports that 10 titles will compete in the Official Competition.
  • The winner will be unveiled at the LFF Awards on Sunday, Oct. 18.
  • Deadline says the competition includes films from the UK, Ireland, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan and Poland.
  • Deadline identifies Kore-eda’s competing film as Look Back.
  • Deadline’s announcement artwork caption references Look Back, 7 Miles Out and My Notes on Mars as part of its festival competition material.