London Film Festival’s surprise premiere has officially been revealed — and it’s a Leo Woodall x Dustin Hoffman special
Double the legends
LFF is its own cult classic, the patron saint of all kids who had a pulp fiction poster on their walls growing up - it’s basically our Coachella. And it’s just got even better.
BFI’s London Film Festival’s surprise film for 2025 is Tuner, starring One Day’s Leo Woodall and acting legend Dustin Hoffman. Talk about something for everyone. It’s directed by Daniel Roher, who you might recognise from his Oscar-winning documentary Navalny, and it looks like Tuner will be another hit if Leo’s IRL appearance at the Royal Festival Hall to crowds and applause is anything to go by.
Crime fans, rejoice: it’s a heist thriller penned by Roher and Robert Ramsay. Other cast members include Havana Rose Liu, Jean Reno, Lior Raz, and Tovah Feldshuh. The world premiere was back in August at Telluride, but it’s the first time Brits will be getting a glimpse.
The story is centred around apprentice piano tuner, Niki (Woodall), who starts moonlighting as a safecracker thanks to an auditory condition which proves useful - and lucrative, all in a bid to help ease the financial burden of his mentor (Hoffman). Liu takes on the role of Ruthie, a driven music composition grad student who starts a relationship with Niki.
The BFI London Film Festival is running from 8th to 19th October and has an absolutely stacked line-up. The festival kicked off with Rian Johnson’s new Knives Out sequel, Wake Up Dead Man. On Friday, George Clooney and Noah Baumbach will present another Netflix special, Jay Kelly, whilst Emma Stone will be reuniting with Yorgos Lanthimos for the UK premiere of Bugonia.
Saturday will see Chloe Zhao, Paul Mescal, and Jessie Buckley at the release of Hamnet, and Luca Guadagnino presenting his new film After the Hunt, starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield. So, get ready for some iconic red carpet moments, serious movie hype, and some inevitable Oscar buzz.
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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.
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