BFI London Film Festival 2017

I guess the Breathe Gala sold out?

Edit: Ignore me, it's a ballot for members only anyway!

Looks like they're going to be doing a preview screening thing with red-carpet coverage as well, so might just do that (or the morning showing the next day) instead.

Snooping around on twitter and see that a few screenings have already sold out. How much of an allocation do AMEX holders have held back for them? And how do we even book - just go to BFI website? I tried entering promo code 'amex' but keep getting error response.

Previous years you go to bfi.org.uk/amex. You can sign up for email updates at the bottom of this page - www.americanexpress.com/uk/entertainment/tickets and you should get a mail with a link.

Don't know how big the allocation is but previous years I've never had a problem booking for "sold out" events when Amex booking opens. Also bear in mind that there's an allocation of tickets for all of the LFF's sponsors, which are often not used, so almost always extra tickets will turn up later.

I booked for three films yesterday - the morning screening of The Shape of Water, the Saturday screening of Downsizing and the first night showing of Good Times - all recommended by my brother who lives in L.A. and is a more serious theatre buff than I am. I may try to pick up more but it was quite glitchy - for The Shape of Water I had five goes and long waits between each go, before a ticket ended up in my basket.

Like a couple of you, last year I was at the morning screening of La La Land when not only Gosling but the director, producer and cinematographer all turned up - so that was fun. I went to the Confessions of Nat Turner morning screening - it was a bit grim and no one from the film turned up (there had been a scandal involving the director which killed the buzz on that film shortly before it arrived at the LFF.) And we went to the overflow Closing Night Gala which was kind of fun but nothing like (I suspect) being at the real Gala - I wouldn't say it was good value and I wouldn't do another overflow gala.

But as xanderl (who is always spot on in all of his ticket advice) extra tickets can turn up. Sometimes more screenings are added and occasionally free tickets or deals appear. In addition to the films I booked, my brother also recommended "Blade of the Immortal," "The Venerable W," "Promised Land," and "24 Frames" so I may try for some of those - though a couple of them look pretty intense.

Thanks again to xanderl and the others who posted about the Amex presale which I haven't used in previous years - got all four films I'd missed out on in the member booking, so now have a full house of 22 films! (First year since retirement and can use the cheap midweek matinees!)

It's probably a good thing that the Breathe opening Gala was sold out by the time I got there...for my bank balance and Andy Garfield's likelyhood of being kidnapped...

Oh if you don't mind (after all I'm feeling a bit left out of these theatre ballots!) Thanks! 

Oh OK - I managed to do the same for closing gala, but I assumed it was a mistake. Seems a bit mean to offer tix to Amex customers but make members go through the ballot.

Thank you all for alerting me to "Film stars don't die in Liverpool" I think I will enjoy this film.

Any more guesses for Surprise Film? If it's Darkest Hour, I can't for the life of me think why they wouldn't do it as a gala with a massive fanfare. Joe Wright, Gary Oldman and KST all on the red carpet for a huge Leicester Square event is textbook LFF. It doesn't make sense for them to do it as the Surprise Film if they managed to get it.

So I hope it's Lady Bird.

I so hope it's Lady Bird.

Have found out that Michael Caine is going to be at the screening of My Generation I'm going to at the Curzon the Kings Road - woot woot!