The 69th BFI London Film Festival has broken attendance records. More than 235,853 people attended screenings and events this October. The festival ran from October 8th to 19th across London and the U.K.
This marks the highest attendance in the festival's long history. Official figures confirm a huge surge in public interest for cinema.
Occupancy for in-person events in London hit 94 percent. This is up from 92 percent last year. Nearly half of all tickets were bought by first-time attendees.
The event opened with Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. It hosted 44 major red carpets. Stars like Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley walked for premieres such as Hamnet.
According to Reuters, the industry forum also saw massive engagement. Over 3,400 professional delegates participated in the event.
Chloé Zhao's Hamnet won the coveted audience award. The film stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. It is an adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's bestselling novel.
The documentary Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story also won a major prize. The festival showcased 252 titles from 79 different countries. Over 40 percent of works were from female and non-binary filmmakers.
This success underscores London's status as a global film capital. The Deputy Mayor for Culture called it a "world's best celebration of cinema." The event provides a massive boost to the U.K. creative industry.