Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire has been given the honour of closing this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who finds himself just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’. Arrested on suspicion of cheating, Jamal tells the police the incredible story of his life on the streets, and of the girl he loved and lost. But what is a kid with no interest in money doing on the show? And how does he know all the answers? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the police and sixty million viewers are about to find out … Dev Patel (Skins) stars alongside an all-Indian cast including Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Madhur Mittal and Freida Pinto in this uplifting drama set and shot in India.
On having his film invited to close the London Film Festival, Danny Boyle commented: “I am delighted that the film will receive its European premiere at the London Film Festival. I hope that Londoners will respond to this story about another great megatropolis – Mumbai, “the Maximum City”.’
The screening will be the European debut for the film which is due out in the US on 28/11/2008 after its worldwide debut at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. Frost/Nixon will open the festival, which runs from October 15 to 30. The full programme will be announced on Wednesday 10 September.
