By Iain Blair

London will soon celebrate its 52nd Film Festival – this year it runs from Oct 15-20 – and I wish I could stay to catch some of this year’s great movies. The festival’s sponsored by The Times, and there’s a great quote from the late Anthony Minghella – a former Chair at the festival - about cinema on an early program I got – “Something so powerful as film should be celebrated and understood.”

The opening night gala showcases Frost/Nixon, the Ron Howard Universal release starring Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost, which is highly anticipated. The closing night features Slumdog Millionaire, a total change of direction for director Danny Boyle, who is unquestionably one of the UK’s top directors. Based on the best-selling novel “Q&A,” the film was shot in India where it’s set and emphasizes the international spirit of the festival.

Other hot tickets? Oliver Stone’s W and the first public screening worldwide of the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. There’s even events with writers Charlie Kaufman and Peter Morgan, who penned Frost/Nixon, discussing their craft.

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