Kristy Matheson Named As New London Film Festival Head

The British Film Institute has hired Kristy Matheson as its new Festivals Director.

Matheson joins the BFI following a stint as Creative Director of the Edinburgh Film Festival. During the recruitment process, Matheson was one of the most speculated candidates. In the new role, Matheson will be responsible for delivering the BFI’s flagship London Film Festival as well as the body’s LGBTQIA-focused festival BFI Flare, which runs this month from March 15-26.

The Festival Director job is set under a fixed-term, three-year contract, with the potential to extend for a further one to two years. Matheson replaces former Festivals director Tricia Tuttle, who announced she would step down from the role on the eve of last year’s London Film Festival.

Tuttle was in post for five years, following a stint as deputy Head of Festivals from 2013-17. She has since joined the National Film And Television School as Acting Head of Department for the school’s directing fiction course.

Tuttle’s role at the NFTS will be part-time until she completes her duties at the BFI following BFI Flare, at which point she will join the film school on a full-time basis. Her role is currently set to run through September.

The search for Tuttle’s replacement began late last year. The closing date for applications was January 16. Two rounds of interviews were held, with the last on February 8. 

London Film Festival’s prominence as a global showcase has grown in recent years with plenty of awards movies and studio fare heading to the capital. Last year, the London Film Festival opened with the world premiere of Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical and closed with the European Premiere of Rian Johnson’s highly-anticipated sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.