Features

Movies about the Iraq war and the "war on terror" feature prominently in this year's London Film Festival line-up.

Nick Broomfield's Battle for Haditha and Brian De Palma's Redacted both deal with reported real-life atrocities involving US marines in Iraq.

Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise will attend

Tom Cruise stars in Lions for Lambs, about the Afghanistan conflict, and is due to attend the film's screening.

Meryl Streep, Sean Penn and Halle Berry are among the other stars expected at the event, which starts on 17 October.

As previously announced, the festival will open with David Cronenberg's London-set thriller Eastern Promises.

It will close two weeks later with Wes Anderson's India-set comedy The Darjeeling Limited.

"politically engaged"

In a line-up containing more than 180 features, Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford, stands out for its story of two university students caught up in the conflict in Afghanistan.

Cruise, Streep and Redford himself head the cast of the film, scheduled for UK release on 9 November.

Redacted also deals with the Iraq war

De Palma's drama Redacted focuses on a group of soldiers stationed in Iraq who are accused of rape, while Broomfield's Battle for Haditha dramatises an alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians.

The festival's artistic director Sandra Hebron admitted the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan provided a recurring theme this year.

"It's certainly clear this is something filmmakers are wrestling with," she said.

"There's a long history of films that are socially or politically engaged. This year we're seeing a particular manifestation of that."

"gift for the festival"

Ms Hebron said she was particularly pleased the event would open with Eastern Promises, "a film about contemporary London", which she called "a gift for the festival".

There are a number of potential Oscar contenders on display, including the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There and Brad Pitt's western The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.

Cate Blanchett was named best actress at Venice for her role in I'm Not There, while Pitt won best actor.

Eastern Promises will open the festival

Both their films will receive gala premieres in London, as will Michael Moore's controversial healthcare documentary Sicko and animated feature Bee Movie.

"The festival is always as good as the films that are out there to programme," Ms Hebron told BBC London.

"I think we've found ourselves in a fortunate position that this is a very strong year," she said.

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