The 56th BFI London Film Festival will close on Sunday 21 October with the European Premiere of Great Expectations.

Directed by Mike Newell and adapted by David Nicholls from the classic Charles Dickens novel, the film stars Jeremy Piven, Holliday Grainger, Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.

Clare Stewart, BFI Head of Exhibition said: “Visually ravishing and rippling with immediacy, this new adaptation of the classic novel provides a fitting conclusion to both the 56th BFI London Film Festival and London”s bicentenary celebrations of the life and work of Charles Dickens. David Nicholls” splendid script has an acute respect for the complexities of Dickens” original text and gives plenty of scope to the film”s rising stars – Jeremy Irvine (Pip) and Holliday Grainger (Estella) – along with some of the UK”s finest acting talent, including compelling performances from Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch and Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham.”

Director Mike Newell added: “It”s a great honour to be invited to be the BFI London Film Festival”s Closing Night film. I”m proud that our new version of Great Expectations should be presented this year, the bicentenary of Dickens” birth. I”ve tried to make a film that is true to the theatrical vividness, energetic characters and high colour he is loved for, while mining the deep seams of emotional cruelty and madness that underlie one of Dickens” darkest-shadowed stories. I”ve tried to make a film for a young modern audience in which Pip and Estella”s fated love affair is shown through feelings and stresses that are of today and in a city that was, then, full of brawling energy, was unimaginably wealthy and very bad.”

Great Expectations is produced by the partners at Number 9 Films, Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley (Made in Dagenham, The Crying Game).

The BFI London Film Festival runs from Wednesday 10 October – Sunday 21 October and the full programme for the festival will be announced tomorrow.