Film starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Weller marks a high-profile world premiere for the festival, now in its 68th year

Blitz, a new drama from Steve McQueen set in London during the second world war, is to open the capital’s film festival in October.

The film stars Saoirse Ronan as Rita, the mother of nine-year-old George (Elliott Heffernan), who sends him to safety in the countryside. But the evacuee is determined to return and travels solo home, while his distraught relatives search for him in the city.

The BFI London film festival will run from 9 to 20 October.