The 59th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express has announced  Carol, Todd Haynes’ beautiful 1950s set drama, as the Festival’s American Express Gala. The film will receive its UK premiere on Wednesday 14 October at the Odeon Leicester Square, attended by the director and luminous stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel, adapted by screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, Carol follows Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), a young clerk in her 20s working in a Manhattan department store, who dreams of a more fulfilling life. When Therese meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage, an immediate connection sparks between them. As the innocence of their first encounter dims, their connection deepens and they embark on a journey of self discovery.

BFI London Film Festival Director Clare Stewart says:

“We are delighted to announce that Todd Haynes’ Carol will be this year’s American Express Gala. Carol is a deeply romantic, emotionally honest love story and is also cinema at its most intoxicating and immaculate.”