Andrew Scott says cinema must not look away from AIDS crisis as Elsinore opens London Film Festival
Andrew Scott has said films must keep returning to the AIDS crisis, even as audiences embrace lighter LGBTQ love stories.
He spoke at the European premiere of “Elsinore” on 7 October 2026, which opened the 70th BFI London Film Festival at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, according to Variety. The festival ran from 7 to 18 October.
Scott said he welcomes joyful LGBTQ titles. He named “Heartstopper,” “Heated Rivalry” and “Red, White & Royal Blue” among them.
He added that reluctance to revisit the AIDS crisis and other difficult periods for gay people sometimes comes from a place of shame. The shame does not lie with gay people, he said. It lies with the governments that ignored the crisis and with the stigma and prejudice in society.
“Elsinore” is directed by Simon Stone from a script by Stephen Beresford and backed by Studiocanal. It world premiered at Telluride before arriving in London as the festival’s Opening Night Gala, the BFI said.
Scott stars as Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor known for “Chariots of Fire.” The film centres on the shock and trauma of the AIDS epidemic and on a culture in which gay actors felt compelled to hide their identities.
At its heart is a remarkable piece of theatre history. In 1989, Charleson replaced Daniel Day-Lewis as Hamlet at London’s National Theatre after Day-Lewis walked off stage mid-performance and never returned. Charleson played the role while succumbing to complications from AIDS. He died seven weeks after leaving the production.
Scott has described the biographical drama as an ode to living fully.
After the London premiere, Scott invited several of the real-life figures depicted in the film onto the stage alongside the actors who play them. They included Linda Tolhurst, the National Theatre’s stage doorkeeper for 46 years, played by Monica Dolan, and Ralph Mills, the theatre’s long-serving dresser, played by Paul Chahidi.
Director and close friend of Charleson Sean Mathias, played by Matthew Beard, also joined them. So did Dr Margaret Johnson, the pioneering HIV/AIDS consultant played by Olivia Colman. She drew a standing ovation in the hall.
