The red carpet is rolling out in some of the hottest cities in the world as their film festivals come to town. This week it has been London's turn which has continued with its mission to bring all the world's strongest films to its doorstep. So what's next?
1. TOKYO
October 25 - November 3, 2017
Tokyo has perfected its two-pronged attack: a well-curated world cinema digest for locals, plus the best new home-grown animation, blockbusters and independent gems for guests, with English subtitles as standard.
HQ is the ultra-futuristic Roppongi Hills complex, encircled by other cultural must-sees such as the National Art Center, the Mori Art Museum and 21-21 Design Sight.
For more info, see 2017.tiff-jp.net
2. TROMSO
January 15 - 21, 2018
The long, dark days in winter in Tromso, an old whaling capital in Norway's Arctic Circle, offer the perfect time to watch films all day long.
This youngish festival cherry-picks from the big-hitters, but the vibe is unique: an outdoor "snow screen" has films projected on to a block of ice, and lucky visitors may get off land altogether. Candlelit sushi suppers on a floating spa, with two saunas and an open-air hot tub? Try finding that in Cannes.
For more info, see tiff.no3. BERLIN
February 15 - 25, 2018
The Berlinale, 68 years old next year, is still a top-five festival favourite for many, even when the films aren't so great: such is the curious glamour of the freezing German capital in February. Cabaret-themed or disco-fuelled, the parties can get truly wild, and the Pilsner keeps flowing until the crack of dawn.
For more info, see berlinale.de
4. CANNES
May 9 - 20, 2018
Think of Cannes in full swing as the heart of the film industry mid-cardiac arrest. You've never seen a street as busy as the Boulevard de la Croisette at premiere time: crowds surging everywhere at once, photographers wobbling on stepladders, window-tinted limousines pressing through the crush.
The superb Directors' Fortnight programme is one of a handful of events open to all, and should be every visitor's first stop. Things don't get much more glamorous than the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc which has hosted more Hollywood and world cinema royalty than can be listed.
For more info, see cannes.com
5. SHEFFIELD
June 7 - 12, 2018
Doc/Fest, Sheffield's international festival of non-fiction film, is the world's third-largest documentary festival. Since its inception in 1994, it has grown to include more than 180 films screened annually at the Showroom Workstation. It's one of the UK's coolest, youngest urban festivals and is easily combined with more rural excursions.
For more info, see sheffdocfest.com6. KARLOVY VARY
July, 2018
This 19th-century spa town in western Bohemia hosts one of the most picturesque festivals on the calendar. Hatched in the late '40s, it has held an annual competition since 1994, focusing on European films.
Stay at the venerable Grandhotel Pupp, which inspired Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel, and stroll along the Old Town's winding canal between screenings, dropping into a pastel-hued café for pork knuckle, traditional goulash and potato dumplings.
For more info, see kviff.com
VENICE
September 2 - 12, 2018
"The Mostra" to regulars, and the epitome of cinematic elegance to everyone else, Venice has a history no other festival can match. Founded in 1932, it's become something of a Cape Canaveral for Oscar campaigns, which means big stars en masse.
The festival unfolds on the 12km-long Lido on the fringe of the lagoon, immortalised in Visconti's Death in Venice. Tragic obsession now seems to be less of a thing than Aperol spritzes on the beautiful (and busy) beach at sunset, but gazing idly at the bel mondo in motion never goes out of style.
For more info, see labiennale.org - The Daily Telegraph..