The 55th annual British Film Institute (BFI) Film Festival is in full swing and that means all the glitz, glamour and razzmatazz of Hollywood has decamped in central London.

With so many affordable Kings Cross hotels, Kensington hotels and hotels in all the other neighbouring boroughs available, visitors to the English capital can still get in on the action and have the chance to get up close and personal with the likes of George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Seymour Hoffman, Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen.

Some of the biggest names in the movie industry have already turned out in force for the highlight of the London cultural calendar, from Jude Law to the highly-rated Seth Rogen.

Indeed, it was Law who got the BFI Film Festival off and running with the premiere of his new film 360, a romantic drama featuring 10 interlinked love stories. Rogen then took centre stage with 50/50 co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The poignant 50/50 tells the story of one man’s battle to cope and stay alive after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

[Image courtesy of nechbi via flickr creative commons]

Special screenings still to come include the airing of We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Ides of March. Tilda Swinton and John C Reilly star in We Need to Talk About Kevin, which sees Lionel Shriver’s award-winning novel about a fractious relationship between two parents and their son finally hit the big screen. The Ides of March, meanwhile, marks George Clooney’s latest directorial attempt and is a political thriller packed with lies, lies and more lies.

As well as a host of interesting screenings – and there’s a whole load of world cinema films to appeal to those who enjoy a broad range of movies – there are also a series of planned seminars bringing together actors, directors and film fans to discuss a range of topics.

Virtually all the events that form part of the BFI Film Festival take place right in the heart of London in locations like Leicester Square, the Southbank and the West End, making it perfect for tourists to take in a film or two during their upcoming stay in England.

Maybe you fancy doing the BFI Film Festival on the cheap? If so, hostels in boroughs like Camden are cheap and cheerful enough. Camden itself is also a fascinating area to spend a few days in and is just a short Tube or bus journey away from all the hustle and bustle of London’s West End, which is the city’s theatre district.

At the opposite end of the scale, places like Chelsea and Kensington are where the rich and famous live and hang out and there are luxury hotels and apartments aplenty. Alternatively, accommodation in and around Kings Cross is ideal if you plan to make use of the excellent transport system to travel to other parts of England on the train.

[Image courtesy of spiritquest via flickr creative commons]

More details on all the screenings and events at the BFI Film Festival can be found here.