The blockbuster-packed programme for The Times BFI 50th London Film Festival was announced today by artistic director Sandra Hebron at a crammed Odeon West End.

This year's festival begins on Wednesday, 18 October with the European premiere of Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland, a fictional depiction of the brutal reign of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, starring Forest Whitaker and Gillian Anderson. The festival concludes on Thursday, 2 November with the UK premiere of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s eagerly-anticipated Babel, starring Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt and Mexican heart-throb Gael Garcia Bernal.

Director and actor Emilio Estevez has assembled a stellar ensemble cast for The Times Gala film Bobby, his account of those unwittingly caught up in the assassination of Robert F.Kennedy. Starring Sharon Stone, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Fishburne and William H Macy, Bobby is one of the festival’s highlights, with members of the strong ensemble cast expected on the red carpet on Thursday, 26 October.

The programme also includes the latest work from Venice Golden Lion winner Jia Zhang-ke (Still Life), Dogme director Lars Von Trier (The Boss Of It All), Phillip Noyce (Catch A Fire), Anthony Minghella (Breaking And Entering) and Nanni Moretti (The Caiman).

British talent is strongly represented with Cannes Jury Prize-winning director Andrea Arnold’s Red Road, Nick Broomfield’s Ghosts and Shane Meadows’s This Is England as well as Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat (subtitled Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan).

The Treasures from the Archives strand celebrates restorations from archives around the world, including the BFI National Archive’s Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and Distant Voices Still Lives, which will be introduced by Terence Davies.

The full festival line-up includes 181 features, comprising four world and 32 European premieres, 131 shorts, plus screen talks, masterclasses and exciting anniversary events.

To celebrate its jubilee year, the Festival plays host to two major special events: a free, outdoor live-mix screening A Portrait of London: Trafalgar Square, and the world’s largest surprise film screening in 50 screens across the capital.

Commenting on the 50th Festival line-up, artistic director Sandra Hebron said: “In this significant year, we’re very excited to be able to bring such a strong selection of original and distinctive films to London, together with some truly innovative special events. We’re looking forward to welcoming all our participating filmmakers, audiences and press and industry delegates to join us in celebrating the Festival’s 50th anniversary and its promising future.”

Robert Thomson, editor of The Times, added: "The range and quality of the work gathered for the Festival is extraordinary. There is no doubt that London's claim to being the world's most important and inclusive film festival has been enhanced. Given the riches on display, my advice is to book early."

The Times BFI 50th London Film Festival runs from Wednesday, October 18 to Thursday, November 2, 2006.

Tickets can be booked online at www.lff.org.uk from Friday, September 29. Readers of The Times and Times Online have priority booking from Saturday, September 23.

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010