London (AFP) – “Elsinore”, starring Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott, opens the London Film Festival. The drama tells the story of actor Ian Charleson as he prepared to play Hamlet while living with AIDS in the final months of his life. Directed by Simon Stone, it raises the curtain on the 2026 festival, which showcases 251 films from 88 countries. Set in the late 1980s, the film follows Charleson as he rehearses for “Hamlet” at London’s National Theatre. Despite his illness, Charleson completed 24 three-hour performances of the play before his death in 1990 at the age of 40. “He was a real hero for doing it,” says Scott, who has won critical acclaim for his portrayal.
