Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan will open the 2015 BFI London Film Festival tonight, with the European premiere of their new film Suffragette.

They will be joined by co-stars Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff and Romola Garai, as well as Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw and Samuel West.

The period drama, directed by Sarah Gavron and written by Abi Morgan, tells the story of the British women’s suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, with Oscar-winning actress Meryl playing British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst.

Helen Pankhurst, the great grand-daughter of suffragette Emmeline, and Laura Pankhurst – Emmeline’s great great grand-daughter – will also attend the gala screening, which comes ahead of the film’s release on October 12.

Suffragette leads a star-studded line-up of movies on this year’s bill, which includes Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs, Black Mass starring Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Frears’ The Program and Todd Haynes’ romantic drama featuring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett will join the BFI Fellowship (Rich Fury/Invision)

Oscar winner Cate – who stars in two films featured in the festival, Carol and Truth – is the recipient of this year’s Fellowship award by the British Film Institute (BFI).

Other stars who are expected to hit the red carpet include Kate Winslet, Dame Helen Mirren, Michael Fassbender, Bryan Cranston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller and Rachel Weisz.

The festival runs from October 7 to 18, with Steve Jobs closing the ten-day event.