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At London's central Leicester Square, McQueen
was joined on the red carpet by cast members Oscar winner Viola
Davis, "Black Panther" actor Daniel Kaluuya and "Fast and
Furious" regular Michelle Rodriguez.
The thriller, which tells the story of a group of widows
planning a heist to pay off a debt left by a crime committed by
their dead husbands, is McQueen's first major feature film since
2013's Oscar-winning "12 Years a Slave".
Adapted from an 1980s television series by British crime writer
Lynda La Plante, the Chicago-set movie touches on gender, race,
politics and crime.
"It would have been disingenuous to not address all those issues
because it's coursing through every fiber of American culture so
it should be a part of our story telling," Davis told Reuters.
Davis, who is black, said she felt very excited when she read
the script, adding: "It becomes a no-brainer ... I always say if
I turned this role down it probably would have gone to a
Caucasian actress."
The movie features a strong female cast and other Hollywood
names such as Liam Neeson, Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell.
McQueen described it as a "rollercoaster ride through our
environment".
"People are saying about this picture, 'Oh great, they're making
movies with female leads'. In the 30s, 40s and 50s, they used to
do it all the time," he said. "They were stars who were icons.
Why aren't they doing it anymore? I don't know."
Though smaller than its peers in Cannes and Venice, the BFI
London Film Festival attracts its own share of glamour with many
celebrities promoting their movies.
This year's event includes the world premieres of World War One
film "They Shall Not Grow Old" by "Lord of the Rings" director
Peter Jackson and "Stan & Ollie" about the comedy duo Laurel and
Hardy.
"The Favourite", starring "The Crown" actress Olivia Colman and
Oscar winners Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, also features, as
does Keira Knightley's latest period drama "Colette".
Organizers said the spotlight would also shine on women
filmmakers.
"This year (we're) really proud of the fact that 38 percent of
the films in the festival are from female directors or female
co-directors," festival artistic director Tricia Tuttle said.
"It's been really important to us to find and champion female
filmmakers."
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Jayson Mansaray;
additional reporting by Sarah Mills; editing by David Stamp)
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