Next week, the BFI London Film Festival launches its 55th edition. This year’s event will be the last to feature Sandra Hebron as artistic director. Since her arrival in 2003, Hebron has cannily increased the festival’s profile and ensured that it remains among the starriest in Europe.

The 2011 festival features the usual array of tasty features. Such anticipated releases as A Dangerous Method, Shame(both starring Michael Fassbender) and We Need to Talk about Kevinwill all play. The event does, however, lack any conspicuous world premieres.

"Every festival likes to have premieres," Hebron tells us. "But London was always a public festival, and initially it was set up as a festival that would show films from other festivals. In the first year the entire programme was made up of films that had screened in Berlin, Cannes or Venice. But one of the nice things about London is that we are not a competitive festival. Our prime ambition is to produce the best festival we can."

So, how has she managed to pull in the talent every year? No red carpet seems to lack star power. "Because we are just lovely," she laughs. "There is a realisation that London is a great launch pad and we are well timed for the awards calendar."