Film stars, trotting from stretch limo to red carpet on the international circuit of film festival galas, could frequently be described as Almost Famous.

Last night was London's turn, and it was literally true, as Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit and Noah Taylor, the stars of Almost Famous, turned up for the international premiere of Cameron Crowe's 1970s rock road movie, which launched Britain's biggest film festival.

The film, an affectionate look at a teenager's desperate attempts to break into the charmed world of rock journalism, is a semi-autobiographical feature written and directed by Cameron Crowe. It is based on his glory days writing for the rock music bible Rolling Stone.

Afterwards the guests, including actor John Malkovich, and director Terry Gilliam, were invited to cross the Thames for a party in a marquee in Battersea park, which despite some heart stopping moments for the organisers survived the storms. Adrian Wootton, director of the London Film Festival, called it "the biggest and we believe the best festival we have been able to present". With more titles being added every day, he described it as "a riot of screenings".

He has included the mandatory gala screenings of big budget, big box office features - including Small Time Crooks, Woody Allen's long awaited return to telling a simple funny story.

As a result the stars wil be arriving in London: Gwynneth Paltrow, Tracy Ullman, and James Caan - who will be the subject of a Guardian Interview at the National Film Theatre.

The festival also gives a shop window to young directors and directors working on small budgets, in emerging areas beginning to challenge the giant Hollywood studios. There will be films from young Britons, a contemporary French programme, and a world cinema programme with films from Azerbaijan to Mali.

An eagerly awaited screening is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, on Monday, the first Chinese-language feature by Ang Lee since Eat Drink Man Woman. The director will be the subject of a Guardian Interview on Tuesday, and he is also giving a seminar on the film.

The programme includes more than 200 screenings, with a chance to see many features awaiting distribution deals or UK release dates, and dozens of workshops, lectures, archive screenings, shorts and animated films.

The festival closes on a surprisingly sentimental note on November 16, with David Kane's feelgood film Born Romantic, starring Jane Horrocks.