LONDON (AP) — The London Film Festival says a quarter of the feature films in this year's schedule were directed by women.

There are 61 female filmmakers in the lineup of 242 films announced Thursday.

The 61st London festival opens Oct. 4 with Andy Serkis' based-on-a-true-story "Breathe," and ends Oct. 15 with Martin McDonagh's dark comedy "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."

Festival director Clare Stewart says the lineup is strong on movies that take "inventive and exciting" liberties with genre. They include Guillermo del Toro's fantastical "The Shape of Water," Alexander Payne's sci-fi story "Downsizing" and Yorgos Lanthimos' absurdist "The Killing of a Sacred Deer."

The festival will also include discussions on disabilities. Organizers say "the film industry still has a long way to go in terms of representation for disabled people."