Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan, tells the story of the British women’s suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th century.

Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan yesterday opened the 2015 BFI London Film Festival, with the European premiere of their new film Suffragette.

They were 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 Streep playing British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst.

Helen Pankhurst, the great granddaughter of suffragette Emmeline, and Laura Pankhurst - Emmeline’s great-great-grand-daughter – were to attend the gala screening, which comes ahead of the film’s release on Monday.

Promotional T-shirts for the film have drawn criticism online for carrying the words “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave” – taken from a speech by Pankhurst from 1913 demanding votes for women.

Critics complained the photoshoot for Time Out magazine, which showed Streep, Mulligan, Garai and Duff wearing the T-shirts, ignores the historical context of the term ‘slave’ and suggests that slavery is a choice.

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’s The Program and Todd Haynes’s romantic drama featuring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Oscar winner Blanchett 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, Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller and Rachel Weisz. The festival runs until October 18, with Steve Jobs closing the 10-day event.