The programming changes, in the festival's 56th edition, come under new head of exhibition and festival director Clare Stewart's leadership.
There will be a revamp of the festival's awards, with the introduction of competitive sections which aim to give a clearer view of the films which have been nominated.
The categories will include the Documentary Competition, First Feature Competition and the Official Competition, all which will contain 10-12 films.
No cash prizes will be offered this year, while some of the competition titles could also be presented as galas.
Stewart told Screen: 'Films have been competing for these awards for years but now we are changing how the programme is presented. It's about better positioning the awards with audiences and industry.' She added: 'To me, it's quite a logical move.'
Films made in the UK will be included in various sections across the programme, rather than separately.
The festival head and director added: 'That's a very essential element given the BFI's broader role.'
As well as this, the other elements of the programme will be split into seven categories, 'clustered' into themes such as cult, laughter, adrenaline, challenge, love, debate and journeys.
BFI aim to establish an audience-friendly method of discovering films, but avoiding being reductive.
'It's important to create a programme environment that invites in new audiences,' Stewart said. 'What's informing audience choice in the contemporary marketplace has changed so rapidly in the past few years.'
When she worked for the Sydney Film Festival, she introduced similar themed programme tags, and there was a 31% boost to audience numbers after the alterations.
The categories chosen by the BFI have also been formed partly from the UK Film Council report, Opening Our Eyes.
According to the report, audiences decide to see a film based more on the genre rather than on reviews or the actors.
The London festival is now also in partnership with Nintendo, and there will be a gala screening and short filmmaking competition, with the use of a Nintendo 3DS.
Lead sponsor of the festival will remain as American Express.
The 2012 programme of the London Film Festival will be revealed at the start of September. The festival will run from October 10 - 25.
By Natalie Thomas
