BFI Southbank Programme Notes

The Joyless Street

SPOILER WARNING The following notes give away some of the plot. By the mid-1920s, films of the calibre of Vanina and Erdgeist were becoming scarce. Many studios had fallen into the hands of greedy...

March 6, 2022 | IN THE EYES OF A SILENT STAR
THE FILMS OF ASTA NIELSEN

From the Caribbean to West Africa
Edric Connor’s Travelogues

+ discussion with Kevin Le Gendre and Alex Pascall, chaired by Colin Prescod. Join us for an afternoon of beautiful, restored colour films of Africa and the Caribbean, made by Edric Connor – actor...

March 6, 2022 | AFRICAN ODYSSEYS

Doctor Who
Revelation of the Daleks

We are delighted that we will be joined by actors Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Colin Spaull. There will also be a signing following the screening. It was inevitable that the desire on the part ...

March 5, 2022 | EVENTS & PREVIEWS

Nashville

One afternoon in the mid-1970s, I bunked off studies to catch the first screening at the local arts cinema of an American movie set in the capital of country music. After nearly three hours in the ...

March 5, 2022 | BIG SCREEN CLASSICS

From the Sea to the Land Beyond

Reflections on making ‘From the Sea to the Land Beyond’ One of life’s guilty pleasures is being safely inside somewhere lovely in the daytime while it’s raining outside, watching wonderful old bla...

March 5, 2022 | THE CAMERA IS OURS
BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS

Earth Spirit

Another outstanding film of this [early 20s] period was Erdgeist, directed by Leopold Jessner. Based on the play by Frank Wedekind, the film features one of the most fascinating characters of the G...

March 5, 2022 | IN THE EYES OF A SILENT STAR
THE FILMS OF ASTA NIELSEN

The Camera Is Ours - Study Day
+ Independent Miss Craigie

For the first half of the day we have talks from specialist speakers, including Invisible Women, the archive activist film collective championing the work of female filmmakers, Toby Haggith from th...

March 5, 2022 | THE CAMERA IS OURS
BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS

37 Seconds

Writer-director HIKARI on ‘37 Seconds’ Firstly, in light of this being your first feature film, what was it like transitioning from the short film medium into the world of features, and why did yo...

March 5, 2022 | SEEN & HEARD

Rebel Dread + Q&A

+ Q&A with Don Letts Director’s Notes For Don Letts, the instrument is influence… influences from politics, film, fashion and music; influences that you can either play or be played by. Being...

March 3, 2022 | PREVIEW

From Beside the Seaside to The English Inn
Restoration Programme 1

Introduced by BFI curator Ros Cranston. Please note: Beside the Seaside depicts harmful racist views that were pervasive at the time. Marion Grierson launches our revelatory programme with her ly...

March 3, 2022 | THE CAMERA IS OURS
BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS

For Sama

Introduced by director Waad al-Kateab One of the things that almost all films get wrong about war is not only that most of the time nothing happens but that something resembling ordinary life can ...

March 3, 2022 | THE CAMERA IS OURS
BRITAIN’S WOMEN DOCUMENTARY MAKERS

Hamlet

‘I am telling all my friends to see this truly great picture and I could never tire of seeing it. It is thrillingly intellectual and passionately human, and she is great, GREAT, GREAT.’ (The actres...

March 2, 2022 | IN THE EYES OF A SILENT STAR
THE FILMS OF ASTA NIELSEN

Divines

Director Houda Benyamina on ‘Divines’ In French director Houda Benyamina’s feature-length debut Divines, Dounia (Oulaya Amamra) and Maimouna (Déborah Lukumuena) are schoolfriends who turn to a lif...

March 2, 2022 | SEEN & HEARD

42nd Street

Introduced by Miles Eady, BFI Cinemas and Events (Wednesday 2 March) ‘Naughty, bawdy, gaudy, sporty’, 42nd Street is a prime chunk of fantasy real-estate – not just a movie, but a novel, a song, a...

March 2, 2022 | BIG SCREEN CLASSICS

Skate Kitchen

Skate Kitchen simultaneously embraces and censures the world of skateboarding. As much as it highlights the elegance of skateboarders on screen, its coming-of-age story is an open critique of conte...

March 1, 2022 | SEEN & HEARD

The Power of the Dog +
Jane Campion in Conversation

Jane Campion in conversation with Noah Baumbach, presented in partnership with Directors UK. ‘They didn’t know who the hell they were any more, the young fellows – cowhands or moving picture peopl...

March 1, 2022 | EVENTS & PREVIEWS

Paper & Glue

+ pre-recorded Q&A with director JR In Paper & Glue, JR turns the camera on his own work as he builds some of his most monumental projects. From early illicit graffiti videos captured on ...

March 1, 2022 | EVENTS & PREVIEWS

Keep the Change

David and Sarah meet at a support group for autistic adults and begin a journey of discovery, getting to know themselves and each other. This award-winning comedy, based on real-life experiences ...

February 28, 2022 | RELAXED SCREENING

Ali & Ava

+ Q&A with writer-director Clio Barnard and producer Tracy O’Riordan Ali & Ava is inspired by two people Clio Barnard met whilst making her previous award-winning films The Arbor (2010), a...

February 28, 2022 | WOMAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA
POWERED BY JAGUAR

UNIQUE

Cinematic projections, live music and immersive technology – these are the elements that form UNIQUE, world-renowned artist Tupac Martir’s newest masterpiece, based on the premise of self-reflectio...

February 25, 2022 | BFI EXPANDED - WORLD PREMIERE