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Previews and events
Join us for previews, talks and special screenings.
August
A Free Soul + pre-recorded intro by Christina Newland
Socialite Norma Shearer risks total ruination after a sordid love affair with murderous gangster Clark Gable.
Jewel Robbery + pre-recorded intro by Christina Newland
A lean little ode to drugs, sex, and diamonds starring William Powell and Kay Francis as a gentleman thief and the posh lady who falls for him.
Preview: My Old School + Q&A with Jono McLeod, Alan Cumming, Clare Grogan and Lulu
An entertaining and engrossing documentary about a 90s Scottish school legend.
Tony Hancock: Oddities and Rarities
A journey through the genius of the beloved comedian.
There is No Evil
Mohammad Rasoulof’s critical anthology film tells the stories of four executioners in Iran and the profound psychological impact of this practice.
The Divine Voyage + intro by Bryony Dixon, BFI Archive Curator
A dark tale of the high seas.
Preview: The Feast + Q&A with Lee Haven Jones, Roger Williams and Annes Elwy
A terrific slow burn, Welsh-language folk horror, laced with twisted humour, brutal body horror and extreme gore.
Blonde Crazy + pre-recorded intro by Christina Newland
James Cagney and Joan Blondell play con-artists robbing hotel guests where they work..... and trying to keep one step ahead of the law.
The Frog + intro by Vic Pratt, Producer, BFI Video Publishing
An atmospheric adaptation of crime writer Edgar Wallace.
Red-Headed Woman + intro by Pamela Hutchinson
Jean Harlow sizzles and the dialogue crackles in this boundary-pushing comedy of sex and social-climbing.
Baby Face + intro by Pamela Hutchinson
Barbara Stanwyck climbs her way to the top of New York, one man at a time in this bold Depression-era drama.
3 Faces
Playing themselves, actor Behnaz Jafari and director Jafar Panahi travel to rural Iran following a young girl’s call for help.
12 Views of Kensal House + intro by Steven Foxon, BFI Curator (Non-Fiction)
The history of Kensal House, seen through the experiences of its 1980s occupants.
Woman With a Movie Camera preview: Queen of Glory
A witty and tender dark comedy from a distinctive, new comedic voice.
Lion of Judah, War in Ethiopia, 1935-1936 + discussion
A rarely seen account of the conflict that cemented the Rastafari movement.
The Chess Players + pre-recorded intro by Shabana Azmi
Two friends play chess obsessively, seemingly oblivious to the larger political game unfolding around them.
Bob Marley: The Making of a Legend + Q&A with directors Esther Anderson and Gian Godoy
A riveting, archive-driven portrait of the reggae star and cultural icon.
Enemy of the People + intro by Ashvin Devasundaram
In Ray’s adaptation of Ibsen’s play a doctor is confounded by a community’s unwillingness to embrace justice.
TV Preview: Am I Being Unreasonable? + Q&A with writer/actors Daisy May Cooper, Selin Hizli and exec producer Jack Thorne
A comedy drama about the changes and challenges a new friendship can bring.
September
Music and Youth
Channel 4 revolutionised the presentation of pop music and youth programmes. Join the cast and creatives of shows like The Tube to discover how.
Sambizanga + discussion
A moving portrait of daily life on the cusp of a devastating civil conflict in Angola.
Doctor Who: The Abominable Snowmen (Animated)
This newly created animation accompanies the existing audio of a classic Patrick Troughton-era time-traveling adventure.
Jawbone + Q&A with Johnny Harris, Michael Smiley and Ray Winstone
A screening of the taut boxing drama followed by a discussion of the film with its filmmaker and stars.
Preview: Bodies Bodies Bodies
A menacing game turns deadly in this darkly comic chiller.
Comedy + discussion and Q&A
The Channel broke the mould of television comedy, creating new stars in the process.
Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes + Q&A with director Michael Cumming
A rare opportunity to watch previously unseen moments from the cult TV satire.
The Kid Stays in the Picture + intro by Brett Morgen
Legendary film producer Robert Evans narrates the story of his life.
Cobain: Montage of Heck + intro by Brett Morgen
A singular portrait of the Nirvana front man.
Preview: The Score + Q&A with Malachi Smyth, Johnny Flynn plus further guests TBA
A new road movie with an unsettling edge, starring Johnny Flynn and Will Poulter.
Ratcatcher + intro by Catharine Des Forges, Director of the Independent Cinema Office
Ramsay’s feature debut, set in ’70s Glasgow, is a bold, lyrical study of a 12-year-old haunted by a secret.
TV preview: Cunk on Earth + Q&A with Charlie Brooker, Diane Morgan and Sam Ward
Screenwipe’s Philomena Cunk takes on the history of pretty much everything in this documentary satire.
Graham Sutherland + John Piper + intro by John Wyver
Two early television documentaries explore the work of the British artists.
Pam Grier: Icon and trailblazer
An illustrated overview of the screen actor’s career.
Foxy Brown + Q&A with Pam Grier
Pam Grier battles predatory drug dealers preying on urban African American communities in this action thriller.
Channel 4’s TV Drama Revolution + discussion and Q&A
Our panel of cast and creatives discuss what makes a uniquely Channel 4 drama?
Diversity + panel discussion and Q&A with John Akromfrah
Pioneers of diversity on television discuss their ground-breaking work including a screening of the award-winning Handsworth Songs.
Mark Kermode Live in 3D at the BFI
One of the UK’s favourite film critics discusses upcoming releases, old treasures and guilty pleasures.
All In! + intro by film historian Mark Newell
Knockabout fun in British wrestling comedy from the Aldwych stable.
Journeys from Berlin/1971 + introduction by Michelle Pierson
A key work by dancer, choreographer, and experimental filmmaker Yvonne Rainer.
Out and Proud
A warm and humorous portrait of young lesbians, and an episode from the first networked lesbian and gay 1980s TV series.
Preview: Silent Land
An affluent couple’s dreamy getaway is disrupted in this compelling relationship drama.
Celebrating the British Entertainment History Project
A discussion about the cultural history project keeping British cinema’s rich past alive.
TV preview: Inside Man + Q&A with David Tennant, Stanley Tucci, Dolly Wells, Lydia West, Steven Moffat and Paul McGuigan
A major new thriller from BAFTA and Emmy award-winning writer Steven Moffat.
Philosophical Screens: Jackie Brown
Film philosophers Lucy Bolton and Catherine Wheatley are joined by guest speaker John Ó Maoilearca to discuss the much-loved Elmore Leonard adaptation.
Malam + discussion hosted by Anuj Radia from Film Wallahs
The dynamic of a gang in an abandoned Singapore housing block is unsettled by the arrival of a stranger.
BUG 64
Warm your heart and soul and join Dr Buckles and the BUG team for the best in new music videos and oddities from the internet
Channel 4: Then and Now
A two-day conference exploring the historical, cultural, social and political importance of the channel.
Channel 4: The Television Revolution
Members of the original Channel 4 Commissioning teams tell the inside story of how a revolution in broadcasting was created.
Brothel No 8 + intro
An old woman and former sex worker looks back on her life and, by extension, the history of women’s roles in Japanese society.
Controversy
The new channel began by “saying the unsayable”; here we look at just a few examples.
Librarians on screen: Looking beyond the stereotype
A look at the way librarians have been presented on the screen.
Bent 25th Anniversary + Q&A with Sean Mathias, Martin Sherman and Sir Ian McKellen
An adaptation of Martin Sherman’s Tony-nominated play about the persecution of gay people in Nazi Germany.
Who Needs Channel 4? with Channel 4 Chief Content Officer Ian Katz
Chief Content Officer Ian Katz discusses his priorities for the channel with some of the channel’s major stars.
Do the Right Thing + intro by Kaleem Aftab
Spike Lee’s pacy, punchy, provocative fable chronicles a sweltering, fateful day in Brooklyn.
TV preview: Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared + panel and Q&A
Viewed over a quarter of a billion times, this YouTube sensation gets its own series.
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson in conversation: 60 years of James Bond
The Bond producers discuss their hugely successful tenure overseeing the Bond screen series.
October
James Bond behind the scenes: Stunts and SFX
A look at the work that goes into creating the extraordinary action set-pieces in the Bond series.
Preview: The Sound of 007 + Q&A with director Mat Whitecross, lyricist Don Black and composer David Arnold
An insightful history of the Bond series’ composers, musicians and singers who have helped shape its unique place in cinema.
Madly, Deeply: A celebration of Alan Rickman, hosted by Mark Kermode
An all-star celebration of beloved actor Alan Rickman.
Truly Madly Deeply
A grieving musician is reunited with her dead lover in this moving comedy-drama.
Lost Voices: Film messages before FaceTime
A lecture on the ‘Calling Blighty’ films and their importance.
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