Regular programme

Our regular programme includes world cinema, archive, experimental and much more…

African Odysseys

Inspirational films by and about the people of Africa, from archive classics to new cinema and docs.

Billy Bang Lucky Man + intro and Q&A with Markus Hansen and Jean-Marie Boulet

An acclaimed musician returns to Vietnam, accompanied by his violin, to resolve his trauma.
African Odysseys presents: UK Premiere: A Bruddah’s Mind + Q&A with director Déo Cardoso

The UK Premiere of a Brazilian film drama exploring racism in a high school in contemporary Brazil.

Art in the Making

Celebrating diverse artistic forms, movements and makers.

Kites, Paper Aeroplanes and the Allure of Flight

Feel elevated, amused and inspired by this curated selection of films about flight.
Sacred Geometry + Q&A with artist Leila Dear

A stunning experimental film that explores ways of viewing nature and, by extension, humanity.

BFI Flare

LGBTQ+ films and events.

Funeral Parade of Roses + pre-recorded intro by Professor Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano, Kyoto University

Matsumoto’s wild counter-culture classic is a one-of-a-kind, kaleidoscopic vision of Tokyo’s 1960s queer underground.
Funeral Parade of Roses

Matsumoto’s wild counter-culture classic is a one-of-a-kind, kaleidoscopic vision of Tokyo’s 1960s queer underground.

Bug

A perfect synergy of comedy, music videos and adventures on the internet.

BUG Special: David Bowie

Adam Buxton provides you with a fan’s journey through clips, music videos and more.

Experimenta

Artist film and alternative moving-image culture; works that break with convention. Programmed by William Fowler.

Experimenta presents: A selection of video and film works by Mako Idemitsu + intro by Daniella Shreir

Idemitsu’s films are sometimes abstract and lyrical, confrontational and militant – enjoy this curated collection.
The Surviving Films of Franciszka and Stefan Themerson + intro

Recently rediscovered and restored Europa, once looted by the Nazis, is presented alongside three other films by the Themersons.

Projecting the Archive

A rare chance to see rediscovered British features from the BFI National Archive. Programmed by Josephine Botting. In honour of Dr Clifford Shaw.

Hunted (aka The Stranger in Between) + intro by BFI Curator Josephine Botting and Dirk Bogarde’s nephew Ulric van den Bogaerde

A tense thriller starring Dirk Bogarde as a killer on the run.
I Could Go On Singing + intro by BFI Curator Josephine Botting and Dirk Bogarde’s niece Alice van den Bogaerde

Judy Garland’s final screen performance is poignant and compelling.
The Servant

Dirk Bogarde plays a sinister and corrupting manservant in this 1963 classic.
Hoffman + intro by director Alvin Rakoff

Peter Sellers and Sinéad Cusack star in this taut two-hander.

Seniors

Free and paid matinees, and talks for the over-60s. Programmed by David Somerset.

Seniors’ matinee: The Servant + Q&A with BFI Curator Josephine Botting

Dirk Bogarde plays a sinister and corrupting manservant in this 1963 classic.
Seniors’ free archive matinee: So Long at the Fair + Q&A (TBC)

Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde star in this Paris-set period mystery.
Seniors’ free matinee: HG Wells’ The Man Who Could Work Miracles + intro

A charming romantic fantasy with a message for its time from HG Wells.
Seniors’ free talk: François Truffaut on TV

A rare screening of François Truffaut on primetime UK TV.
Seniors’ paid matinee: The 400 Blows + intro

One of the greatest movies about adolescence.

Silent Cinema

Enjoy the best international restorations, often with a live musical accompaniment. Programmed by Bryony Dixon.

The Virginian + intro by BFI Curator Bryony Dixon

‘When you call me that, smile!’ It begins with The Virginian, the original cowboy hero.
Silent Cinema presents: South: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Glorious Epic of the Antarctic + live score

An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Silent Cinema: Intrepid Women

Meet the women explorer-filmmakers who blazed their own trail.

Terror Vision

The darker side of cinema; films that will horrify and astound. Programmed by Michael Blyth.

The Shout

Blood-curdling screams ring through the English coastline in this unsettling, one-of-a-kind shocker.
My Little Eye + intro by Mike Muncer, host of The Evolution of Horror podcast

Big Brother is doing more than just watching in this wickedly inventive contemporary horror.

Woman with a Movie Camera

We celebrate women’s contribution to cinema and spotlight female stories.

Bridget Jones’s Diary at 20 + Q&A with director Sharon Maguire

Celebrating 20 years of bunny outfits, reindeer jumpers and big knickers.
Preview: Amulet + Q&A with writer-director Romola Garai

Romola Garai joins us to discuss her intelligent, feminist gothic horror.