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Previews and events
Join us for previews, talks and special screenings.
July
Season Introduction Station to Station: Kazuo Ishiguro’s Top Ten Train Films
Booker and Nobel prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro discusses his favourite train films.
Shanghai Express + intro by writer and season curator Kazuo Ishiguro
One of the greatest collaborations between Josef von Sternberg and star Marlene Dietrich unfolds aboard the plush environs of a trans-continental train.
A Better Tomorrow + intro by Dr Lin Feng, University of Leicester
This tale of two brothers on the opposite sides of the law marks the emergence of John Woo’s signature action filmmaking style.
Marilyn Monroe Study Day
Take a contextual deep dive into Marilyn Monroe with this dedicated day of talks and screenings.
Don’t Bother to Knock + intro by writer Charlie Evans Flagg
Marilyn Monroe thrills as an unstable babysitter in British director Roy Ward Baker’s psychological thriller.
All About Eve + intro by film and cultural events programmer Caroline Cassin
Marilyn Monroe steals all of her scenes in this Hollywood classic about an ageing star unwittingly letting an aspiring actress into her life.
TV Preview: The Undeclared War Series 2 + Q&A with Simon Pegg, Siân Brooke, Hannah Khalique-Brown, writer Colin Teevan and creator Colin Callender
Join us for the return of Channel 4’s immense international cyberwarfare thriller.
Bus Stop + intro
Marilyn Monroe is an unvarnished singer evading an overly keen cowboy in this romantic comedy-drama.
New Writings: Hard Streets – Working Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin’s London with Jacqueline Riding
From Edwardian poverty to cinematic genius, Jacqueline Riding explores how Chaplin’s Lambeth roots, radical politics and street culture shaped his films and enduring worldview globally.
Night Train + intro with Professor Philip Horne, hosted by Kazuo Ishiguro
Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s richly cinematic gem is one of the creative highlights of an extraordinary era of Polish cinema.
It’s Love Again + intro by Maureen Footer, author of Feel the Floor: Restoring the Life and Legacy of Jazz Choreographer Buddy Bradley
This ultra-stylish Jessie Matthews musical is a brilliant comedy of mistaken identity.
Bullet in the Head + intro by film critic Katie Smith-Wong
This Vietnam war melodrama is an underrated and emotionally devastating masterpiece in John Woo’s filmography.
UK Premiere of 4K Restoration: Bashu, the Little Stranger + intro by film curator Ehsan Khoshbakht
The bond between an orphan and a strong, independent woman who defies tradition and authority lies at the heart of this drama by a filmmaker consistently censored by the theocratic regime of Iran.
New Writings: Feel the Floor – Restoring the Life and Legacy of Jazz Choreographer Buddy Bradley with Maureen Footer
This discussion explores how one choreographer’s jazz steps electrified Broadway, conquered the West End and reshaped stage and screen dance through legendary students and decades of innovation worldwide.
How to Marry a Millionaire + intro
In this hilarious comedy, Marilyn Monroe teams up with Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall as three women on a mission to marry wealthy suitors.
London Indian Film Festival Opening Night – European Premiere: 52 Blue + intro and Q&A with cast and crew
A young man's passion and desire to meet his idol Lionel Messi leads him on a journey to the football World Cup in Qatar, in this rousing tale of self-discovery and Love.
New Brit-Asian Shorts + Q&A
New and exciting short films from emerging British Asian filmmakers.
Marilynspirations Double Bill
This Claudette Colbert and Jean Harlow double bill celebrates the stars that influenced Marilyn Monroe.
India’s AI & Film Future + discussion
A look at innovation in South Asian cinema, harnessing the use of AI and other technologies, plus a discussion with industry experts.
Goodness Gracious Me Reunion + Q&A with Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadi, Kulvinder Ghir and Anil Gupta
A rare chance to share the on-stage reunion of legends of British comedy – the cast of Goodness Gracious Me.
50th Anniversary Screening: Bugsy Malone + Q&A
We celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Parker’s musical masterpiece.
What Could Have Been: Something’s Got to Give
An illustrated talk examining background of Marilyn Monroe’s final, unfinished film.
Marilyn in Her Own Words... + intro
Two insightful documentaries, featuring a couple of the few interviews conducted with Marilyn Monroe, give the star her voice.
Ladies of the Chorus + intro by season curator Kimberley Sheehan
Monroe delivers a luminous performance in her first major role, in this long‑forgotten B‑movie musical.
UK Premiere: In Search of the Sky + discussion
An elderly couple in an Indian village struggle with prejudice towards their disabled son and make a journey to the country’s largest religious gathering in search of a solution.
Mark Kermode Live in 3D at the BFI
The critic presents the latest episode of his live discussion, on stage in NFT1.
As Young as You Feel + intro
A man battles against mandatory retirement in this quirky film from Marilyn Monroe’s early career.
UK Premiere of 4K Restoration: In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones + Q&A
A new restoration of this cult classic written by Arundhati Roy which captured the zeitgeist of student life in an architecture school in 1970s Delhi.
Sound and Vision: Films by Helen Petts + Helen Petts in conversation with musician Steve Beresford
A screening of films by the acclaimed filmmaker followed by a discussion of her work.
Aamir Khan in Conversation
Join one of India’s best-loved actors for a rare career conversation.
Clash by Night + intro by season curator Kimberley Sheehan
Marilyn Monroe impresses as a naïve small-town girl in Fritz Lang’s dark melodrama fraught with sexual tension.
The Killer + intro by Vicki Brown, co-founder of the MilkTea collective
In one of John Woo’s finest Hong Kong films, Chow Yun-fat excels as a charismatic hitman defined by an unshakeable a moral code.
We Crip Film Festival Opening Night: UK Festival Premiere: Joybubbles + pre-recorded intro from Rachael J. Morrison
A blind hacker genius creates a new subculture and chooses child-like wonder in this astounding documentary.
European Festival Premiere: Lone Wolves + pre-recorded intro from writer and actor Matt Foss
In this knockout indie comedy, an impeccably planned DIY self-insemination operation between old friends causes more than one kind of discharge.
We Crip Film Festival: Shorts Programme: It’s Not You, It’s Ableism + Q&A
This short film showcase is a vibrant and eclectic collection of disability stories and filmmaking.
We Crip Film Festival Closing Night: World Premiere: D-Punk + panel discussion
A raw, defiant documentary where punk and disability collide – challenging norms, reclaiming space, and rewriting who gets to be seen and heard.
Some Like It Hot + intro
Marilyn Monroe sizzles opposite Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Billy Wilder’s genre-melding comic masterpiece.
UK premiere of 4K restoration: 3 Bad Men + intro by Bryony Dixon, Rosie Taylor and Makeda Doyal
This magnificent early John Ford western screens at the BFI for the first time.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes + intro
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell make for a magnetic duo, playing two showgirls pursuing a perfect match in Howard Hawks’ classic comedy musical.
Library Talk: Lost Star – The Rediscovery of the Transnational Stardom of Belinda Lee with Steve Chibnall
Steve Chibnall uncovers a forgotten film star’s meteoric rise and fall, from English seaside fame to American exile, revealing postwar challenges to respectability and stardom.
Rome Express + intro with writer Jonathan Coe, hosted by writer and season curator Kazuo Ishiguro
An opportunity to catch a ride aboard this criminally underseen British thriller.
Hard Boiled + intro by Xavier Alexandre Pillai, BFI TV Programmer
The action looks incredible in this in newly restored, digital 4K version of John Woo’s crime thriller masterpiece about a vengeful cop taking down an weapons-smuggling syndicate.
Blue Black Permanent + pre-recorded intro by Beth Johnston, Filmmaker
The first feature by a female Scottish filmmaker finds a young woman embarking on a lyrical journey to understand her lineage.
Missing Believed Wiped: Mid-Summer Special
A long-lost BBC documentary celebrating the release of Abbey Road screens alongside a special collection of recently uncovered items.
John Woo Double Bill: Red Cliff Part I + Red Cliff Part II
Don’t miss your opportunity to see both parts of John Woo’s historical epic on the big screen.
Eve and Marilyn + Q&A with Eve Arnold’s grandson, Michael Arnold
This short documentary and discussion will examine Monroe’s work with photojournalist Eve Arnold.
Murder on the Orient Express + intro with writer Sophie Hannah, hosted by writer and season curator Kazuo Ishiguro
The best Agatha Christie adaptation bar none was an atypical journey for director Sidney Lumet and features an incredible all-star cast.
The Seven Year Itch + intro by Ruby McGuigan, BFI Programme Development Manager
Marilyn Monroe is a middle-aged man’s ultimate fantasy in this comedy by Billy Wilder.
Preview: Ish + Q&A with co-writer, director and composer Imran Perretta + cast (tbc)
A coming-of-age story for modern times, this powerful British debut explores the emotional cost of racism on our children.
Radio On + pre-recorded intro by director Christopher Petit
An existential road movie (and thriller with one flat tyre) that ranks among the most influential debuts in British cinema.
August
UK Premiere of 4K Restoration: Letty Lynton + intro by Caroline Cassin, Women & Cocaine film curator
Joan Crawford’s most elusive film returns from cinematic exile in a stunning 4K restoration.
Yonderland + Q&A with Jim Howick and Laurence Rickard
The fantasy world of Yonderland receives a visit from Birmingham’s Debbie Maddox, who some of the residents believe to be the ‘Chosen One’.
The War Game + Samira Ahmed remembers Peter Watkins in an extended conversation with Kevin Brownlow, Kodwo Eshun and Kristofer Woods
The BBC banned Peter Watkins’ notorious films about a future nuclear attack, and yet in 1966 it won an Oscar – for best documentary.
New Writings: Reboot Culture with William Proctor
What is a reboot? Dr William Proctor unpacks its origins, meanings, myths, and impact across film franchises and transmedia storytelling.
Peter Watkins: Resistance Isn’t Futile
In this illustrated introductory lecture, season curators William Fowler and James Bell will explore Peter Watkins’ life and work.
Preview: Lady + Q&A with actor Sian Clifford and director Samuel Abrahams
Sian Clifford’s narcissistic aristocrat hires a crew to film her life, but her obsession with attention soon twists into something surreal and unsettling.
Monica Vitti Season Introduction: More than a Muse
Season curator Catherine O’Rawe offers a journey through the life and career of the Italian screen icon.
Barbara Kopple Double Bill + intro by Dr Alice Pember
A double bill of Barbara Kopple’s gripping, Oscar-winning portraits of American workers fighting for dignity, survival and solidarity across two defining labour struggles.
L’eclisse + intro by season curator Catherine O’Rawe
Monica Vitti and Alain Delon are sublime and breathtakingly beautiful in Michelangelo Antonioni’s masterpiece.
Stardust + intro by season curator Catherine O’Rawe
Monica Vitti and Alberto Sordi, in their last on-screen pairing, shine in this bittersweet comic musical.
Clever Girls + intro by writer Richard Dyer
Monica Vitti shines as a woman determined to snag a husband in 1950s Italy.
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared + Q&A with creators Becky Sloan and Joe Pelling
We celebrate the surreal, horrifying puppets of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared with the show’s creators.
Muppets and Fraggles: A Celebration + Q&A with co-creator and writer of Fraggle Rock Jocelyn Stevenson
Come and celebrate the world of Jim Henson and his on-screen universe of Muppets and Fraggles.
I Married You for Fun + intro by writer and researcher Olga Campofreda
Monica Vitti is radiant in Luciano Salce’s stylish take on the sexual revolution in Italy.
Radical Cinema: Past, Present and Future Histories + Onyeka Igwe in conversation with William Fowler
Join us for experimental films and an extended conversation about Peter Watkins’ signature approach to cinema: restaging past events in the present and framing speculative futures as documentary.
À nos amours + intro
Sandrine Bonnaire is remarkable in her César-garlanded screen debut, playing a teenage girl grappling with her burgeoning sexuality.
Doctor Who: 20 Years On – The Tenth Doctor
We celebrate David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor with episodes and discussions.
La maison des bois (Episodes 1, 2 and 3) + intro
Maurice Pialat’s cinematic series, charting life in a small country village during the First World War, can finally be seen, fully restored, on the big screen.
The War Game + intro by season co-curator William Fowler
The BBC banned Peter Watkins’ notorious films about a future nuclear attack, and yet in 1966 it won an Oscar – for best documentary.
TV Preview: Bookish Series 2: Episode 1 + Q&A with Mark Gatiss and cast tbc
Emmy Award-winning writer Mark Gatiss returns as Gabriel Book, with three new mysteries to solve.
What Did You Eat Today? Rose Lowder + Q&A with the filmmakers William English and Sandra Cross
French-Peruvian filmmaker Rose Lowder prepares and eats a meal in the first of a series of beguiling films that trace the echoes of action in unexpected places.
The Adventures of Prince Achmed + panel discussion with musician Hugo Max and Lotte Reiniger scholar Tashi Petter
Lotte Reiniger’s strikingly beautiful film is an early animated classic and one not aimed at a young audience.
TV Preview: Vigil Series 3: Episode 1 + Q&A with cast members and series creator tbc
The foreboding icy tundra of the arctic is the backdrop for series three of the BBC’s pulse-racing thriller.
La notte + pre-recorded intro by writer Joanna Biggs
Existential angst has never looked as good as it does in Michelangelo Antonioni’s exploration of urban alienation.
BFI Member exclusives
BFI Members enjoy special events, previews and screenings at BFI Southbank all year round.
Temporary VAT-reduced rate for children: prices have been adjusted for all under 16’s tickets booked between 25 June and 1 September for screenings during the same period. BFI Riverfront will be closed until 5pm on 9 July.
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