BFI International News – spring/summer 2018

Shiraz on Tour

Shiraz (1928)

The BFI’s restoration of Shiraz: A Romance of India with new score by composer and sitar star, Anoushka Shankar, wowed audiences in the UK and in India.

After its premiere at the BFI London film festival, the 1928 silent classic toured four cities in India with live music as part of the UK-India Year of Culture, in partnership with the British Council.

“Gripping. As the delicate notes and exquisite cinematography came together, there were occasional gasps from the audience. And then it was over, to thunderous applause.” The Hindustan Times

BFI has all international rights on Shiraz. For queries about screenings or live events please contact BFI bookings and for licensing please email our sales team.

New from BFI Distribution

Around India with a Movie Camera (2018)

Sandhya Suri skilfully weaves together archive footage to create an emotionally resonant story about life across India pre-1947 in Around India with a Movie Camera, the latest compilation programme from the BFI National Archive.

Scouring 100 years of archive footage, BAFTA-winner Paul Wright’s Arcadia constructs an exhilarating study of the British people’s shifting - and contradictory - relationship to the land with this captivating film essay, featuring an expressive new score from Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Will Gregory (Goldfrapp).

Both titles are available to book and license in the UK and internationally now.

BFI Sales & Licensing at Cannes

My Feral Heart (2015)

BFI Sales & Licensing were at the Marché du Film at Cannes this May discussing their current slate and licensing opportunities. New titles being promoted included festival favourite My Feral Heart, the BFI National Archive restorations of Shiraz and Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask and archive compilations Arcadia and Around India with a Movie Camera.

For more information about these titles and to find out about other festivals they will be attending, please email our sales team or phone +44 (0)20 7957 8905.

New Touring Programmes

The Third Man (1949)

The BFI tours curated film programmes, restorations and archive film to cinemas and festivals world-wide.

British Thrillers

BFI Thriller is a celebration of the writers and filmmakers whose craft keeps us gripped and lures us into the cinema over and over again. The BFI’s curated programme of British Thrillers from the 1920s to the present day includes Hitchcock’s The Lodger, Carol Reed’s The Third Man and Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really here, which brings the thriller bang up to date.

A History of British Animation 2018

To coincide with a year celebrating animated classics, the BFI also now offers a refreshing new look at British Animation. A diverse collection of shorts from across the 20th century have been remastered by the BFI National Archive to offer the fullest portrait to date of the rises and falls, and the achievements of one of Britain’s most idiosyncratic contributions to world cinema.

For more information please contact international touring.

Women on Film

Make More Noise! Suffragettes in Silent Cinema (1899-2017)

2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Votes for Women in the UK and the BFI catalogue contains many titles that can be screened or licensed to mark this milestone moment.

Available titles include Make More Noise! Suffragettes in Silent Cinema, which explores the representation of pioneering women in the first decades of the 20th century, and a raft of landmark classics from prominent female filmmakers including Riddles of the Sphinx (dir. Laura Mulvey, 1977), Blue Black Permanent (dir. Margaret Tait, 1992), Song of the Shirt (dir. Sue Clayton, 1979), La Luna (dir. Vera Neubauer, 1999) and Rapunzel Let Down You Hair (dir. Susan Shapiro, 1978).

For information about these titles please contact our bookings or licensing teams.

Archive Futures

The Great White Silence (1924)

In June 2018 we were joined by an international cohort for a three-day training course to discover the BFI’s world-leading approach to developing archive relevance and sustainability for the future.

The course offered professional development in both practical and leadership skills, providing an unrivalled learning opportunity delivered by an exceptional team of BFI experts. For an information pack on future courses run by the BFI, please email: archivefutures@bfi.org.uk.

Find out more