BFI Southbank programme announced for January 2022

BFI Southbank will kick off 2022 with a celebration of iconic French filmmaker François Truffaut, with a major two month season, BFI Distribution re-releases of The 400 Blows (1959) and Jules et Jim (1962) and more. 

Also in January will be Bowie: Starman and the Silver Screen, a month-long season dedicated to actor and performer David Bowie, coinciding with what would have been his 75th birthday; includes screenings of The Man Who Fell to Earth (Nicolas Roeg, 1976), Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima, 1983), The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1983) and many more. 

We will also present an epic ode to the spirit of adventure and to the achievements of explorers – To the Ends of the Earth: Exploration and Endurance on Film. The season marks 100 years since the death of Anglo-Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, and the symbolic close of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration.  

On 14 January BFI Southbank will welcome Academy Award-winning director, screenwriter and producer Oliver Stone for a special in conversation event, where he will discuss his memorable and thought-provoking work such as Platoon, JFK, Nixon, Wall Street and Born on the Fourth of July. 

Regular event Mark Kermode Live in 3D at the BFI, in which critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode is joined by surprise guests from across the film industry to explore, critique and dissect current and upcoming releases, cinematic treasures and industry news, will this month take place on 17 January, with guests to be announced soon.

BFI Southbank will host a pair of must-see TV comedy events in January. Firstly, there will be a preview of the third season of Ricky Gervais’ poignant comedy Afterlife (Netflix/Derek Productions, 2022) on 6 January. This event will include a preview of the first two episodes from the final season, as well as a chance to hear from Ricky Gervais and the cast, who will take part in a Q&A following the screening. 

From its first episode, Fresh Meat broke new ground thanks to its cripplingly self-aware yet heartfelt portrayal of university life, shaped loosely by writer-creators Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain’s own experiences together in Manchester. On 15 January, BFI Southbank will mark the 10th anniversary of the show with a special event featuring archive clips and a Q&A with actors Jack Whitehall, Zawe Ashton, Joe Thomas, Kimberley Nixon, Greg McHugh and Charlotte Ritchie, as well as the writer-creators Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain.

Film previews in January will include BFI-backed The Souvenir Part II (Joanna Hogg, 2021), in which film student Julie is picking up the pieces in the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with the enigmatic Anthony. Beautifully expanding on Julie’s personal and creative coming-of-age journey, The Souvenir Part II is an exquisite, sensational concluding chapter that also stands alone as a singular piece; the preview on 17 January will be followed by a Q&A with director Joanna Hogg. 

There will also be a Woman with a Movie Camera powered by Jaguar preview of Romola Garai’s directorial debut Amulet (2020) on 21 January followed by a Q&A with writer-director Romola Garai; this moody, intensely unsettling horror-thriller is bursting with haunting imagery and gruesome scares, and stars Carla Juri, Imelda Staunton and Alec Secareanu. 

Also in January, BFI African Odysseys presents the UK premiere of A Bruddah’s Mind (2020) on 22 January, followed by a Q&A with director Déo Cardoso. Based on real events, this political drama follows a Black student, Saulo, inspired by the Black Panthers, who challenges his school in the largely white city of Fortaleza. Despite a calm and articulate demeanour, Saulo’s teachers describe him as a delinquent and try to expel him, but he isn’t alone in his struggle against racism and fascism in Brazil. We’ll also welcome back the London Short Film Festival (LSFF), the programme for which will be announced soon.