September and early October at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX: Ridley Scott, Associated Rediffusion, Anna May Wong

The programme for BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX for September and early October 2025 begins with Ridley Scott: Building Cinematic Worlds. BFI Fellow Ridley Scott has helped define the modern blockbuster with a prodigious, wide-ranging and technologically innovative body of feature work alongside a successful career in TV production and commercials across more than 60 years. His films range from grand epics to intimate character studies, and whether leading us to the heart of the Roman Empire, a dystopian Los Angeles, a future-looking Tokyo or the vast plains of the Martian landscape, Scott is a master of world-building cinema.

This retrospective, with titles chosen by the filmmaker himself, celebrates Scott’s finest films and includes a series of events that highlight his hugely entertaining and prolific work across a wide range of media. Scott will join audiences for Ridley Scott in Conversation at BFI Southbank on 5 October, and take part in a Q&A following a screening of The Duellists (1977) on 4 October. He will also introduce Thelma and Louise (1991) on 5 October and Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982) at BFI IMAX on 4 October.

A free exhibition, Ridley Scott: Building Cinematic Worlds, will run from 1 September to 5 October at BFI Southbank, offering a rare glimpse into the director’s archive, including storyboards, film posters, clapperboards, and selected items from some of Scott’s most acclaimed productions.

Further events include:

• Ridley Scott Associates: Short Film Showcase (4 September), with RSA Head of Short Film Nancy Ryan.
• Behind the Vision: Crafting Ridley Scott’s Worlds (23 September), with key production collaborators.
• Storytelling in Commercial (22 September), exploring RSA’s impact on branded entertainment.
• Beyond the Trailer: Ridley Scott’s Revolution in Movie Marketing (30 September), with RSA CEO/Director Luke Scott.
• Black Dog Films Special: Music Video Showcase (11 September), featuring work for Madonna, Aphex Twin and Beyoncé.

Films screening throughout the season also include Alien: The Director’s Cut (1979), Gladiator (2000), The Martian (2015), Prometheus (2012), The Last Duel (2021), and Gladiator II (2024).

Elsewhere, Associated Rediffusion: The UK’s First Groundbreaking TV Franchise celebrates 70 years since the birth of modern commercial television in the UK. The season features remastered titles from the BFI National Archive, including Object Z (1965), and programmes dedicated to comedy, drama, and pioneering television, such as The Ronnie Barker Playhouse, At Last the 1948 Show, The Lover, and The Three Sisters.

Anna May Wong: The Art of Reinvention explores the transnational life and career of the trailblazing actress, with screenings of The Toll of the Sea, Piccadilly, Daughter of the Dragon, and more. Events include an illustrated discussion on 8 September and a keynote lecture by Professor Yiman Wang on 2 October.

Additional highlights include:

• Tim Burton: Animated (24 September), with Burton in conversation and a screening of Corpse Bride at BFI IMAX.
• Pet Shop Boys Double Bill (5 September), including It Couldn’t Happen Here and Battleship Potemkin, with Neil Tennant in attendance.
• TV previews: Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping (3 September), Blue Lights (10 September), and Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror (29 September).
• Film previews: Brides, The Unesh Chronicles, and Ellis Park.
• Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons (20 September) and Worlds Within – The Life of Ian Marter.
• Railway 200: Reels and Rails (2 September), Arena Legacy (1 October), and Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound (8 September), plus Mark Kermode Live in 3D on 15 September and 6 October.

Films playing on extended run throughout the month at BFI Southbank will include the BFI Distribution releases of Little Trouble Girls (Urška Djukić, 2025) and Islands (Jan-Ole Gerster, 2025), alongside the BFI Distribution centenary re-release of Battleship Potemkin (Sergei M. Eisenstein, 1925). Additional titles include Brides (Nadia Fall, 2024), The Life of Chuck (Mike Flanagan, 2024), Plainclothes (Carmen Emmi, 2025), and The Ice Storm (Ang Lee, 1997). Further details can be found [here].

At BFI IMAX, screenings in September and early October will include One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2025) from 26 September, and Tron: Ares (Joachim Rønning, 2025) from 10 October.

Tickets for BFI Southbank screenings are on sale to BFI Patrons on 4 August, BFI Members on 5 August, and to the general public on 7 August.