BFI International News – spring 2019

Shiraz in America

Shiraz (1928)

‘A gorgeous silent extravaganza’ — Los Angeles Times

In January 2019 Shiraz: A Romance of India travelled across the pond for a series of screenings on the east and west coasts of America. Distributed by Juno Films and earning rave reviews, the film screened at Laemmle cinemas in Los Angeles and the Metrograph in New York.

In April the film continues its tour of North America, with silent film festival screenings in Detroit, Toronto, Denver and San Francisco. View the full listings.

For queries about screenings or live events please contact , and for licensing please email our .

India on Film live

Anoushka Shankar

In addition to its North American screenings, sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar continues to tour the restoration of Shiraz as a live show.

Similarly, Sandhya Suri’s archive compilation Around India with a Movie Camera — another product of the BFI’s India on Film project — is touring with live music by sarod player and composer Soumik Datta.

The BFI has earned a reputation for making archive film accessible to new audiences by working with renowned composers to create new scores, and Anoushka Shankar’s spectacular shows in India were one of the highlights of UK-India in 2017. 

For queries about screenings or live events please contact , and to discuss working together, please contact International enquiries.

Arcadia

Arcadia (2017)

Paul Wright’s visceral sensory journey through the British countryside landed in New York and UK front rooms this winter.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) hosted two screenings of Arcadia at the end of February as part of their Doc Fortnight 2019, including a special Q&A event with the filmmakers.

On 10 March, BBC Four broadcast the film to audiences across the UK, receiving ecstatic reviews from the TV critics, who described the film as ‘intoxicating’ (Daily Telegraph), ‘beautifully bonkers’ (The Guardian) and ‘an evocative lament for rural Britain’ (Financial Times).

For queries about screenings or live events please contact , and for licensing please email our .

Jarman 25th anniversary

Derek Jarman

On 19 February a series of events marked the 25th anniversary of the death of filmmaker, artist and gay rights campaigner Derek Jarman.

As part of the tributes, which included the installation of a blue plaque at Jarman’s former Thames-side residence, a BFI remaster of the director’s 1990 film The Garden premiered at Berlinale through German distributor Salzgeber (28 years after it premiered at the 41st Berlinale).  Further commemorative events are being planned across the world throughout 2019. 

Jarman’s The Angelic Conversation, Caravaggio and Wittgenstein can all be booked for international screenings now, with other Jarman titles also available for international licensing.

For queries about screenings or live events please contact , and for licensing please email our .

Archive Cannes titles

Beautiful People (1999)

In May the film world descends on the French Riviera for the 72nd Cannes Film Festival.

The BFI represents numerous Cannes-alumni titles, which can be licensed for media internationally. Highlights in the catalogue include Lautrec (Short Film Palme d’Or winner, 1975), Street of Crocodiles (Palme d’Or nominee, 1986), Springing Lenin (UNESCO prize winner, 1993), Love is the Devil (Un Certain Regard, 1998), Beautiful People (Un Certain Regard, 1999) and Edge of the World (Cannes Classic, 2005).

For more information on Cannes-alumni titles please contact our licensing .

Distant Voices, Still Lives in Shanghai

Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)

Shanghai International Film Festival has selected Distant Voices, Still Lives for this year’s edition, marking the Chinese premiere of one of the most acclaimed films in recent British cinema history.

The film returns to the big screen in a new 4K digital print restored by the BFI National Archive from the original camera negative, with input from director Terence Davies.

The Terence Davies trilogy — three early short films that introduced Davies’ singular talent and style — are also available to book and license now via the BFI.

For queries about screenings please contact BFI bookings, and for licensing please email our .

Meteorlight (2018)

Festival Animations

Following the 2018 UK premiere of 13 new animations co-commissioned by the BFI and BBC, selected titles are now touring festivals across the globe.

The Penguin Who Couldn’t Swim has been selected to screen at the 25th Athens International Film Festival, Slug Life (which received Special Jury Recognition at SXSW) was awarded the FX Elevation Award at the Glas Animation Festival, Quarantine has been selected for the Atlanta Film Festival and the multi-award-winning Meteorlight travels to Paris for the Around International Film Festival in April.

A selection of the animations are available to license now from the BFI. For more information please contact our .

BTF 70th anniversary

British Transport Films

Established in 1949 to focus a spotlight on transport as a nationalised undertaking, British Transport Films (BTF) celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

Over a period of more than 35 years, BTF produced an unrivalled documentary film legacy for generations of film and transport enthusiasts. Highlights in the collection include Geoffrey Jones’ homage to progress RAIL (newly restored in 4K) and early works by established filmmakers such as John Schlesinger and David Watkin.

A vast collection of BTF titles are available to license for your media in your territory now. For licensing enquiries please email our .

International screenings

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

BFI Distribution titles are touring across the world – from Berlin to Busan – this spring.

Highlights include screenings of Lotte Reiniger’s Adventures of Prince Achmed in Finland and Russia, a live music performance of EA Dupont’s Piccadilly in Istanbul and Isaac Julien’s Young Soul Rebels screenings in Berlin and New York.

View our full listings.