Super Nature, a Love Letter to Nature Created on Super 8 Film, to Be Released on 4 September
BFI Distribution announced that Ed Sayers’ *Super Nature* will open in UK and Ireland cinemas on 4 September 2026. The documentary is filmed entirely on vintage Super 8 cameras, featuring footage from 40 collaborators across 25 countries and contributions from notable artists such as Gideon Mendel and Maya Gabeira. By using 80 antique cameras and 11 languages, the film offers a poetic, low‑carbon exploration of humanity’s bond with nature. The release underscores BFI’s commitment to niche, experiential cinema.
Kokuho: A Melodramatic Tale of Brotherly Rivalry in the Cutthroat World of Kabuki
Kokuho, a three‑hour Japanese drama about a Yakuza orphan turned kabuki virtuoso, has become the highest‑grossing Japanese live‑action film ever after its June release in Japan. The film follows Kikuo’s fierce rivalry with his adoptive brother Shunsuke, exploring themes of...
“The Hope Is You’ll Feel You’re in a Continuous Dream”: Gerald Fox on Kinaesthesia
Documentarian Gerald Fox’s new film *Kinaesthesia* (2024‑2026) dramatizes his former professor Vladimir Petrić’s essay on “film and dreams,” weaving silent‑era clips with original re‑enactments. Fox casts a wordless avatar of Petrić, played by Goran Kostić, to explore oneiric cinema techniques such as double...
Miroirs No. 3 Second Look Review: A Glorious Sun Dappled Noir From Christian Petzold
Christian Petzold’s latest film, *Miroirs No. 3*, channels a sun‑dappled noir while riffing on his long‑standing fascination with doubles and identity. The story follows Betty, a rural matriarch, who takes in Laura, a catatonic crash survivor, echoing the domestic‑invasion motifs of...
Rebuilding: Josh O’Connor Delivers a Tender Performance in This Timely Story of a Rancher Set Adrift by Wildfires
"Rebuilding" follows Dusty, a Colorado rancher whose century‑old homestead is destroyed by a wildfire, forcing him to confront the loss of his livelihood and identity. The film, directed by Max Walker‑Silverman, portrays his struggle to rebuild while living in a...
BFI Invests £9.25 Million to Support UK-Wide Screen Culture for Audiences
The British Film Institute (BFI) is allocating £9.25 million (≈$11.8 M) from its National Lottery Audience Projects Fund for 2026‑2029 to back 23 film and immersive projects across the UK. The awards cover 10 venues, nine festivals and several sector‑facing initiatives, aiming...
Blades of the Guardians: Cluttered Storytelling Overwhelms Yuen Woo-Ping’s Wuxia Epic
Yuen Woo-Ping’s latest wuxia epic, "Blades of the Guardians," has become the highest‑grossing wuxia film ever in mainland China. Adapted from a popular comic, the story follows bodyguard Dao Ma (Wu Jing) across the Taklamakan Desert and features a star‑studded ensemble...
D Is for Distance: A Personal, Hallucinatory Journey Through Medical Bureaucracy
Chris Petit returns with his first feature in 15 years, co‑directing the hallucinatory documentary *D is for Distance* alongside Emma Matthews. The film chronicles their son Louis’s battle with epilepsy, weaving personal footage, narration, and essayistic collage to critique the...
New BFI Expanded Screen Fund Will Support Ambitious Immersive Works of Fiction
The British Film Institute (BFI) has launched a new Expanded Screen Fund that will award up to £150,000 (about $190,000) to experienced UK producers creating immersive fiction using VR, AR, XR or 360° technology. Applications are open now and close...
Object of the Week: The State-of-The Art Scanner Transforming the Art of Film Preservation
The BFI National Archive has installed a LaserGraphics Director 65, a flagship film scanner capable of handling 8 mm to 70 mm formats at up to 13.5k resolution. Funded by the UK Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s Infrastructure Fund, the machine was...
Brazil on Film Season Announced for BFI Southbank
The British Film Institute announced a two‑month “Brazil on Film” season at BFI Southbank, running 1 May‑30 June 2025‑26. The programme showcases more than 40 titles, from the restored 1931 silent classic *Limite* to recent works by emerging directors, and includes a...
Imran Perretta’s Award-Winning Ish to Be Released by BFI Distribution on 31 July in UK and Ireland
Imran Perretta’s debut feature *Ish* will open in UK and Irish cinemas on 31 July 2026 via BFI Distribution. The black‑and‑white coming‑of‑age drama, set in Luton’s South Asian and Middle Eastern community, previously won the Venice Critics’ Week Audience Award and competed...
Orwell: 2+2=5: Raoul Peck’s Portrait of George Orwell Dives Deep Into Nineteen Eighty-Four but Finds Few New Answers
Raoul Peck’s documentary *Orwell: 2+2=5* re‑examines George Orwell’s *Nineteen Eighty‑Four* through a global lens, juxtaposing the novel’s warnings with footage from Ukraine, Myanmar, Gaza and other flashpoints. The film weaves archival adaptations, AI‑generated clips and on‑the‑ground drone shots to illustrate how modern...
Latest BFI Innovation Challenge Funding Seeks to Address Data Gaps Across the UK Independent Film Industry
The BFI National Lottery Innovation Challenge Fund has awarded a £200,000 grant (approximately $256,000) to the British Screen Forum, partnering with the University of Exeter and Goldsmiths, University of London, to develop data solutions for the UK independent film sector....
Splitsville: This Brilliantly Unromantic Open Marriage Comedy Pulls No Punches
Splitsville, Michael Angelo Covino’s 2025 screwball comedy, follows two New York couples as they experiment with ethical non‑monogamy, spiraling into chaotic humor and jealousy. The film blends slap‑slap physical comedy with a 35 mm visual style, echoing classic 1970s US screwball...
Elijah Wood on Ready or Not 2 and the Appeal of Horror Movies: “The Stakes Have to Feel Real”
Elijah Wood, famed for *Lord of the Rings*, returns as a solicitor in the slasher sequel *Ready or Not 2: Here I Come*. The film pits sisters Grace and Faith against the ultra‑rich Danforth family, featuring horror legends David Cronenberg and...
First Details Announced of Increased £33.5 Million BFI Investment in Audience Development
The British Film Institute has unveiled a £33.5 million audience funding package for 2026‑2029, a 20 percent increase over the previous cycle. The plan allocates £10.8 million to the Film Audience Network, £3 million to the Open Cinemas/ESCAPES programme, and £19.7 million to the National...
The BFI and the British Consulate-General Los Angeles Celebrates the 2026 Oscars
The British Film Institute and the UK Consulate in Los Angeles are celebrating a record‑breaking Oscars season, with five Best Picture nominees and 40 total nominations linked to British productions or co‑productions. Highlights include *Hamnet*, *Sinners* and *Frankenstein*, which feature...
Flies: A Lonely Retiree and 9-Year-Old Boy Find Kinship in This Charmingly Downbeat Comedy
Fernando Eimbcke’s new black‑and‑white comedy *Flies* premiered at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival, portraying a lonely retiree and a nine‑year‑old boy forging an unexpected bond. Set in Mexico City, the film follows Olga and her tenant’s son Cristian as...
Plague and Panic in 1870s Wisconsin: Inside the Apocalyptic Western A Prayer for the Dying
"A Prayer for the Dying" is a 2026 apocalyptic western set in 1870 Wisconsin, adapted from Stewart O’Nan’s 1999 novel by writer‑director Dara Van Dusen. The film follows a physician (John C. Reilly) and a pastor‑veteran (Johnny Flynn) as diphtheria...
Inside the Archive #63: A Copyright Data Extravaganza
On 2 February the BFI Southbank hosted the Right from the Start: Copyright Data That Works conference, a key event of the Our Screen Heritage project. Speakers from the National Library of Scotland, Bundesarchiv, University of Glasgow and other institutions examined...
BFI Innovation Challenge Fund Invests £350k to Support Equitable Futures in Screen Through ‘ACES: AI, Carbon, Equity, Skills’ Led by...
The BFI National Lottery Innovation Challenge Fund has awarded £350,000 to Goldsmiths, University of London to launch the ACES programme – AI, Carbon, Equity, Skills. ACES will unite academic partners, industry leaders and NGOs to explore AI’s workforce impact, carbon...
Sound of Falling: There’s No Escape From Patriarchy in This Exquisitely Crafted Tale of German Women Through Time
Sound of Falling is a fragmented German arthouse film that follows four women across a century of patriarchal oppression. Director Mascha Schilinski and editor Evelyn Rack employ handheld, pinhole cinematography and abrupt cuts to dissolve linear narrative. Minimal dialogue is...