What's on at BFI: 'London on Film' Season

British Film Institute: What's on at BFI Southbank?
Over a four month period, starting on July 1^st, the BFI will be screening a series of films investigating the enormous changes that England's capital has undergone in the hundred years or so that cinema has been around to document it. Films ranging from very early shorts by the Lumière Brothers and R.W. Paul, to features by auteurs like Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Winterbottom will be screened, providing an insight into London life from a variety of different time periods and perspectives.
The Changing Face of London
The season kicks off with The Changing Face of London, a series of films screened throughout July which will allow audiences to savour cinematic cityscapes from London's past.
The London Nobody Knows (1967), a documentary hosted by James Mason, provides a view of the streets of old London during the mid 60s, a period when the face of London was being changed for good by Modernist and Brutalist architectural styles. A 2014 follow up to Mason's documentary, The London Nobody Knows Now, will also be screened, together with a rare British Transport Film, The Scene from Melbury House (1973) which offers a delightful birds-eye view of the city in the early 70s. Among the features to be screened at the BFI in July include Hitchcock's psychological thriller Frenzy (1972) and Jules Dassin's film noir Night and the City (1950), both of which are set in the backdrop of mid-century London.
Soho Weekender
Between the 24^th and 26^th of July the Soho Weekender will be taking place, offering a series of films set in Central London's playground, Soho. Life in this district has always been diverse and energetic, and this series of films offer an insight into the area's many attitudes, from gang culture in the '60s (The Small World of Sammy Lee), to its bright night-life and cast colourful characters (Sunshine in Soho).
The weekender will also play host to a series of discussions about the changing character of the area, in particular the way it's moving from a melting pot of classes and cultures to a less diverse, more corporate world of mainstream bars and media agencies.
Summer at BFI
The season will continue through August, September and October with a line up of films that has yet to be announced, but the spread of films across the next month or so are an excellent opportunity to reflect on the London's past and to speculate about its future.
BFI Tickets
Click here to buy tickets to BFI London on Film season.