IN PERSON & PREVIEWS Talent Q&As and Rare Appearances
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IN PERSON & PREVIEWS Talent Q&As and rare appearances, plus a chance for you to catch the latest film and TV before anyone else Preview: Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché + Q&A USA 2018. Dir Pamela B Green. 103min. Digital. Cert tbc. Courtesy of Modern Films Alice Guy-Blaché entered the movie business at the very beginning, in 1894, when she was just 21. Two years later she was made head of production at Gaumont and eventually directed 1000 films. So why is she frequently absent from most film histories? This fascinating documentary, narrated by Jodie Foster, is both a tribute and a detective story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary pioneer faded from memory. The screening will be followed by a number of Guy-Blaché’s short films and a panel discussion. Tickets £15, concs £12 (Members pay £2 less) WED 8 JAN 18:10 NFT3 TV Preview: Inside No. 9 + Q&A with writer-actors Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and producer Adam Tandy As Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s anthology of comic dramas returns for a fifth season, we preview two episodes and welcome the talented team behind them. The Referee’s a W***er BBC 2020. Dir Matt Lipsey. 30min The beautiful game. The crunch-clash between United and Rovers in the last match of the season, all safely in the care of the four match officials. David Morrissey, Ralf Little, Dipo Ola and Steve Speirs join Shearsmith and Pemberton for a tale of promotion, relegation, corruption, and so, so much more. + The Stakeout BBC 2020. Dir Guillem Morales. 30min Two police officers have time to get to know each other on the night shift. But PC Thompson’s previous partner died in a brutal attack less than a month ago, the forensics have gone missing and PC Varney is beginning to ask a lot of awkward questions. Tickets £15, concs £12 (Members pay £2 less) FRI 10 JAN 18:15 NFT1 Spaced 21st Anniversary + Q&A with director Edgar Wright, producer Nira Park and actors Jessica Hynes, Julia Deakin, Katy Carmichael, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (work permitting) UK 1999, 2001. Dir Edgar Wright. With Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Nick Frost. 12x25min (TRT 300min) This year marks the 21st anniversary of the hilarious TV show that followed the adventures of flatmates Daisy Steiner and Tim Bisley – a goldmine for all pop-culture fans. Across two series, Spaced pushed genre boundaries and helped put a new generation of acting, writing and directing talent on the map. For this special event we screen series 1, followed by a Q&A, and then series 2. Tickets £20, concessions £16, (Members pay £2 less) SUN 12 JAN 12:00-18:30 NFT1 TV Preview: Baghdad Central + Q&A with actors Waleed Zuaiter, Bertie Carvel (schedule permitting) and July Namir, writer Stephen Butchard, director Alice Troughton and exec producer Kate Harwood Channel 4-Euston Films 2020. Dirs Alice Troughton, Ben A Williams. With Waleed Zuaiter, July Namir, Bertie Carvel. Ep1 60min Channel 4’s new six-part crime series Baghdad Central is written and created by BAFTA-nominated writer Stephen Butchard (The Last Kingdom) and based on the novel by Elliott Colla. October 2003; Baghdad has been occupied by American forces for six months and chaos reigns. Iraqi ex-policeman Muhsin al-Khafaji (Zuaiter) has lost everything and is battling to keep himself and his sick daughter safe. Frank Temple (Carvel), an ex- British Police Officer who has tried to rebuild the Iraqi Police Force from the ground up, recruits Khafaji to give his own operation some much-needed local credibility, but unknown to Temple, Khafaji is compelled by his own, secret reasons to risk everything by collaborating with the occupying forces... THU 16 JAN 18:15 NFT1 TV Preview: This Country + Q&A with actors Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper and Paul Chahidi, producer Simon Mayhew-Archer and director Tom George BBC Studios 2020. Dir Tom George. With Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper, Paul Chahidi. Eps 1 + 2 48min Join us for a preview of the first two episodes of series three of this BAFTA-winning comedy. Taking the mockumentary format to new heights, This Country has made the nation fall in love with the tragicomic antics of cousins Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe and their life experiences in a typical Cotswolds village. Exploring the boredom and frustrations of young people in rural Britain, the show’s immense honesty and eye for detail has been justly critically acclaimed, as well as being achingly funny. TUE 21 JAN 18:10 NFT1 Preview: The Personal History of David Copperfield UK 2019. Dir Armando Iannucci. With Dev Patel, Ben Whishaw, Tilda Swinton, Gwendoline Christie, Hugh Laurie. 120min. Digital. Courtesy of Lionsgate The irresistible pairing of Iannucci and Charles Dickens produces a hilarious, contemporary spin on a timeless story that follows young David on his journey from childhood to middle age. Along the way he learns about social injustice and meets some of the richest characters from the Dickens universe such as eternal optimist Mr Micawber (Peter Capaldi), eccentric Mr Dick (Laurie) and humble but deadly Uriah Heep (Whishaw). If you missed this at 2019’s BFI London Film Festival, now’s your chance to catch it ahead of general release. Tickets £15, concs £12 (Members pay £2 less) TUE 21 JAN 20:15 NFT1 Preview: First Love Hatsukoi Japan-UK 2018. Dir Takashi Miike. With Becky, Masataka Kubota, Nao O¯ mori, Sho¯ ta Sometani. 108min. Digital. Cert tbc. EST. Courtesy of Signature Entertainment A terminally-ill boxer, a runaway call girl, a double-crossing drugs heist, an underworld gang war... it’s all happening in the explosive First Love, the latest from prolific auteur Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer). The result is spectacular, ultraviolent, and relentlessly fun, with a streak of Miike’s classic dark humour and a sweet side of romance. Tickets £15, concs £12 (Members pay £2 less) WED 29 JAN 20:50 NFT1 KERMODE LIVE IN 3D Let’s talk about film... Mark Kermode Live in 3D at the BFI TRT 90min Mark Kermode Live in 3D at the BFI is a monthly conversation between you (the audience) and one of the nation’s favourite and most respected film critics. With the help of surprise guests from the industry, Kermode will explore, critique and dissect movies past and present and reveal his or his guests’ cinematic guilty pleasures. Get involved by tweeting your questions in advance to @KermodeMovie #MK3D. Tickets £20, concs £16 (Members pay £2 less) MON 27 JAN 18:30 NFT1 MEMBER EXCLUSIVES These events are exclusive to BFI Members and their guests. Join today at bfi.org.uk/join Member Exclusive: Archive Tour Don’t miss your chance to see behind the scenes at one of the largest moving-image collections in the world. See rarely viewed film materials and find out from our expert team how films are stored and restored. The tour lasts roughly two hours and will be followed by light refreshments. Champions and Members can apply for up to two tickets (at £25 each) in the ballot which runs until 12:00 midnight on Sun 8 Dec. Enter at bfi.org.uk/members FRI 24 JAN 10:30-13:00 BFI NATIONAL ARCHIVE, BERKHAMSTED Member Picks For a chance to see one of your favourite films on the big screen, share your choice with us at bfi.org.uk/memberpicks The Princess Bride USA 1987. Dir Rob Reiner. With Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin. 99min. Digital. PG Westley leaves his beloved Buttercup in order to earn his fortune and thus ask her hand in marriage. When he fails to return, Buttercup is kidnapped and betrothed to another... but a masked man is hot on her trail. Whether you’re after comedy, romance, fantasy or a swashbuckling adventure, The Princess Bride has it all. SAT 4 JAN 12:30 NFT3 NEW RELEASES The best new cinema for you to enjoy, with plenty of screening dates to choose from The Cave Denmark-Syria-Germany-USA-Qatar 2019. Dir Feras Fayyad. 95min. Digital. Cert tbc. Courtesy of Dogwoof Fayyad’s powerful film captures the experience of heroic women (literally) hidden below the surface of the Syrian Civil War Feras Fayyad (Last Men in Aleppo) returns to his native Syria to observe the lives of a team of female doctors operating in ‘The Cave’, one of the secret subterranean hospitals providing medical care to the trapped, war-torn population. In addition to the daily horrors of chemical warfare, the remarkable women battle through ingrained cultural sexism with tireless dedication. This intimate and poignant documentary, selected for this year’s Special Presentation at the London Film Festival, beautifully captures vital moments of compassion and camaraderie in the face of devastation and tragedy. CONTINUES FROM FRI 27 DEC So Long, My Son Di jiu tian chang China 2019. Dir Wang Xiaoshuai. With Ai Liya, Wang Jingchun, Yong Mei. 180min. Digital. EST. Courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye ‘Sixth Generation’ director Wang Xiaoshuai offers an absorbing family chronicle that unfolds modern Chinese history with the rich insightfulness of a novel This complex ensemble piece spans four decades, from the 1980s to the cosmopolitan present, and follows the interconnected fortunes of various characters around a couple, Liyun (Yong Mei) and Yaojun (Wang Jingchun), and their son. In the early 80s, Liyun, a factory worker, becomes pregnant for the second time, falling foul of the national policy of one-child families. Zigzagging between decades, the film shows how political reality affects the fates of the family and those around them.