2016

Romeo and Juliet's Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting reunite

Romeo and Juliet - Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting - reunited for an onstage Q&A for the first time ever at a screening of the new '4k' restoration of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 classic at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles on 6 Dec.

This Way Up 2016: Thoughts on abundance, VR and new audiences

Sophie Brown reports on key themes from the third-annual This Way Up cinema exhibition innovation conference, which was held in Glasgow on Nov 29-30.

Is the punk spirit still alive in British cinema? Part 2

In her second essay, Sophie Brown looks at the punk attitude in getting non-mainstream films to audiences.

Terence Davies relives Liverpool memories in Copenhagen

November 2016

British Council was delighted to support Terence Davies' trip to CPH PIX in Copenhagen, in conjunction with the festival's retrospective of his films.

Is the punk spirit still alive in British cinema?

As punk turns 40, Sophie Brown questions if the punk spirit can still be found in British filmmaking today. Part one of a two-part series.

Don Warrington gives back in Trinidad and Tobago

September 2016

Award-winning actor Don Warrington tells us about his recent trip to Trinidad and Tobago where he led acting workshops and presented the film of his recent King Lear.

UK first features screening in the 2016 BFI London Film Festival

The BFI London Film Festival lays out a feast of debut features from UK directors in 2016.

Video: Richie Mehta talks India In A Day

British Council offers an exclusive video with director Richie Mehta to talk about his unique new documentary India In A Day.

Shakespeare Lives goes Greek

We look back on a series of successful pop-up Shakespeare film screenings in Athens from June to August, including some gorgeous photos of these special events.

If you build it, will they come? China's City of Short Film

In August 2016 Film team members Will Massa and Jemma Desai attended the inaugural forum to celebrate the launch China's first city of Short Film. Here's what they discovered:

Liverpool's rich history on screen

From the first filmed crime re-enactment to Beatles stories to Terence Davies’ personal dramas, Liverpool has a rich cinematic history. Rhiannon Wain investigates how Liverpool has been portrayed on screen throughout the years.

Come and play games with us!

Closing date Friday 19 August 2016

In an exciting new development for the British Council’s Arts programme, we are about to fully immerse ourselves in the world of games and interactive – and we’re looking for someone to help us take the plunge.

Euro Connection 2017 - Call for Applications

September 2016

Photos: Darkstar in South Africa

UK electronic duo Darkstar recently collaborated with South Africa's young people as part of documentary film festival Encounters, creating a unique merging of audio documentary, electronic music and political statement.

Shakespeare Lives in Film's 2016 tour reaches its halfway point

As our Shakespeare Lives in Film tour reaches around the globe, 70 countries have made more than 500 bookings to date, with Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet the most popular film so far.

British film in 2015: a box-office bounce, the grey pound surges and women take the hot seat

A roundup of UK Film in 2015 from Ian Haydn Smith

Strung Out: Tackling the war on drugs

British Council continued our Wide Angles: Doc Debates series in partnership with Picturehouse Central on June 29 with the UK premiere of Nirit Aharoni's Strung Out. Ian Sandwell reports on the post-screening panel tackling the issues around addiction.

Brexit – the good, the bad and the ugly result for UK Film

As the UK tries to steady itself after a tumultuous couple of weeks during which 52% of the population felt more confident about the notion of the UK sitting outside of the EU structure than it did within it, the UK’s film community has begun to react vocally to the news

Games Europe Plays Body<>Tech show comes to Greenwich

British Council is a proud supporter of The Games Europe Plays – BODY <>TECH, a show that will run at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery at the University of Greenwich from 7 July to 26 August.

Wide Angles returns with Strung Out

Wednesday 29 June, 6.30pm

Our documentary & debates series continues with the UK premiere of Nirit Aharoni's Strung Out, a story of addiction in Tel Aviv.

Video: The Empathy Station at Sheffield Doc/Fest

Watch our video with Research psychologist Maria Panagiotidi talking about the Sheffield Doc/Fest virtual reality Empathy Station, including the fascinating rubber hand test.

Midsummer fun in Russia and Italy for Shakespeare Lives

June 2016

Ian McKellen continues his Shakespeare LIves tour to take part in the Midsummer Nights Festival in Moscow; he's joined by Romeo and Juliet star Leonard Whiting, who also goes to Italy this Midsummer week.

Podcast: Exploring empathy and virtual reality

June 2016

Listen here to our first film podcast, as we talk to curator Mark Atkin, research psychologist Maria Panagiotidi and Notes on Blindness filmmakers James Spinney and Peter Middleton about exploring empathy and virtual reality technology.

Ian McKellen casts a spell in India and China

May/June 2016

Shakespeare Lives on Film's ambassador Ian McKellen has been busy spreading his love of Shakespeare in India. Now he's headed to China.

Darkstar heads to South Africa

June 2016

UK electronic duo Darkstar are planning a collaboration with South Africa's young people as part of documentary film festival Encounters, creating a unique merging of audio documentary, electronic music and political statement.

A British invasion at Animafest Zagreb

June 2016

The World Festival of Animated Film, Animafest Zagreb, kicks off on June 6 with a strong British presence.

Cannes Awards for Ken Loach & Andrea Arnold

May 2016

British films triumphed in Cannes, as Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake was awarded the Palme d’Or and Andrea Arnold’s American Honey won the Jury prize.

Talking festival strategy with international experts

At the UK Film Centre in Cannes during May 2016, British Council's Film team hosted a panel with global film festival experts offering sage advice about how producers and directors should plan their film's international film festival strategy.

Getting ready for a busy Cannes

May 2016

Read all about the Brits at Cannes 2016, including seven films in Official Selection, dozens for sale in the Marche, a busy schedule at the UK Film Centre, and our new UK Film catalogue available for download.

May Shakespeare Lives on Film: Ian McKellen heads to India

Highlights from the May 2016 Shakespeare Lives on Film tour include Ian McKellen visiting Mumbai with Richard III; plus a jam session for All Night Long in Nairobi, Romeo and Juliet in Iraq and much more.

The Incident goes to Beijing

April 2016

Jane Linfoot shares the unique experience of screening her debut feature The Incident in competition at the Forward Future section of the Beijing International Film Festival.

Speaking up for The Queen Of Silence

April 2016

The British Council continued our Wide Angles: Docs and Debates series in partnership with Picturehouse Central on April 13 with a screening of Agnieszka Zwiefka's The Queen of Silence, followed by a passionate discussion about ongoing issues of discrimination and exclusion faced by Roma people in Europe. Ian Sandwell reports on the panel.

All The World's A Sound Stage: The legacy and lasting influence of Shakespeare on film

2016

Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, examines the legacy and influence of Shakespeare on film.

British invasion at Tribeca 2016

April 2016

The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off its 15th edition tonight in New York City with a whopping 22 UK productions and co-productions across its line-up.

Five Films 4 Freedom 2016 reaches 140.5 million people

2016

The British Council and BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival have revealed the phenomenal success of our fiveFilms4freedom campaign in 2016, which reached over 140 million people.

A visit to iREP in Lagos

April 2016

Writer/director Andy Jones shares memories of his trip to the sixth iREP documentary film festival in Lagos, Nigeria, where he presented his latest film I Shot Bi Kidude.

Shakespeare Lives in Film set for busiest month!

April 2016

Our hugely ambitious 'Shakespeare Lives in Film' tour, which we hope will reach more than 100 countries this year, has more than 100 screenings booked for April.

Wide Angles continues with The Queen of Silence

April 13, 2016

We're excited to announce that Agnieszka Zwiefka's music-driven documentary will continue the British Council Doc Debates strand, designed to showcase outstanding documentaries from around the world that inspire conversation about global issues.

What it's really like being an Oscar winner

March 2016

Producer Serena Armitage recalls the frenzy of activity leading up to Stutterer winning the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

British Council gets in the Game

April 2016

British Council is involved with two exciting gaming initiatives kicking off in April; a re-launched London Games Festival and EUNIC’s new exhibition ‘The Games Europe Plays'

Spaceship lands at SXSW

March 2016

Alex Taylor makes his feature directorial debut with Spaceship, which had its world premiere in the Visions programme at SXSW. Alex recaps his trip to Texas with this blog for British Council Film.

The World Is Watching Five Films 4 Freedom - until 27 March

16-27 March 2016

It's back – #Fivefilms4Freedom is an amazing online LGBT film festival with a difference. Five films, chosen from the BFI Flare Festival – London’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Film Festival – are NOW available online for free for the entire festival period (16-27 March 2016) able to be seen online by viewers across the world. We invite everyone everywhere to watch one of the films now in solidarity with those who can't.

Film Films 4 Freedom Global List 2016

March 2016

Today Five Films 4 Freedom unveils its 2016 Global List of 33 inspiring people from around the world promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights every day.

On ‘The Road’ through modern China

March 2016

The British Council kicked off our new Wide Angles: Docs and Debates series in partnership with Picturehouse Central on March 9 with a screening of Zanbo Zhang’s The Road followed by a lively discussion about the impact of rapid industrial growth in modern China. Wendy Mitchell reports on the discussion.

Shakespeare Lives in Film - big plans for March!

March 2016

Our 'Shakespeare Lives in Film' tour, which will reach more than 100 countries this year, has a busy month of screenings and events across the globe in March.

Wide Angles: British Council Doc Debates announced!

Wednesday 9 March, 6.30pm

We're excited to announce a new documentary screening strand designed to showcase outstanding documentaries from around the world that inspire conversation about global issues.

FAMLAB: Experts talk about film, archive & music

Feb-Mar 2016

Wendy Mitchell reports on highlights from the first day of our Film, Archive & Music Lab, including a case study of Paul Kelly and Saint Etienne’s How We Used To Live and a discussion between film and music experts.

Music and Film: A Perfect Balance

In early 2016, we staged an innovative Film, Archive and Music Lab (FAMLAB), alongside partners at BFI and PRS. To set the scene we asked journalist, academic and curator Ian Haydn Smith to write about the important interplay between film and music.

Brits at the Berlinale

February 2016

It’s another busy Berlinale for the Brits, from films in the official selection, tributes to David Bowie and Alan Rickman, sales titles at the European Film Market, and a delegation to Berlin Talents. Read more here and download the UK Films at Berlin catalogue.

What's so great about British shorts?

In the first in a series of articles exploring the strengths of different kinds of filmmaking in the UK, BFI Archive Curator Dylan Cave looks at the UK's short filmmaking expertise, past and present.

BLOG: Cámara Chica Venezuela

Jan 2016

In 2013 we worked with film education organisation Into Film to take their workshop model to Cuba. Building on the success of that programme we’ve just completed the first stage of a rollout, this time in Venezuela. Senior Programme Manager Will Massa reflects on the latest edition of the Cámara Chica initiative.

Shakespeare Lives on Film - live from today!

Throughout 2016

We're kicking off our most ambitious film programme ever - Shakespeare Lives on Film - which will reach audiences in 110 countries this year.

Sundance and Rotterdam busy for Brits

January/February 2016

A hot crop of new British films has been selected for Sundance (Jan 21-31) and International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 27-Feb 7).

Film and Chips in Serbia

January 2016

The British Council is organising the second-annual British film festival in Belgrade and Novi Sad, Serbia. The “Film and Chips” festival runs 21-24 January at Belgrade Youth Centre and Arena Cineplex in Novi Sad with a diverse selection of the hottest recent British films.

A talented group for Berlin

January 2016

British Council is again thrilled to be a partner of Berlinale Talents, the annual summit and networking platform of the Berlinale for 300 outstanding creatives from the fields of film and drama series.