August 2018 at BFI Southbank
ONSTAGE APPEARANCES INCLUDE:
DJ AND FOUNDER OF MO’ WAX JAMES LAVELLE, DIRECTOR MARK COUSINS (THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES), DIRECTOR BART LAYTON (AMERICAN ANIMALS), WRITER JED MERCURIO, ACTORS KEELEY HAWES AND RICHARD MADDEN (BODYGUARD), DIRECTOR MICHAEL LEHMANN AND ACTOR LISANNE FALK (HEATHERS), DIRECTOR JAMIL DEHLAVI (BORN OF FIRE, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION)
Film previews: THE MAN FROM MO’ WAX (Matthew Jones, 2016), THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES (Mark Cousins, 2018), THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST (Desiree Akhavan, 2018) AMERICAN ANIMALS (Bart Layton, 2018)
TV previews: BODYGUARD (BBC/One-World Poductions, 2018), BOLLYWOOD: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST FILM INDUSTRY (BBC Two/Raw Television, 2018)
New and Re-Releases: THE WOMEN (George Cukor, 1939), MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz, 1945), MAURICE (James Ivory, 1987), HEATHERS (Michael Lehmann, 1988), DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (Terence Davies, 1988), APOSTASY (Daniel Kokotajlo, 2017), GENERATION WEALTH (Lauren Greenfield, 2018), BLACKKKLANSMAN (Spike Lee, 2018)
This August BFI Southbank will kick off a comprehensive season dedicated to the formidable JOAN CRAWFORD. FIERCE: THE UNTAMEABLE JOAN CRAWFORD will include re-releases of two of her best-loved films The Women (George Cukor, 1939) and Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945), as well as screenings of other key films including Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar (1954) and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, 1962), the film which last year provided the back-story for the critically-acclaimed TV drama Feud starring Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. BFI Southbank’s HAROLD PINTER season also continues in August, commemorating ten years since his death, and celebrating his major contribution to film, TV and theatre.
There will also be a weekend of events focusing on the leading figure of the new wave of filmmaking in Pakistan JAMIL DEHLAVI. Dehlavi’s remarkable body of work, including The Blood of Hussain (1980), is political, subversive and artistically maverick, and this will be the first major survey of his work, which will also feature onstage appearances from Dehlavi himself. Completing the season line-up for August is the continuation of BFI Southbank’s ANIMATION 2018 programme, which this month focuses on children’s animation. The highlight of this month’s programme will be a celebration of the creator of Postman Pat and Charlie Chalk and designer and animator behind The Wombles, The Magic Roundabout and Paddington Bear, Ivor Wood.
The events programme for August will feature the 4K restoration premiere of the cult hit Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1988), which is re-released by Arrow Films in cinemas on Friday 10 August and on digital and on-demand on Monday 20 August,to mark its 30th anniversary.
The premiere on Wednesday 8 August will be followed by a Q&A with the director Michael Lehmann and one of the original Heathers Lisanne Falk. Other film previews will include Desiree Akhavan’s The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018), Bart Layton’s American Animals (2018), followed by a Q&Awith the director, and documentary The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018) followed by a Q&A with director Mark Cousins.
On Thursday 30 August there will also be a special SONIC CINEMA screening of BFI-backed The Man From Mo’ Wax (Matthew Jones, 2016), about the legendary co-founder of Mo’ Wax James Lavelle, which the BFI will also release on DVD and dual format edition on Monday 10 September. Lavelle will take part in a Q&A following the screening of the film and will also be DJing until late in the BFI Bar & Kitchen. TV previews this month will include the new series from Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio; a screening of the first episode of Bodyguard, starring Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden will be followed by a Q&A with both actors, as well as Mercurio.
Other special events this month will include a screening of Moonwalker (Dirs Jerry Kramer, Jim Blashfield, Colin Chilvers, 1988) to celebrate what would have been Michael Jackson’s 60th birthday, a special event celebrating the work of Ray Harryhausen, a Missing Believed Wiped event celebrating 30 Years of Kaleidoscope, and straight 8 2018, which will see the premiere of the best short films of straight 8’s 2018 global competition, each made on one cartridge of super 8mm film.
BFI members will also be able to get an exclusive look at the line-up for the BFI London Film Festival in a special member’s only event on Thursday 30 August. Finally, BFI re-releases will include Maurice (James Ivory, 1987) and Distant Voices, Still Lives(Terence Davies, 1988), and new releases will include Spike Lee’s critically-acclaimed film BlacKkKlansman (2018), Lauren Greenfield’s companion piece to The Queen of Versailles (2012) Generation Wealth (2018) and Apostasy (2018), which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2017 and whose director, Daniel Kokotajlo, won the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award in Association with the BFI.
FIERCE: THE UNTAMEABLE JOAN CRAWFORD
· SAT 4 AUG, 12:00-16:00 – TALK: An Afternoon with Joan Crawford
Running at BFI Southbank from Wednesday 1 August – Tuesday 9 October, FIERCE: THE UNTAMEABLE JOAN CRAWFORD, will be a major season of 20 films starring the incomparable JOAN CRAWFORD, spanning a period of more than 40 years working in Hollywood.
Films screening in part one of the season in August will include Crawford’s first A-list talkie Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932), The Bride Wore Red (Dorothy Arzner, 1937) opposite her then-husband Franchot Tone, Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar (1954) in which she plays a strong-willed saloon owner who is wrongly accused of murder and robbery, and the box office hit What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, 1962), which saw one of the greatest on and off-screen feuds in cinema history with co-star Bette Davis.
The season will also include extended runs of two of her best-loved films, George Cukor’s The Women (1939), which zings with whip-smart dialogue and ruthless high-society politics, and the iconic melodrama Mildred Pearce (Michael Curtiz, 1945) for which Crawford came storming back after a mid-career slump to win an Oscar for Best Actress.
Both films will be re-released in selected cinemas across the UK by Park Circus on Friday 17 August and play on extended run at BFI Southbank. On Saturday 4 August there will be a special event – An Afternoon with Joan Crawford – which will explore the many faces of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars through a series of illustrated talks.
This season will offer audiences a chance to see beyond the complicated personal life which often dominated the narrative around Crawford’s life; from her early years as a flapper during the silent era to her middle-age melodramas and late-career genre resurgence, Joan Crawford was a cinematic chameleon who always dominated the screen with her formidable presence.
Also screening in August will be: The Unknown (Tod Browning, 1927), Dancing Lady (Robert Z Leonard, 1933), Mannequin (Frank Borzage, 1937), Strange Cargo (Frank Borzage, 1940), A Woman’s Face (George Cukor, 1941) and Humoresque (Jean Negulesco, 1946).
BETWEEN THE SACRED AND PROFANE: THE CINEMA OF JAMIL DEHLAVI
· FRI 10 AUG, 18:10 – SCREENING + INTRO: The Blood of Hussain (Jamil Dehlavi, 1980) / Onstage: director Jamil Dehlavi
· SAT 11 AUG, 11:00 – TALK: Between the Sacred and the Profane – illustrated talk given by Dr Ali Nobil Ahmad
· SAT 11 AUG, 13:45 – SPECIAL EVENT: Jamil Dehlavi in Conversation / Onstage: director Jamil Dehlavi
· SAT 11 AUG, 16:30 – SCREENING + INTRO: Jamil Dehlavi Shorts Programme / Onstage: director Jamil Dehlavi
· SAT 11 AUG, 19:15 – SCREENING + INTRO: Born of Fire (Jamil Dehlavi, 1987) / Onstage: director Jamil Dehlavi
· SUN 12 AUG, 12:45 – SCREENING + INTRO: Immaculate Conception (Jamil Dehlavi, 1992) / Onstage: director Jamil Dehlavi
· SUN 12 AUG, 15:20 – SCREENING + INTRO: Jinnah (Jamil Dehlavi, 1998)
BFI Southbank will dedicate the weekend of 10 – 12 August to leading Pakistani filmmaker, JAMIL DEHLAVI who will be in conversation on Saturday 11 August as well as introducing all the screenings of his films over the weekend. Dehlavi has a remarkable body of work, which stands out for its originality and engagement with the social and political questions of his time. Following decades of instability he is part of an emerging new wave of filmmaking in Pakistan, capturing the diversity and power of both the religious and the secular in everyday life.
The weekend kicks off with Dehlavi introducing The Blood of Hussain (1980), an allegorical tale of revolutionary struggle against injustice and oppression. The film was, and still is, banned in Pakistan and resulted in Dehlavi’s exile to the UK. This is a rare screening and it precedes the film’s release on Blu-ray and DVD on Monday 22 October.
Whilst living in the UK Dehlavi directed Born of Fire (1987), a mix of horror and the avant-garde, this film is steeped in Islamic mysticism and layered with hallucinatory set-pieces. Dehlavi returned to Pakistan in the late 1980s and made Immaculate Conception (1992); set in Karachi, the film follows a Western couple desperately looking for a miracle. Struggling to conceive a child, they visit a shrine run by a transgender community and find themselves caught in a world of fantasy and exploitation. Exploring a key moment in the relations between Islam and the west, Dehlavi shows us a Pakistan rarely seen or understood.
The weekend comes to a close with Dehlavi’s later epic work Jinnah (1998), a biopic of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which attempted to redress what Dehlavi thought was a negative portrayal of Pakistan’s founder in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. This epic biography starring Sir Christopher Lee as Jinnah explores one man’s role in the birth of Pakistan and the bloodshed that followed the partition of India. Jinnah unflinchingly explores the sacrifices and allegiances made in the creation of a new nation.
Also during the weekend, Dr Ali Nobil Ahmad will present a richly illustrated talk exploring the cultural, artistic, and political background to the inspiration and career trajectory of Jamil Dehlavi. Dehlavi will take part in an on-stage interview on Saturday 11 August, which will include extensive clips tracing his work, beginning with the early experimental Towers of Silence. Tower of Silence will also be screened in full as part of the Jamil Dehlavi Shorts Programme, which the director will also introduce.
PINTER ON SCREEN: POWER, SEX & POLITICS
· SUN 19 AUG, 15:00 – TALK: Pinter’s Politics / Onstage: director Jamie Lloyd, documentary activist John Pilger, chaired by season curator Michael Billington
To mark the 10th anniversary of the death of one of the most important and influential British playwrights of the last century, HAROLD PINTER, BFI Southbank will host a special two month season – PINTER ON SCREEN: POWER, SEX & POLITICS (1 July – 31 August) – curated by Harold Pinter biographer and theatre critic for The Guardian Michael Billington. Best-known for his work as a playwright, PINTER ONSCREEN will celebrate his contribution to film and television, which was extremely significant, not only writing pioneering plays for television, but also for working on scripts for a varied range of landmark films like Joseph Losey’s The Servant (1963), The French Lieutenant’s Woman (Karel Reisz, 1981) starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons, The Comfort of Strangers (Paul Schrader, 1990) and the 1990 adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s still all-too-relevant The Handmaid’s Tale (Volker Schlöndorff).
ANIMATION 2018: NOT JUST FOR ADULTS
· SUN 5 AUG, 13:00 – SPECIAL EVENT: Studio AKA: The Home of Hey Duggee and Lost and Found / Onstage: Q&A with producer Sue Goffe and directors Grant Orchard and Philip Hunt
· SUN 19 AUG, 13:00 – SPECIAL EVENT: Digby Dragon, Sarah and Duck and Go Jetters: Animating for a New Generation
· SUN 26 AUG, 13:00 – SPECIAL EVENT: Ivor Wood: A Celebration
Continuing the BFI’s year-long celebration of Animation this month we look at an area more commonly associated with quality British animation – animation for children, and in particular for children’s television. The UK is envied across the world for its high-quality animated TV shows, particularly for the iconic work of stop-motion director Ivor Wood, who produced beloved shows such as Postman Pat, Charlie Chalk, The Wombles and The Magic Roundabout. On Sunday 26 August BFI Southbank will take a nostalgic look at Wood with Ivor Wood: A Celebration,speaking to his son Sean, and expert Joseph Wallace about Wood’s most beloved characters.
This month’s programme will also look at the companies who have taken on Wood’s baton to ensure a new generation of viewers are entertained, highlighting the work of three key UK animation studios thriving in this area. Studio AKA have produced the top CBeebies show Hey Duggee as well as a multi-award winning animated short Lost and Found, based on the Oliver Jeffers book and narrated by Jim Broadbent. Audiences can look forward to seeing examples of these works in the event Studio AKA: The home of Hey Duggee and Lost and Found as well as hearing from producerSue Goffe and directors Grant Orchard and Philip Hunt.
We will also welcome the animators from Karrot Animation and Blue Zoo Animation who are producing high-quality content for younger audiences. At Digby Dragon, Sarah and Duck and Go Jetters: Animating for a New Generation budding animators and cartoon fans can enjoy their favourite moments from Sarah and Duck alongside new episodes of Digby Dragon and Go Jetters, as well as meet the animators and creative teams who helped bring these shows to life. Completing the line-up will be screenings of the recent incarnation of the classic Beatrix Potter tale Peter Rabbit, starring James Cordon, Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley and Domhnall Gleeson.
EVENTS, PREVIEWS AND REGULAR STRANDS
· SAT 4 AUG, 15:45 – SPECIAL EVENT: straight 8 2018 premiere – straight 8 premieres the best 28 short films of its 2018 global competition, each made on one cartridge of super 8mm film, with only in-camera editing.
· MON 6 AUG, 18:30 – TV PREVIEW + Q&A: Bodyguard (BBC One/World Productions, 2018) / Onstage: creator, writer, and executive producer Jed Mercurio, actors Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden
· WED 8 AUG, 20:00 – MEMBER EXCLUSIVE: Apostasy Salon
· WED 8 AUG, 20:10 – SPECIAL EVENT: 4K Restoration Premiere – Heathers(Michael Lehmann, 1988) / Onstage: director Michael Lehmann plus cast TBC
· THU 9 AUG, 18:15 – TV PREVIEW + Q&A: Bollywood: The World’s Biggest Film Industry (BBC Two/Raw Television, 2018) / Onstage: presenter Anita Rani plus guests
· SAT 11 AUG, 13:00 & 15:30 – MISSING BELIEVED WIPED SPECIAL: 30 Years of Kaleidoscope
· SUN 12 AUG, 13:30 – FAMILY FUNDAY: Buster Keaton Triple-Bill, preceded by a free Funday workshop
· MON 13 AUG, 18:15 – FILM PREVIEW: The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Desiree Akhavan, 2018)
· TUE 14 AUG, 20:00 – FILM PREVIEW + Q&A: The Eyes of Orson Welles (Mark Cousins, 2018) / Onstage: Director Mark Cousins
· SAT 18 AUG, 14:00 – AFRICAN ODYSSEYS + Q&A: I Just Dey Observe – an afternoon of new and impressive Nigerian shorts curated and introduced by Nadia Denton, and featuring some of the creatives behind the films for an illuminating Q&A.
· SAT 18 AUG, 17:30 – WOMAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA: Sama (Néjia Ben Mabrouk, 1988), a screening in partnership with the London Feminist Film Festival.
· THU 23 AUG, 20:20 – FILM PREVIEW: American Animals (Bart Layton, 2018) / Onstage: director Bart Layton and cast TBC
· SUN 26 AUG, 15:00 – SPECIAL EVENT: Harryhausen – The Movie Posters – a special presentation by author Richard Holliss followed by documentaries The Man Who Makes Monsters (William Cartner, 1970) and + Ray Harryhausen: Movement Into Life (John Walsh, 1990)
· TUE 28 AUG, 18:30 – SPECIAL EVENT: The Guilty Feminist Live! hosted by comedian Deborah Frances-White
· WED 29 AUG, 20:40 – SPECIAL EVENT: Moonwalker (Dirs Jerry Kramer, Jim Blashfield, Colin Chilvers, 1988) – on what would have been Michael Jackson’s 60th birthday, music collective Amplified presents a special screening of Moonwalker, followed by Amplified’s now-legendary Michael Jackson afterparty in the BFI Bar & Kitchen.
· THU 30 AUG, 18:30 – MEMBER EXCLUSIVE: Programme Launch: The 62nd BFI London Film Festival
· THU 30 AUG, 20:30 – SONIC CINEMA FILM PREVIEW + Q&A: The Man From Mo’ Wax (Matthew Jones, 2016) / Onstage: DJ and co-founder of Mo’ Wax James Lavelle
NEW AND RE-RELEASES
· CONTINUES FROM FRI 20 JULY: Generation Wealth (Lauren Greenfield, 2018)
· CONTINUES FROM FRI 27 JULY: Maurice (James Ivory, 1987) – A BFI release
· FROM FRI 3 AUG: Apostasy (Daniel Kokotajlo, 2017)
· FROM FRI 10 AUG: Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1988)
· FROM FRI 17 AUG: The Women (George Cukor, 1939)
· FROM FRI 17 AUG: Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945)
· FROM FRI 24 AUG: Blackkklansman (Spike Lee, 2018)
· FROM FRI 31 AUG: Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1988)
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: THE TIMELESS FILMS WE URGE YOU TO SEE
Love is a many-splendoured thing. It’s also a minefield, however, and can be the cause of countless kinds of disappointment, frustration, recrimination and revenge. In short; love results in pain as often as it produces pleasure. This month and next, our daily screenings of classic movies bring you memorably bracing accounts of some of the many pitfalls of love. A film from BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: When Love Goes Wrong… will screen every day for the special price of £8:
· L’Age d’or (Luis Buñuel, 1930)
· The Bitter Tea of General Yen (Frank Capra, 1932)
· La Vérité The Truth (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1960)
· Model Shop (Jacques Demy, 1969)
· Deep End (Jerzy Skolimowski, 1970)
· Gregory’s Girl (Bill Forsyth, 1980)
· Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (Albert Lewin, 1951)
· Sebastiane (Derek Jarman, 1976)
· Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (John Maybury, 1998)
· In the Cut (Jane Campion, 2003)
· Brief Encounter (David Lean, 1945)
· The Touch Beröringen (Ingmar Bergman, 1971)
