BFI announce programme highlights for September and early October

The BFI announce the programme for BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX for September and early October 2025, beginning with RIDLEY SCOTT: BUILDING CINEMATIC WORLDS. BFI Fellow Ridley Scott has helped define the modern blockbuster with a prodigious, wide-ranging and technologically innovative body of feature work alongside a successful career in TV production and commercials across more than 60 years.

His films range from grand epics to intimate character studies, and whether leading us to the heart of the Roman Empire, a dystopian Los Angeles, a future-looking Tokyo or the vast plains of the Martian landscape, Scott is a master of world-building cinema. This retrospective, with titles chosen by the filmmaker himself, celebrates Scott’s finest films and includes a series of events that highlight his hugely entertaining and prolific work across a wide range of media. We are delighted that Scott will join us for RIDLEY SCOTT IN CONVERSATION at BFI Southbank on 5 October when he will discuss his extraordinary vision, which has seen him become one of Hollywood and the commercial world’s most successful filmmakers. Scott will also take part in a Q&A following a screening of THE DUELLISTS (1977) on 4 October, introduce THELMA AND LOUISE (1991) on 5 October, both at BFI Southbank, and introduce BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT (1982) at BFI IMAX on 4 October. The free exhibition RIDLEY SCOTT: BUILDING CINEMATIC WORLDS also accompanies the season, open from 1 September – 5 October at BFI Southbank when guests will explore the artistic vision and cinematic worlds of Scott’s films. Offering a rare glimpse into the director’s archive, the exhibition will include storyboards, film posters, clapperboards, and selected items from some of Scott’s most acclaimed productions.

Further events will include RIDLEY SCOTT ASSOCIATES: SHORT FILM SHOWCASE on 4 September, when Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) Head of Short Film Nancy Ryan joins us for a showcase of new and classic short films followed by a discussion with their directors and producers; BEHIND THE VISION: CRAFTING RIDLEY SCOTT’S WORLDS on 23 September, an illustrated discussion with some of Scott’s key production collaborators who will offer a behind-the-scenes look at his work from concept to screen; STORYTELLING IN COMMERCIAL on 22 September, which will explore how RSA has revolutionised storytelling in commercials and branded entertainment; BEYOND THE TRAILER: RIDLEY SCOTT’S REVOLUTION IN MOVIE MARKETING on 30 September, when RSA CEO/Director Luke Scott  looks back at some of the pioneering campaigns for PROMETHEUS and THE MARTIAN which set the standard for movie marketing; and BLACK DOG FILMS SPECIAL: MUSIC VIDEO SHOWCASE on 11 September, a celebration of the RSA production collective’s groundbreaking visuals and seminal music videos for the likes of Madonna, Aphex Twin and Beyoncé. Other films playing at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX throughout the season are set to include ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (1979), LEGEND (1985), SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME (1987), BLACK RAIN (1989), WHITE SQUALL (1996), GLADIATOR (2000), BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001), HANNIBAL (2001), MATCHSTICK MEN (2003), KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: DIRECTOR’S CUT (2005), A GOOD YEAR (2006), AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007), BODY OF LIES (2008), PROMETHEUS (2012), THE COUNSELLOR (2013), THE MARTIAN (2015), THE LAST DUEL (2021) and GLADIATOR II (2024).

Elsewhere, ASSOCIATED REDIFFUSION: THE UK’S FIRST GROUNDBREAKING TV FRANCHISE celebrates seventy years since the birth of modern commercial television in the UK. Launched on 22 September 1955, Associated-Rediffusion, ITV’s original weekday London television franchise, quickly distinguished itself from the BBC with a heady mixture of highbrow programming and populist fodder, with progressive drama, current affairs, discussion programmes and issue-led documentaries rubbing shoulders with flashy game shows, children’s entertainment and groundbreaking comedies. The company introduced TV advertising to Britain, pioneered broadcasting for schools (the first broadcaster to do so) and in its relatively short life (1955-68) helped create the blueprint for a distinctive British take on commercial television. The Associated-Rediffusion collection is preserved in the BFI National Archive and this month-long celebration at BFI Southbank features a number of titles remastered by the BFI for the season, including the vintage six-part Rediffusion sci-fi serial OBJECT Z (Daphne Shadwell, 1965). Unseen since its first transmission on ITV in 1965, OBJECT Z will be released on BFI Blu-ray on 22 September.

The season also includes two programmes dedicated to comedy featuring comedic legends David Frost, Ronnie Barker, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, The Pythons and David Jason – Ronnie Barker And The Pythons, featuring THE RONNIE BARKER PLAYHOUSE: AH, THERE YOU ARE (Michael Lindsay-Hogg, 1968), remastered by the BFI, AT LAST THE 1948 SHOW (Ian Fordyce, 1967) and DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET (Humphrey Barclay, 1967) (both previously released on BFI DVD), and The Fred Shows featuring A SHOW CALLED FRED (Dick Lester, 1956), SON OF FRED (Dick Lester, 1957) and YES, IT’S THE CATHODE-RAY TUBE SHOW (1967). Three programmes dedicated to drama will include The Entertaining Mr Orton featuring ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE (Peter Moffatt, 1968), THE ERPINGHAM CAMP (James Ormerod, 1966) and THE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT (James Ormerod, 1967), in celebration of the 90th anniversary of playwright Joe Orton’s birth, Harold Pinter featuring THE LOVER (Joan Kemp-Welch, 1963) and THE CARETAKER (Marc Miller, 1966), with the latter remastered by the BFI, and The Classics at Associated-Rediffusion featuring key canonical works by Oscar Wilde, A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (Joan Kemp-Welch, 1960) and Chekhov’s THE THREE SISTERS (Joan Kemp-Welch, 1963). Elsewhere, a Missing Believed Wiped special will feature the long-lost drama EACH WIND THAT BLOWS (Wilfred Eades, 1960), recovered from the Film is Fabulous initiative and other recently recovered Rediffusion material, with other events exploring THE LOST WORLD OF CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING and Associated-Rediffusion’s cutting-edge approach to TACKLING RACISM, including THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC (Peter Moffatt, 1967), remastered by the BFI. CAPTIVE CINEMA will recreate the original programme of TV documentaries presented as the subject of the National Film Theatre’s first TV season in 1957; READY STEADY GO! will feature performances from some of the biggest music starts of the 1960s from surviving episodes of this legendary British music programme; and THE PRECIOUS THINGS – ODDITIES AND RARITIES FROM THE BFI NATIONAL ARCHIVE, a special event exploring some of Associated-Rediffusion’s more esoteric programming preserved in the BFI National Archive, will include adverts and magazine programmes such as David Frost’s current affairs led THE FROST PROGRAMME.

Finally, ANNA MAY WONG: THE ART OF REINVENTION celebrates Anna May Wong’s transnational life and career, as well as her collaborations with and inspiration for Asian diasporic communities. From silent cinema to multiple-language talkies, vaudeville to television, Hollywood to Europe and beyond, Wong constantly reinvented herself, even when being routinely typecast in roles and narratives confined by racist and sexist stereotypes and taboos. The illustrated discussion INTRODUCTION TO ANNA MAY WONG’S REINVENTIONS on 8 September, led by season curator Xin Peng and featuring Wong’s niece Anna Wong, author Katie Gee Salisbury and film historian Pamela Hutchinson, will consider Wong’s key roles and films, discuss her life and career, and reflect on her legacy. The event will be followed by a book signing of Salisbury’s Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong. Films playing in the season will include DRIFTING (Tod Browning, 1923) and PETER PAN (Herbert Brenon, 1924), both restored by the George Eastman Museum, THE TOLL OF THE SEA (Chester M. Franklin, 1922), THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Raoul Walsh, 1924), SONG (Richard Eichberg, 1928), restored by Filmmuseum Düsseldorf, PAVEMENT BUTTERFLY (Richard Eichberg, 1929), restored in 4K by Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, PICCADILLY (Ewald André Dupont, 1929), restored by the BFI National Archive with support from Simon and Harley Hessel, HAI TANG (Richard Eichberg, Walter Summers, Jean Kemm, 1930), DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON (Lloyd Corrigan, 1931) on a restored 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, SHANGHAI EXPRESS (Josef von Sternberg, 1932), JAVA HEAD (J. Walter Ruben, 1934), DANGEROUS TO KNOW (Robert Florey, 1938), DAUGHTER OF SHANGHAI (Robert Florey, 1937), LADY FROM CHUNGKING (William Nigh, 1942), PORTRAIT IN BLACK (Michael Gordon, 1960) and FLOWER DRUM SONG (Henry Koster, 1961). Meanwhile, a key scholar lecture ‘A YELLOW SPOT ON THE SILVER SCREEN’ – ANNA MAY WONG’S PERFORMATIVE PLEASURE on 2 October will see Professor Yiman Wang reanimate Wong’s legacy and delve into her performative pleasure to advance a method of enjoying the actor’s paradoxical agency as a tragedienne and a comedienne. Presented in partnership with the Department of Film Studies, King’s College Lonon, and Cambridge Film & Screen, the event will be followed by a signing of Wang’s book To be an Actress: Labor and Performance in Anna May Wong’s Cross-Media World.

Further events taking place in September and early October will include TIM BURTON: ANIMATED on 24 September, when we welcome filmmaker and BFI Fellow Tim Burton to BFI Southbank to talk about his career and passion for animation with the BFI’s Head of Cinema Programme Justin Johnson, looking back at his work to date and the animation that has inspired him. Marking the film’s 20th anniversary, we will also screen TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE (2005) at BFI IMAX on 24 September with an extended introduction from the director. A PET SHOP BOYS DOUBLE BILL on 5 September will include IT COULDN’T HAPPEN HERE (Jack Bond, 1987), in tribute to producer/director and Pet Shop Boys collaborator Jack Bond who died last year, followed by a Q&A with musician Neil Tennant. Originally conceived as an hour-long video, the film became a full-scale feature that saw band members Tennant and Chris Lowe travel on an extraordinary adventure from the coast to London, encountering a curious array of eccentric characters along the way. It is followed by a screening of the BFI Distribution centenary re-release BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei M. Eisenstein, 1925) with a score by the Pet Shop Boys. Tennant will join us in between to discuss the pop surrealism road movie and scoring the classic silent epic.

TV previews will include MITCHELL & WEBB ARE NOT HELPING (2025) on 3 September, including a Q&A with David Mitchell, Robert Webb and other cast. The legendary duo return to Channel 4 in this brand-new sketch show, an innovative merging of minds across generations that sees them joined by some of the most exciting up-and-coming names in comedy. We also preview BLUE LIGHTS (Jack Casey, 2025) on 10 September followed by a Q&A with cast and the series creator. Returning for a third season on BBC, the action moves from the streets to the boardrooms of Belfast as Grace, Annie and Tommy work to deal with the world of white-collar crime which has infiltrated the city’s middle class. A preview of STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR (Linus O’Brien, 2025) on 29 September will be followed by a Q&A with director Linus O’Brien and other guests to be announced. The cult of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW has spanned generations, with many an audience member having donned lingerie and sung along to the exploits of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Now, 50 years after its initial release, O’Brien treats fans of the film phenomenon to an intimate portrait of the film musical’s genesis. Other film previews will include BRIDES (Nadia Fall, 2024) on 25 September, the astonishing feature debut from Young Vic artistic director Nadia Fall who joins us for a Q&A with some of the team who made it; a Film Wallahs preview of THE UNESH CHRONICLES (Pooja Kaul, 2024), an epic yet intimate coming-of-age portrait of a young woman in middle-class India during the 1980s followed by a Q&A with director Pooja Kaul; and ELLIS PARK (Justin Kurzel, 2024) on 9 September, a documentary which paints a vivid portrait of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds musician Warren Ellis.

In DOCTOR WHO: TERROR OF THE ZYGONS (Douglas Camfield, 1975) The Doctor, Sarah and Harry join UNIT to investigate reports of a giant sea monster and soon find themselves imperilled by Zygons, a shape-shifting alien race. This series, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is notable for the final regular appearance of Harry and the Brigadier, and after this screening on 20 September we are joined by producer Philip Hinchcliffe for a Q&A. Also on 20 September we preview the new feature-length documentary WORLDS WITHIN – THE LIFE OF IAN MARTER (Chris Chapman, 2025), including an introduction from the director. In 1974, Marter was cast as Harry Sullivan opposite Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen in a new era of DOCTOR WHO. Marter was meant to be the show’s action man, but just months prior to joining, his erratic health nearly caused his death. This film explores in intimate detail Marter’s turbulent, enigmatic and brilliant life.

Elsewhere, celebrate 200 years of Britain’s railways with RAILWAY 200: REELS AND RAILS, a unique programme of Britain’s greatest railway films presented by BFI Archive Curator Steven Foxon and historian Tim Dunn on 2 September. From the first moving-picture record of a British train to footage of the InterCity 125, this programme takes a journey through time. The event ARENA LEGACY on 1 October will screen two of the series’ early pioneering classics, MY WAY (Nigel Finch) and THE CHELSEA HOTEL (Nigel Finch), followed by a Q&A with CEO of Film London Adrian Wootton and long-time series editor Anthony Wall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Arena and mark the passing of two former Arena mainstays: series editor Alan Yentob and film editor Guy Crossman. Finally, MARK KERMODE’S SURROUND SOUND sees critic Mark Kermode and producer Jenny Nelson explore cinema’s most powerful soundtracks and their emotional impact, with stories, favourites, and special guests on 8 September, while Kermode returns with his monthly conversation MARK KERMODE LIVE IN 3D on 15 September and 6 October with surprise guests and discussion of upcoming releases, cinematic treasures, industry news and even some guilty pleasures. Further details of events in September and early October at BFI Southbank can be found here.