The BFI has announced its programme for BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX this December, beginning with a season dedicated to visionary filmmaker James Cameron.
This season, curated by BFI IMAX programme manager Madeleine Mullett, kicks off on 1 December with The Worlds of James Cameron, described as “a richly illustrated discussion that will consider the breadth and depth of Cameron’s work”.
Invited speakers will trace the trajectory of his career, his thematic preoccupations across a variety of genres, his most memorable characters and his impact on Hollywood filmmaking.
Films playing throughout the month at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX will include everything from The Terminator to Avatar: The Way of Water, before the third instalment of his Avatar series, Fire and Ash, plays at BFI IMAX from 19 December.
Richard Burton: Man on Fire will dive into the “ferocity and vulnerability” of the Welsh actor, with the season – curated by James Bell, Jo Botting and Simon McCallum of the BFI National Archive – featuring a selection of classics and rarities that reflect Burton’s “formidable acting range and the magnetic, multifaceted characters he portrayed”.
The season will kick off with illustrated panel discussion Look Back at Richard Burton on 2 December, which will explore Burton’s contribution to film both through his performances and his stardom, before Philosophical Screens: 1984 on 15 December sees the BFI’s regular panel of film philosophers Lucy Bolton, Ben Tyrer and Catherine Wheatley consider the themes of Burton’s final film and assess their contemporary relevance.
Films playing throughout the month will include The Last Days of Dolwyn (Emlyn Williams, 1949), introduced by Burton’s daughter Kate Burton on 2 December, and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (Martin Ritt, 1965) and Boom! (Joseph Losey, 1968), both introduced by Burton’s granddaughter Charlotte Frances Burton on 8 December.
Elsewhere, other highlights include the second half of TOO MUCH: MELODRAMA ON FILM, bringing the likes of Way Down East and Imitation of Life back to the big screen, and the BFI’s Christmas line-up, with classics like It’s a Wonderful Life and Die Hard available for audiences.
The inner worlds of Lucile Hadžihalilović will also be explored through the BFI Distribution release of the French filmmaker’s new film The Ice Tower, alongside Innocence, Evolution and Earwig, and Frederick Wiseman’s immersive, multi-layered works including Central Park and Belfast, Maine will screen.
An Evening with Radio Times, presenting a preview of Run Away, Will Arnett in Conversation and Woman with a Movie Camera’s presentation of Mansfield Park are other notable entries in the programme.
Find the full list of upcoming events on the BFI website.
