BFI progresses plans for world-class film, TV and moving image centre

The BFI has announced steps towards realising its ambition of building a new international centre for film, TV and the moving image, with an offer of support of up to £87m towards the £130m total project cost, subject to a tender process. The BFI hopes to open the new building to the public in 2022.

The BFI is at the heart of features in the UK with a network of partners and alliances, filmmakers and audiences that together create an environment where film, TV and the moving image can flourish as a cultural art-form and an economic driver. The major new cultural venue on London’s South Bank (on the existing Hungerford Car Park site) will be the national home for the new flagship centre.

Highlights include rich programmes of film, TV and moving image to provide a depth of experience, along with on-stage interviews and masterclasses, world premieres, new releases, classic screenings, restorations, film and live music events and presentations using new and emerging technologies.

The centre will showcase adventures in some of the earliest experiments in moving images – including a giant zoetrope and new camera obscura to the latest wonders in holographic and virtual reality storytelling.

It will also feature the best possible presentation of films in three cinemas (with 800, 180 and 120 seats) in a technologically-perfect screening environment for every format of film and digital – enabling work to be shown as the filmmaker originally intended.

Using the BFI’s world-leading knowledge of film and TV, a state-of-the-art education and research centre will be open to school groups, students and families, with free access to the world’s biggest film collection, events and exhibition schedules and expert education teams.

There will also be a major gallery space to present exhibitions of international scale celebrating Britain’s award winning creativity and skills in areas such as animation and VFX as well as showcasing the most intimate and rare film artefacts including scripts, private letters and photographs. The centre will be a new home for the BFI London Film Festival, giving it a venue of international stature.

The BFI is currently working closely with the key landowners (Southbank Centre, Braeburn Estates, Jubilee Gardens Trust and Lambeth Council) and the local community to ensure that the development will be sensitively designed to complement an expanded Jubilee Gardens.

Josh Berger, BFI Chair said, “The UK’s thriving film, TV and screen industries are world-class, fuelled by the vision and imagination of extraordinary British talent who are evolving our art-form at speed. One of my priorities will be to drive forward the BFI’s new centre to provide the opportunity to showcase British talent, creativity and vision to the world. It will inspire the next generation of award-wining British talent, filmmakers and visual effects geniuses, and give audiences one of the best places in the world to experience film in all its forms.”

Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO commented, “British film and British filmmakers deserve a home now more than ever, a building that will express our optimism, our confidence and our excitement about Britain’s leading role in the future of film, television and the moving image at home and internationally. It will be a place where filmmakers and audiences will come together to be inspired by our creative legacy and to be part of this most fast moving, dynamic and popular art-form.”

Lord David Puttnam said, “British film and TV is the envy of the world. We combine being at the forefront of the latest innovations in technology with a legacy of over 100 years of filmmaking driven by an extraordinary and seemingly endless pool of talent and creativity. This is the initiative I’ve waited my whole life to celebrate.”