THE FILM PROGRAMME
BBC Radio 4’s regular look at the latest releases, the hottest stars and the leading directors, plus news and insights from the film world. Presented by Francine Stock and Antonia Quirke.
Get Deeper into Film
Dive into our specially-selected resources and online content exploring a range of film-related subjects, including interviews, articles, and archive film.
Little White Lies
British movie magazine Little White has a fantastic range of free content online, including reviews of the latest releases, movie news and features. They also have a YouTube channel with playlists, beginners guides, and movie masterclasses.
SCREEN TIME
BBC Radio 1’s resident film critic Ali Plumb’s show features reviews, interviews with some of the world’s biggest stars, and movie industry news. Available free online or via a weekly podcast.
Britain on Film
The BFI’s Film Archive is available online for FREE, with over a century of Britain on film to explore. Use the map to find fascinating short and feature-length films from their national and regional archives.
Sight & Sound
The BFI’s international film magazine has a host of free online content, including feature articles, news, curated film lists, obituaries, videos, festivals and reviews.
Phoenix Explores: Musical Film
From The Jazz Singer to La La Land, we invite you to explore the musical film genre, with a host of resources to help you on your journey through 90 years’ of movies.
BLACK HOLLYWOOD: 'THEY'VE GOTTA HAVE US'
Black Panther smashed box office records, and Moonlight and Get Out enjoyed awards success at the Oscars – something that previous generations of Black filmmakers and actors could only dream of. This insightful BBC series celebrates those who paved the way for the current generation of Black talent.
MARK KERMODE'S SECRETS OF CINEMA
Catch up with the latest episodes in Mark Kermode’s fascinating guide to the art of cinema, originally broadcast on BBC Four. Kermode examines the techniques and conventions behind classic film genres to reveal how filmmakers keep audiences coming back for more.
BBC TALKING PICTURES
This fascinating series uses archive footage to explore the lives and careers of legends of the silver screen, including Gene Kelly, Sean Connery, British acting dames – Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, Diana Rigg, Julie Walters and Judi Dench. The series also delves into popular genres such as Westerns and British comedies.
10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki
Step head-first into the world of one of Japan’s greatest animation filmmakers, Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle), and the renowned Studio Ghibli in this four-part documentary.
Into Film
Into Film is an education charity that puts film at the heart of children and young people’s educational, cultural and personal development. They’ve made some of their fantastic FREE resources available to use at home, either to support home-schooling or just for fun.
Phoenix Explores: 30 Greatest Foreign-Language Films
In October 2018 the BBC polled over 200 international film critics to find out their favourite movies made in a language other than English. We explore the top 30… will your favourite be amongst them?
PEDRO ALMODÓVAR’S LOCKDOWN DIARY
Delve into the acclaimed Spanish director’s Covid-19 quarantine journal, where he talks about how he’s coping with self-isolation and shares the books and films that have brought him comfort.
LIFE CINEMATIC
Mixing in-depth interviews with classic clips, this insightful series meets renowned filmmakers to explore the art of filmmaking and the films that have influenced them.
INSIDE CINEMA
From bumbling detectives and Burton’s Gotham to childhood nightmares and film flirtations, these entertaining short films on a host of themes take you to the heart of the movies.
Phoenix Explores: Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios were responsible for some of the most iconic British films of the 1940s and ‘50s, famous for their comedies but with a back catalogue that also included drama and films to support the war effort.
I've never seen...
We’ve all got one – a classic film that everyone except us seems to have seen. Not a problem… unless you’re a film critic, that is. Now writers from the Guardian are confessing which classic films they’ve never actually watched. Read on, and you might be a trifle surprised.
Phoenix meets Ben Wheatley
Our New British Cinema season began with a mini-season of films directed by Ben Wheatley. We caught up with Ben to see how he’s coping with life in lockdown.
IN CONVERSATION
MARK LAWSON TALKS TO: DIANA RIGG
Revered British actress Dame Diana Rigg died in September 2020. In this thoughtful and revealing interview from 2011, Mark Lawson talks to Diana about her life and 50-year career on stage and screen, exploring her early years in India, her conflicted feelings about being seen as sexy and the pleasures of professional success into her 70s.
Curzon Living Room Q&As
If you’re missing the extra insight that post-screening Q&As bring to your cinema viewing, look out for Curzon’s Living Room Q&As. Alongside a series of new releases and critically acclaimed films from recent years, Curzon are offering free weekly Q&As with filmmakers.
BFI Q&As
Delve into a range of interviews with international film talent filmed at the BFI in front of a live audience, including Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho; Carol Morley on Federico Fellini; Bait‘s Mark Jenkin in conversation with Mark Kermode; and Bacurau director Kleber Mendonça Filho.
Haifaa Al-Mansour: Guardian Interview
Award-winning Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour (Wajdja) talks to the Guardian‘s Cath Clark about being Saudi Arabia’s first film director and her new film The Perfect Candidate.
MARTIN SCORSESE IN CONVERSATION
Martin Scorsese, one of Hollywood’s greatest directors, joins John Wilson in conversation in this special edition of BBC Radio 4’s flagship arts programme, discussing topics such as masculinity, guilt and redemption, Scorsese’s latest film The Irishman, and the themes that have inspired him throughout his career.
Tom Hanks: Desert Island Discs
Tom Hanks, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, was Kirsty Young’s castaway on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. In amongst choosing his 8 favourite records, the beloved Academy-award winning actor talked about his life and work, from Big to Sleepless in Seattle, and Forrest Gump to Captain Phillips. Originally broadcast in 2016.
Film director, Céline Sciamma
Front Row’s Samira Ahmed meets French director Céline Sciamma to discuss her BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated film Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which previewed at Phoenix in December 2019 before its release in February.
DAME JUDI DENCH IN CONVERSATION
Dame Judi Dench joins John Wilson in conversation in this special edition of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, broadcast on 12 March. She looks back at her 60-year career in theatre, television and film, discusses Shakespeare and musicals, and talks about how she copes with losing her eyesight.
Sir Kenneth Branagh in conversation
Belfast-born actor and director Kenneth Branagh talks to Front Row‘s John Wilson about his glittering career on stage, film and TV, which has featured everything from Shakespeare and Chekhov, to Hollywood movies and Scandi-noir detective series.
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