This year marks 400 years since the Bard shuffled off this mortal coil, and there are a batch of film events around the capital to mark the date from April onwards, many being found at the BFI and Barbican and other cultural centres. THe entire project is part of Shakespeare Lives, organised by the British Council and the GREAT Britain campaign for their major global programme for 2016, with the BFI and Film Hub London working in partnership with the BFI and the UK’s eight other film Hubs.
See below for some of the highlights, but the main place to look for the full menu is the BFI’s Shakespeare on Film site. The BFI are boasting over 300 events across the country are planned, so don’t expect the below list to be anything like comprehensive.
- Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine in Conversation about Richard III following a screening of the film at the BFI.
- Ian McKellan live talk on acting in Shakespeare in “Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere, with Ian McKellen”
- Akira Kurosawa’s Ran gets a 4k digital polish and re-release at the BFI throughout April, see the review here.
- Henry V screening + Kenneth Branagh Q&A (Broadcast live to Cinemas). Taking place at Belfast’s Queen’s Film Theatre, the Q&A and film will be beamed live to 70+ cinemas across the UK.
- Play On! Shakespeare in Silent Film, a new compilation from the BFI National Archive. Screenings of this around the country will also feature different new scores by various artists.
- Shakespeare’s Sister, an exploration of gender – both behind and in front of the camera – courtesy of Curzon. This discussion will include filmmakers, academics and the brains behind the Bechdel Test Fest.