BFI Southbank

BFI Southbank is a major repertory cinema and film-culture venue operated by the British Film Institute in London. Located beneath the southern end of Waterloo Bridge beside the River Thames, it presents a broad programme of classic, independent, archival and international cinema rather than operating primarily as a commercial first-run multiplex. Its programme also encompasses filmmaker and artist events, retrospectives, talks, festivals, exhibitions and other activities connected with the history and contemporary practice of the moving image. The venue originated as the National Film Theatre, which opened in a temporary building known as the Telecinema during the 1951 Festival of Britain. It moved to its present South Bank location in 1957, replacing a Thames-side restaurant on the site. The new venue opened in time for the first BFI London Film Festival programme at the location on 16 October 1957. A second screen was added in 1970, helping establish the National Film Theatre as a permanent London home for repertory and specialist film exhibition. The site later became associated with the Museum of the Moving Image, which opened in a separate building between the National Film Theatre and Belvedere Road in 1988. The museum closed in 1999. Following an enlargement and redevelopment programme, the former National Film Theatre was relaunched as BFI Southbank on 14 March 2007. The expanded complex incorporated the former museum space and added a fourth small cinema known as the Studio, a médiathèque, the BFI Gallery for moving-image-related contemporary art, a shop, and hospitality facilities including a bar and restaurant. Today, BFI Southbank combines film exhibition with archival, educational and cultural functions. Its four cinemas are used for regular repertory seasons, national and international cinema programmes, festival screenings, premieres, introductions and public conversations. The venue is also the principal London location for BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. Its facilities include a library or médiathèque, exhibition space, a retail area, café and restaurant facilities, and a foyer bar that can host smaller performances and events. BFI Southbank occupies an important position in the United Kingdom’s film infrastructure because it connects public cultural programming with the BFI’s archival and curatorial work. It is also notable for being the only cinema in the United Kingdom licensed to screen nitrate film publicly. The largest auditorium, NFT1, has been recognised as an important part of London’s film culture; Forbes described it in 2023 as one of the city’s leading cinema spaces. Architectural changes to the Southbank promenade entrance were recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2022. The venue remains an active cultural institution rather than a separately incorporated or publicly listed company.

BFI Southbank began as the National Film Theatre during the 1951 Festival of Britain. Its first home was the Telecinema, a temporary venue that presented film and television-related material as part of the festival. The institution subsequently moved to a permanent location on London’s South Bank, beneath Waterloo Bridge, where it replaced a Thames-side restaurant. The present site opened in 1957 and became a significant base for repertory film exhibition in the United Kingdom. It also hosted the first BFI London Film Festival at the location on 16 October 1957. The building was designed by Norman Engleback, an architect working within the London County Council. Its position below Waterloo Bridge placed it within the developing cultural landscape of the South Bank, close to the Royal Festival Hall and other major arts institutions. A second cinema screen was added on 21 September 1970, expanding the National Film Theatre’s ability to show parallel programmes and helping it serve as a regular venue for specialist, archival and international film. A separate Museum of the Moving Image was constructed between the National Film Theatre and Belvedere Road in 1988. Designed by Avery Associates Architects, the museum was built beneath the approach to Waterloo Bridge and incorporated a former underground car park. It had its own entrance and remained institutionally distinct from the National Film Theatre. The museum closed in 1999, leaving the possibility of a wider redevelopment of the South Bank film complex. Redevelopment plans for the National Film Theatre were delayed by funding difficulties after works had been expected to begin in 2005. The project eventually enlarged the premises and incorporated space formerly used by the Museum of the Moving Image. On 14 March 2007, the National Film Theatre reopened under the name BFI Southbank. The enlarged venue retained its existing cinemas and added the Studio, a small fourth screen. It also introduced a médiathèque, the BFI Gallery, a shop and hospitality facilities including a bar and restaurant operated by Benugo at the time of the reopening. The BFI Southbank identity reflects the venue’s role within the wider British Film Institute rather than the name of a standalone commercial cinema chain. Its programming centres on curated seasons, classic cinema, independent work, international and non-English-language films, archival presentations, festival activity and public events. The venue is the main location for BFI Flare, the BFI’s LGBTIQ+ film festival, and is used for talks, introductions and appearances by filmmakers and other cultural figures. Its library and médiathèque functions extend the site beyond screening, supporting research and public access to film-related materials. The complex consists of four cinemas and additional cultural and hospitality spaces, including exhibition facilities, a shop, café or restaurant provision and a foyer bar that can accommodate smaller performances. It is also distinguished by its licence to screen nitrate film publicly, making it an unusual preservation and exhibition venue in the United Kingdom. In 2022, the redesigned Southbank promenade entrance received London and national awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 2023, Forbes highlighted NFT1 as an especially important cinema space in London. BFI Southbank continues to operate as an active repertory cinema and cultural centre under the British Film Institute.

• 2022

  Promenade entrance receives RIBA recognition

  [1]BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org

  The redevelopment of the Southbank promenade entrance receives London and national recognition from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

• 2007

  National Film Theatre becomes BFI Southbank

  [1]BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org

  The enlarged venue reopens under the BFI Southbank name, adding a fourth cinema, médiathèque, gallery, shop and hospitality facilities.

• 1999

  Museum of the Moving Image closes

  [1]BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org

  The adjacent Museum of the Moving Image ceases operation, later providing space that would be incorporated into the BFI Southbank redevelopment.

• 1988

  Museum of the Moving Image opens nearby

  [1]BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org

  A separate Museum of the Moving Image opens between the National Film Theatre and Belvedere Road beneath the Waterloo Bridge approach.

• 1970

  Second cinema screen added

  [1]BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org

  A second screen opens on 21 September, increasing the National Film Theatre’s screening capacity.

• 1957

  Move to the South Bank site

  [1]BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org

  The National Film Theatre moves to its present location beneath Waterloo Bridge and opens there in October. The site hosts the first BFI London Film Festival at the venue on 16 October.

• 1951

  Telecinema opens during the Festival of Britain

  [1]BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org

  The institution that would become the National Film Theatre and later BFI Southbank begins in a temporary Telecinema venue as part of the Festival of Britain.

A national cultural venue for serious, diverse and historically informed film exhibition, combining repertory cinema, film festivals, archival access, moving-image art and public engagement.

• Cinema exhibition · 1951

  Repertory cinema programme

  The core offering is a curated programme of classic, independent, archival and international films. Screenings are commonly organised into seasons, retrospectives and thematic programmes, distinguishing BFI Southbank from a mainstream multiplex focused chiefly on current commercial releases.

• Film festival

  BFI Flare

  BFI Southbank serves as the main venue for BFI Flare, the BFI’s LGBTIQ+ film festival. The festival programme brings specialist international cinema, filmmaker events and community-focused cultural activity to the venue.

• Moving-image exhibition · 2007

  BFI Gallery

  The BFI Gallery presents contemporary art and exhibitions connected with film and the moving image. It was introduced as part of the expanded BFI Southbank complex that opened in 2007.

• Research and public access · 2007

  Médiathèque and film library

  The venue includes library and médiathèque functions that support public engagement with film culture and the BFI’s wider archival and educational mission.

• Archival cinema exhibition

  Nitrate-film screenings

  BFI Southbank is licensed to present nitrate film publicly, a specialised capability associated with the preservation and exhibition of historically significant film materials.

• 2007

  Rebrand and expansion from National Film Theatre to BFI SouthbankStrategy

  Background

  The National Film Theatre required a larger and more multifunctional site after the closure of the nearby Museum of the Moving Image. Redevelopment plans had been delayed by funding difficulties.

  Action taken

  The BFI reopened the enlarged complex under the BFI Southbank name on 14 March 2007, incorporating former museum space and adding a fourth cinema, médiathèque, gallery, shop and hospitality facilities.

  Aftermath

  The venue became a broader film and moving-image cultural centre while retaining its repertory cinema role.

  Source

1. 1BFI Southbanken.wikipedia.org
2. 2BFI Southbank official pagebfi.org.uk