BFI reveals July programme with Moviedrome cult classics

© BFI

The British Film Institute will present a selection of screenings and events throughout July 2025, showcasing cult cinema, a tribute to Hollywood star Dorothy Dandridge, and a season exploring films banned in their home countries.

The month opens with a season dedicated to Moviedrome, the influential BBC2 series that aired from 1988 to 2000 and introduced audiences to a wide range of cult and genre films. This season will feature titles such as Sweet Smell of Success, The Fly (both 1958 and 1986 versions), Get Carter, Shaft, The Wicker Man final cut, An American Werewolf in London, Scarface, Exotica, La Haine, Clockers and others. Select screenings will include the original televised introductions by presenters Alex Cox and Mark Cousins, with Cox and Moviedrome producer Nick Freand Jones appearing at the BFI for a conversation to launch the series on 4 July.

A tribute to Dorothy Dandridge, programmed by Miriam Bale, will run concurrently. Dandridge, who broke ground as the first Black woman nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for Carmen Jones in 1955, is celebrated for her varied career and elegant screen presence. Films in this season include Sun Valley Serenade, The Harlem Globetrotters, Bright Road, Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, Tamango, Moment of Danger and the HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge starring Halle Berry.

Another highlight is the From Censored to Restored season, presenting films banned at the time of release due to political, social or cultural reasons. This collection features titles like My Grandmother, which was banned in Georgia for nearly 50 years, along with restorations of classics such as L’Atalante, Viridiana, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Accattone, Andrei Rublev, The Cow, The Ear, The Long Farewell, Sambizanga, A Woman Alone and others. Filmmaker Peter Strickland will introduce the screening of Viridiana, while curator Giulia Saccogna will offer insights into censorship and film restoration.

The inaugural We Crip Film Festival will run from 26 to 27 July, focusing on disabled filmmaking and celebrating Disability Pride Month. The festival includes the UK premiere of Deaf President Now!, which chronicles the 1988 student protests at Gallaudet University. Additional programmes explore themes of ableism and joyful intersections within disabled communities, culminating in a session with award-winning writer and co-chair of We Crip Film Kyla Harris.

July’s programme also includes a screening and Q&A for two episodes of Psychoville on 6 July with actors Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, a 4K restoration of the cult Cool Cymru classic Human Traffic on 15 July, and a preview of Happyend on 3 July, a near-future Tokyo coming-of-age story centred on early electronic music. The London Indian Film Festival returns to BFI Southbank for its 16th year from 19 to 20 July, featuring new releases from India and South Asia alongside classics including an 8K restoration of Peter Brook’s The Mahabharata at BFI IMAX. Film critic Mark Kermode will appear live in 3D on 14 July for his usual mix of film discussion and analysis.

All screenings and events will take place at BFI venues, with full listings and images available via the BFI website. This diverse and carefully curated programme offers a wide-ranging celebration of film history, culture and contemporary issues throughout July.

[ad_1]

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}

[ad_2]