A new season of British Film Premiere is set for the BBC. British Film Premiere presents a brand new premiere every Sunday night on BBC Two, celebrating a wave British filmmakers who are offering fresh perspectives on UK life and experiences. Each film will be available on BBC iPlayer after its transmission on BBC Two, and most will also be available on BFI Player.
These are films made for and played in cinemas. To celebrate that each one has a short introduction from a UK cinema programmer who has championed and played the film for their audiences.
Each of the seven feature films premiering in the British Film Premiere season has been critically acclaimed and premiered at top tier international film festivals, with many nominated for or winning major awards. The seven films were all developed and produced with the support of BBC Film, and each film will be followed by the premiere of a short film to showcase work from filmmakers who are on the path to creating their first features. The BFI has also supported many of the features and short films, whether through awarding National Lottery funding or via its distribution arm or film festivals.
The aim of the British Film Premiere season is to complement theatrical release strategies, supporting the UK’s independent filmmakers and creating a national platform for exciting new cinematic voices on the BBC.
The feature films in the season are:
- AFTER LOVE written and directed by Aleem Khan, introduced by Isra Al Kassi of T A P E Collective
- HIS HOUSE – written and directed by Remi Weekes, introduced by Mathieu Ajan of Bounce Cinema
- SWEETHEART – written and directed by Marley Morrison, introduced by Allison Gardner of Glasgow Film
- HERE BEFORE – written and directed by Stacey Gregg, introduced by Michelle Devlin of Belfast Film Festival
- SURGE – written and directed by Aneil Karia, introduced by Nia Childs, freelance curator and programmer
- MOGUL MOWGLI – directed by Bassam Tariq, co-written by Bassam Tariq and Riz Ahmed, introduced by David Kapur of MASSIVE Cinema
- COW – directed by Andrea Arnold, introduced by Melanie Iredale of Birds Eye View
The short films premiering in the season are:
- FOR LOVE – written and directed by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor (following AFTER LOVE)
- LIZARD – directed by Akinola Davis, written by Akinola Davies and Wale Davies (following HIS HOUSE)
- BULLDOZER – written and directed by Stella Scott (following SWEETHEART)
- KNOW THE GRASS – written and directed by Sophie Littman (following HERE BEFORE)
- PRECIOUS HAIR AND BEAUTY – written and directed by John Ogunmuyiwa (following SURGE)
- EXPENSIVE SHIT – written and directed by Adura Onashile (following MOGUL MOWGLI)
- 2003 – written and directed by Harris Dickinson (following COW)
British Film Premiere: New Films from New Voices starts on BBC Two on Sunday 23 October and will run weekly until early-December.
