Help

How do I watch films?

There are three ways to watch films on BFI Player: 

 

  • Subscription - Pay monthly or annually to watch 100s of hand-picked and exclusive films.

     

  • Rentals - Pay as you go for individual films.

     

  • Free - Watch 1000s of short films restored by the BFI National Archive and our partners with no charge.

     

    Create your account here

 

 

How to pay

We accept Visa (16-digit cards only), Mastercard and Amex as payment methods.  

You can manage your payment card in the Payment method section of your Account. 

Whether you rent a film or subscribe, the card you have most recently used will be saved as your payment method. You can remove a card, but any associated subscription will expire at the end of your monthly billing period.   

Your personal card information is protected by an encrypted connection between your browser and our server. Your payments are processed by a third-party payment partner, which has the highest level of compliance under the Payment Card industry Data Security Standard (PCI). 

 

Supported Devices

TV Apps

  • Samsung Smart TV app (2015-2023)
  • LG Smart TV app (2019-2024)
  • Amazon Fire TV app
  • Apple TV app (2019-2024)
  • Android TV app (2019-2024)
  • Chromecast with Google Play

 

Mobile

  • iOS: iOS 13 or higher
  • Android: V11 or higher

 

Desktop/Laptop

  • PC: Windows 10 or higher
  • Mac: macOS 11 or higher

BFI Player supports the latest versions of most internet modern browsers.

Watch on your TV

We have dedicated TV apps on the following devices:

  • Samsung Smart TVs (2015-2023)
  • LG Smart TVs (2019-2024)
  • Amazon Fire TV
  • Apple TV
  • Android TV 

Please go to the appropriate app store to download the BFI Player app. 

These apps currently only support Subscription films.

 

Is my TV model/year supported?

Your TV model number will be located either on the back or right hand side of your TV and the links below will help determine the year.

For Samsung TVs please see here.

For LG TVs please see here.

 

 

Casting

You can cast films to Chromecast devices from your Chrome browser or our iOS and Android apps, or to an Apple TV device from our iOS app via AirPlay.  The Chromecast icon on browser is on the video player on the far right of the control panel. For Chromecast devices with access to Google Play you can download the BFI Player app directly.

 

You can also watch films on your TV by plugging your laptop or computer into your TV or projector via an HDMI cable.  (Please note your device and cable must be HDCP compliant.)

 

Using a VPN?

You can only watch BFI Player in the UK and the service is not accessible through a VPN.

Certain security plugins, including adblockers and private browsing mode, can cause video playback to fail. We recommend switching these off before watching. 

How do I cancel my subscription?

You can cancel any time, via Account/Subscription

 

Discounts for BFI Members

If you’re a BFI member, you can get 15% discount on all rentals by adding membership details when you create an account or when renting a film. 

 

You can use your BFI membership number against one BFI Player account. 


You will need to enter your membership number and registered postcode - your postcode should be entered in uppercase, with a space between the first and last parts, for example: W1T 1LN.

 

If you have a question about your membership, email [email protected].  

How are films curated?

How to find content:

BFI expert curators group most of our films into unique collections, which highlight their significance, whether they’re cultural, award-winning, by a renowned director or they represent a landmark moment in film.



Some collections tie in with BFI events, and some themes are repeated across rentals, subscription and free.



You can also navigate by genre, popularity, and those recently added - and our search tool allows for specific filtered results.



Most of our free films were shot in Britain and can be found via the Britain on Film map. Where the film is owned by a regional / or other non-BFI archive, its logo is usually displayed as well as a link to the archive.



You can also find out about new and topical films and collections by signing up to our email newsletters when you create an account, or via Account/Profile.

How we select content:

Our aim is to help users see something different - so we focus on British and European independent films, as well as offering international releases.  

In Rentals, we do offer the best of the latest releases, but we also prioritise films from our UK festivals, such as the BFI London Film Festival, and BFI Flare - which also represents our diverse audiences.      

In Subscription, we aim to present the best in classic arthouse cinema and contemporary classics, many representing landmark moments in film.

Our programming also adheres closely with the BFI’s wider cultural programme, complementing its seasonal programming of our UK venues, film distribution and DVD/Blu-ray publishing strands.

Our free archive films highlight the best of the BFI National Archive as well as UK national, regional and partner archives. These include features and shorts - by professional and amateur filmmakers - of British life as well as newsreels, adverts, films from cultural and academic institutions, and some international films.

The availability of all our films is dependent on rights agreements with licensors.  Films which are 'Currently unavailable' have reached the end of their license window. 

As members of the British Board of Film Classification’s BBFC online service, we work to ensure films: are rated for use on Video on Demand; and have the same age rating as you will see at a UK cinema or on a DVD/Blu-ray release.   

Many free films are certified ‘not rated’, but you still need to accept guidance before watching. Some films have had no rating added by the original archive.

Academic Subscriptions

BFI Player has agreements with select Universities offering free academic subscriptions to students of specific courses.

If you're University has offered an academic subscription, you can redeem as follows:

  1. Visit player.bfi.org.uk/students to create an account on BFI Player or sign in to an existing account (You can use any email address for this step)
  2. Select your university from the drop down menu
  3. Authenticate using your university credentials 

This will link the academic subscription to your account.

Yearly gift subscriptions

You can buy a 12-month gift subscription online or from the BFI Southbank shop.

If you buy online, your gift subscription will be sent by post – it’ll usually be delivered within 14 days. If it’s been longer than 14 days, email [email protected].

Buy a gift subscription online

How to redeem a gift subscription

To redeem a gift subscription, you’ll need to have a BFI Player account.

Once you’ve signed in, you can enter your gift code in the 'Redeem gift code' field.

How do I contact BFI Player?

If you’re having problems watching a film or with your BFI Player account, please use this support link. A blue pop up button will appear at the bottom of the screen.

 

For non urgent queries you can email the team at [email protected] 

 

If you have a query about Britain on Film material, please follow the links below:

FAQs about BFI archive collections

Footage sales and bookings 

You can also contact the specific archive if it is listed on the individual film on the 'About the archive' tab.