Rentals

Backed by BFI - Features

Internationally acclaimed creators, with success at festivals and the box office, the BFI is proud to support the breathtaking range of the UK’s filmmaking talent.

The BFI has supported some of the most original and distinguished British films in recent years. Powerful debuts by the likes of Clio Barnard, Tom Shkolnik and Matt Carter tell incisive stories about modern Britain, while established filmmakers like Fernando Meirelles and Michael Winterbottom have taken their ambitious visions to the global stage. Works from filmmakers with new perspectives, such as Amma Asante, Marley Morrison and Hong Khaou illustrate the richly diverse range of British stories to be told.

This collection also includes films supported through the BFI Production Board which predated the introduction of the National Lottery.

Read more Close
Rent for £3.50

The Souvenir Part IIThe Souvenir Part II

Drama2020107 minsDirector: Joanna Hogg

The second chapter of Joanna Hogg’s semi-autobiographical masterpiece and winner of Sight and Sound's 'Best Films of 2021' poll.

Rent for £3.50

True ThingsTrue Things

Drama2021102 minsDirector: Harry Wootliff

Ruth Wilson is at her best in this compelling drama about a lonely woman whose life is changed by Tom Burke, the dangerous stranger who offers something different.

Rent for £3.50

WildfireWildfire

Drama202084 minsDirector: Cathy Brady

Sisterly bonds are pushed to breaking point in this simmering drama set on the Irish border, the debut feature from acclaimed shorts director Cathy Brady.

Rent for £3.50

High-RiseHigh-Rise

Science Fiction2016119 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley

Ben Wheatley's savage and brilliant adaptation of JG Ballard's dystopian satire, starring Tom Hiddleston.

Rent for £3.50

Kill ListKill List

Crime201192 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley

Ben Wheatley’s ultra-violent second feature, invoking both The Wicker Man and Apocalypse Now.

Rent for £3.50

Attack the BlockAttack the Block

Crime201188 minsDirector: Joe Cornish

Aliens wage war on a tower block after one of their number is bludgeoned by a street gang in this witty, action-packed feature debut by Joe Cornish.

Rent for £3.50

360360

Drama2012110 minsDirector: Fernando Meirelles

Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Anthony Hopkins lead an ensemble cast in a sleek thriller exploring the way our lives interconnect across the world.

Rent for £3.50

Bend it Like BeckhamBend it Like Beckham

Sport2002112 minsDirector: Gurinder Chadha

Gurinder Chadha’s smash hit about an Asian girl with an undying love for football.

Rent for £3.50

'71'71

Thriller201499 minsDirector: Yann Demange

A young British squaddie is caught behind enemy lines in bomb-torn Belfast, in Yann Demange’s riveting suspense thriller.

Rent for £3.50

45 Years45 Years

Drama201595 minsDirector: Andrew Haigh

One of the most acclaimed British features of recent years, starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay as a couple rocked by news from the past.

Rent for £3.50

BrakesBrakes

Comedy201785 minsDirector: Mercedes Grower

Breakups have never been funnier, as Mercedes Grower's all-star, ensemble comedy charts the end of various affairs. With Julian Barratt, Steve Oram, Julia Davis and Noel Fielding.

Rent for £3.50

BrooklynBrooklyn

Romance2015112 minsDirector: John Crowley

Saoirse Ronan shines as a woman who journeys from post-war small-town Ireland to New York, in Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s best-selling novel.

Rent for £3.50

BrokenBroken

Drama201391 minsDirector: Rufus Norris

A compelling drama of splintered families and warring neighbours, with a stunning debut from young Eloise Laurence. With Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy.

Rent for £3.50

Bunny & the BullBunny & the Bull

Comedy200997 minsDirector: Paul King

Anarchic comedy from the director of Paddington and The Mighty Boosh, following an odd-couple’s wild European adventure.

Rent for £3.50

Trap for CinderellaTrap for Cinderella

Drama2013100 minsDirector: Iain Softley

Emilia Fox delves into Tuppence Middleton’s repressed childhood memories, in Iain Softley’s erotic and elaborate psycho-thriller.

Rent for £3.50

Testament of YouthTestament of Youth

Drama2015130 minsDirector: James Kent

Alicia Vikander brings to life the extraordinary life of Vera Brittain, whose affair with a dashing friend (Kit Harington) is cruelly cut short by the onset of war.

Rent for £3.50

The ComedianThe Comedian

Drama201379 minsDirector: Tom Shkolnik

Touching drama about a thirtysomething comedian looking for happiness.

Rent for £2.50

SweetheartSweetheart

Comedy2021103 minsDirector: Marley Morrison

AJ discovers it’s not so bad being on a family holiday when she meets flirtatious lifeguard Isla in this smart and funny first feature

Rent for £3.50

Dark RiverDark River

Drama201889 minsDirector: Clio Barnard

Clio Barnard follows The Selfish Giant and The Arbor with this searing and eloquent Yorkshire-set drama exploring the fragility of familial relationships.

Rent for £3.50

Death Defying ActsDeath Defying Acts

Drama200893 minsDirector: Gillian Armstrong

The great illusionist Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce) meets his match when the charming and manipulative Mary McGarvie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) magically appears in his life.

Rent for £3.50

The Deep Blue SeaThe Deep Blue Sea

Drama201199 minsDirector: Terence Davies

Buried passions boil over in a buttoned-up postwar Britain in Terence Davies acclaimed adaptation of Rattigan's play, starring Rachel Weisz.

Rent for £3.50

DepartureDeparture

Drama2016108 minsDirector: Andrew Steggall

Andrew Steggall’s deft and delicate drama about a teenage dreamer who falls for the rough beauty of a local boy while staying in France.

Rent for £3.50

BeatsBeats

Drama2018101 minsDirector: Brian Welsh

Best mates Johnno and Spanner head out for one last night of raving together before Johnno’s family move away, in this bittersweet coming-of-age ode to '90s subculture.

Rent for £3.50

Early ManEarly Man

Animation & Artists Moving Image201889 minsDirector: Nick Park

In Aardman’s latest animated adventure, Caveman Dug and his pet hog, Hognog, must unite their tribe if they're are to survive the threat of pompous tyrant Lord Nooth.

Rent for £3.50

The DoubleThe Double

Drama201493 minsDirector: Richard Ayoade

Richard Ayoade’s stylish and sinister adaptation of Dostoevsky’s story stars Jesse Eisenberg in a dual-role as a timid office clerk confronted by his confident, scheming doppelganger.

Rent for £3.50

An Evening with Beverly Luff LinnAn Evening with Beverly Luff Linn

Comedy2018108 minsDirector: Jim Hosking

Lulu Danger's (Aubrey Plaza) unsatisfying marriage takes a turn for the worse when a former lover comes to town in this strange and surreal comedy.

Rent for £3.50

Fanny Lye Deliver'dFanny Lye Deliver'd

Drama2020112 minsDirector: Thomas Clay

The wife of a puritanical farmer seems resigned to her lot, until she has her head turned by the arrival of a young couple in Thomas Clay’s provocative period drama.

Rent for £3.50

Fast GirlsFast Girls

Sport201291 minsDirector: Regan Hall

The four young runners on the Team GB women's relay team battle to overcome rivalries and personal demons in time for the World Athletics Championship.

Rent for £3.50

The FightThe Fight

Drama201991 minsDirector: Jessica Hynes

Jessica Hynes’ directorial debut is a life-affirming lesson in the importance of learning to stand up for yourself.

Rent for £3.50

You Were Never Really HereYou Were Never Really Here

Thriller201790 minsDirector: Lynne Ramsay

Lynne Ramsay journeys with Joaquin Phoenix into the mind of an ex-soldier gun-for-hire whose own demons are as brutal as the actions of his adversaries.

Rent for £3.50

FrankFrank

Comedy201495 minsDirector: Lenny Abrahamson

Michael Fassbender is the man inside the papier-mâché head, in this fictionalised reimagining of the story of northern entertainer Frank Sidebottom.

Rent for £3.50

YardieYardie

Crime2018102 minsDirector: Idris Elba

In his thrilling directorial debut, Idris Elba brings to life Victor Headley’s cult crime novel.

Rent for £3.50

Free FireFree Fire

Action and Adventure201790 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley

Ben Wheatley’s (High-Rise, Sightseers) all-guns-blazing bullet opera, starring Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy and Armie Hammer.

Rent for £3.50

Friendship's DeathFriendship's Death

Science Fiction198772 minsDirector: Peter Wollen

Tilda Swinton plays an extra-terrestrial android discussing life’s big questions with a British war correspondent in this unique sci-fi by influential film theorist Peter Wollen.

Rent for £3.50

God's Own CountryGod's Own Country

Drama2017105 minsDirector: Francis Lee

A troubled young sheep farmer falls for a hired hand in this stunning debut from Francis Lee.

Rent for £3.50

The Greasy StranglerThe Greasy Strangler

Comedy201693 minsDirector: Jim Hosking

A father-son love triangle unleashes the unstoppable urges of the Greasy Strangler, in this gloriously deranged hybrid of gross-out comedy and gonzo horror.

Rent for £3.50

Great ExpectationsGreat Expectations

Drama2012129 minsDirector: Mike Newell

Pip, a poor blacksmith's apprentice, becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor. A BAFTA-nominated telling of the Dickens' classic.

Rent for £3.50

The GuardThe Guard

Comedy201192 minsDirector: John Michael McDonagh

Brendan Gleeson plays the Garda sergeant reluctantly pitted on the trail of a major drug-smuggling ring, in John Michael McDonagh’s wild comedy.

Rent for £3.50

Ginger & RosaGinger & Rosa

Drama201290 minsDirector: Sally Potter

Teenage friendship is torn apart when Rosa finds love in the wrong place, in Sally Potter's acute, 60s-set drama.

Rent for £3.50

Harry BrownHarry Brown

Crime2009103 minsDirector: Daniel Barber

Michael Caine’s storming return to an action role finds him as a retired marine confronting local hoodlums on his housing estate.

Rent for £3.50

High LifeHigh Life

Science Fiction2019113 minsDirector: Claire Denis

The messiness of sex, the mysteries of birth and the moving spectacle of devoted parenting in the face of impending oblivion create a potent atmosphere in Claire Denis’ English-language debut.

Rent for £3.50

The Invisible WomanThe Invisible Woman

Biopic2014111 minsDirector: Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this adaptation of Claire Tomalin’s book about the long-standing affair between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan.

Rent for £3.50

JourneymanJourneyman

Drama201892 minsDirector: Paddy Considine

Paddy Considine directs and stars with Jodie Whittaker in this emotional knockout - the story of a boxer rebuilding his life after a near-fatal injury.

Rent for £3.50

The ViolatorsThe Violators

Drama201696 minsDirector: Helen Walsh

In this spiky and stylish debut from novelist Helen Walsh, two girls from different backgrounds form an unlikely bond, setting off on a dangerous course.

Rent for £3.50

Where Hands TouchWhere Hands Touch

Drama2017122 minsDirector: Amma Asante

Amma Asante (Belle, A United Kingdom) presents this rites-of-passage story of a bi-racial teen struggling for survival in Nazi Germany.

Rent for £3.50

We Need to Talk About KevinWe Need to Talk About Kevin

Drama2011112 minsDirector: Lynne Ramsay

Tilda Swinton gives a BAFTA-nominated performance as the mother of a teenager who commits a high school massacre. With Ezra Miller and John C. Reilly.

Rent for £3.50

IonaIona

Drama201685 minsDirector: Scott Graham

Scott Graham’s follow-up to Shell follows a woman whose return to a Scottish island arouses dormant passions.

Currently unavailable

BillBill

Comedy201594 minsDirector: Richard Bracewell

The Horrible Histories team’s take on Shakespeare’s ‘lost years’, following the hopeless lute player as he leaves his home to follow his dream.

Rent for £3.50

The LighthouseThe Lighthouse

Drama2015102 minsDirector: Chris Crow

Based on a true story, Chris Crow’s atmospheric chamber piece follows the dark and dire fortunes of two men trapped on a lighthouse for months on end.

Rent for £3.50

Vera DrakeVera Drake

Drama2005120 minsDirector: Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh’s acclaimed story of a selfless woman who performs unlawful abortions in 1950s Britain; both an affecting drama and vital social history.

Rent for £3.50

LiltingLilting

Drama201486 minsDirector: Hong Khaou

Ben Whishaw stars in an intimate portrait of two strangers brought together by the common language of grief.

Rent for £3.50

The LobsterThe Lobster

Science Fiction2015118 minsDirector: Yorgos Lanthimos

Colin Farrell, Ben Whishaw and Rachel Weisz star in this bleakly hilarious dystopian drama from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth).

Rent for £3.50

Tell It to the BeesTell It to the Bees

Drama2017108 minsDirector: Annabel Jankel

Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger star as two very different women who fall in love in this 1950s-set romantic drama.

Rent for £3.50

London RoadLondon Road

Musical201592 minsDirector: Rufus Norris

Daring, startling and wholly original: a musical based on the infamous Ipswich murders of 2006, adapted by National Theatre director Rufus Norris.

Rent for £2.50

Madagascar SkinMadagascar Skin

Drama199591 minsDirector: Christopher Newby

John Hannah stars as a painfully shy gay man who escapes the city in Chris Newby’s extraordinary second feature.

Rent for £3.50

MindhornMindhorn

Comedy201788 minsDirector: Sean Foley

Julian Barratt is hilarious as the washed-up actor forced to reprise his 80s TV role as a sleuth with a robotic truth-telling eye, to help catch a deranged killer.

Rent for £3.50

MariMari

Drama201895 minsDirector: Georgia Parris

Modern dance is an evocative narrative tool in Georgia Parris’ debut, which investigates a young woman’s identity and the complex relationship she has with her mother and sister.

Rent for £3.50

Under the SkinUnder the Skin

Horror2014108 minsDirector: Jonathan Glazer

An alien Scarlett Johansson prowls the streets of Glasgow in Jonathan Glazer’s astonishing, mind-bending mixture of existential sci-fi and inner-city realism.

Rent for £3.50

Trespass Against UsTrespass Against Us

Crime201799 minsDirector: Adam Smith

Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender are the father and son outlaws in this exhilarating crime drama with a Chemical Brothers soundtrack.

Rent for £3.50

ColetteColette

Biopic2019112 minsDirector: Wash Westmoreland

This witty, Belle Époque-era biopic stars Keira Knightley and Dominic West as literary couple Colette and Willy, whose relationship rewrote social and gender rules.

Rent for £3.50

NorfolkNorfolk

Drama201683 minsDirector: Martin Radich

A father and son dwelling in a remote wasteland wage a war against a gang of local revolutionaries, in Martin Radich’s unsettling rural drama.

Rent for £3.50

TyrannosaurTyrannosaur

Drama201192 minsDirector: Paddy Considine

Paddy Considine’s powerful feature debut, featuring astonishingly strong performances from Olivia Colman and Peter Mullan.

Rent for £3.50

Perfect 10Perfect 10

Drama201984 minsDirector: Eva Riley

An aspiring teen gymnast’s world is turned upside down with the arrival of the half-brother she never knew she had.

Rent for £3.50

PossumPossum

Horror201885 minsDirector: Matthew Holness

"Can you spy him deep within? Little Possum. Black as sin." The reliably deranged Sean Harris is plagued by an evil puppet in this dark, brooding fable from Matthew Holness.

Rent for £3.50

TravellerTraveller

Drama198181 minsDirector: Joe Comerford

Reluctant newlywed travellers Angela and Michael try to smuggle goods across the border in this lyrical Irish road movie written by Neil Jordan.

Rent for £3.50

Queen and CountryQueen and Country

Comedy2015115 minsDirector: John Boorman

John Boorman’s follow up to Hope and Glory finds 18-year-old Bill called up for National Service against the backdrop of the Korean War.

Rent for £3.50

8 Minutes Idle8 Minutes Idle

Comedy201286 minsDirector: Mark Simon Hewis

Quirky British call-centre comedy about a man whose life is disrupted when he has to start living in his office.

Rent for £3.50

Donkey PunchDonkey Punch

Thriller200895 minsDirector: Olly Blackburn

Nichola Burley and Jamie Winstone star in the yacht-set shocker, in which a teen sex party turns into a deadly fight for survival.

Rent for £3.50

RemainderRemainder

Drama2016103 minsDirector: Omer Fast

Omer Fast’s gripping puzzle-box thriller about an amnesiac reconstructing his elusive past.

Rent for £3.50

Two for JoyTwo for Joy

Drama201890 minsDirector: Tom Beard

A visceral, moving exploration of one British family's life following a tragedy, starring Samantha Morton, Daniel Mays and Billie Piper.

Rent for £3.50

The Selfish GiantThe Selfish Giant

Drama201391 minsDirector: Clio Barnard

Two Yorkshire tearaways struggle with life and friendship in this challenging, compassionate growing-up tale by the director of The Arbor.

Rent for £3.50

Slow WestSlow West

Western201584 minsDirector: John Maclean

A teenage boy treks through a harsh American west accompanied by a bounty hunter of dubious morality, in this indie western that’s dripped with blood and drenched in style.

Rent for £3.50

SightseersSightseers

Comedy201288 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley

Young lovers Chris and Tina turn their first holiday together into a rural killing spree in Ben Wheatley's priceless black comedy.

Rent for £3.50

The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not BrothersThe Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers

Animation & Artists Moving Image201695 minsDirector: Ben Rivers

Britain’s brilliant experimental filmmaker Ben Rivers (Two Years at Sea) presents this haunting desert parable which follows a filmmaker’s abduction and ritual humiliation.

Rent for £3.50

TrishnaTrishna

Drama2012114 minsDirector: Michael Winterbottom

Tragedy befalls a young Indian woman when she falls in love with a rich British man in Michael Winterbottom's sharp Thomas Hardy update.

Rent for £3.50

SpaceshipSpaceship

Comedy201790 minsDirector: Alex Taylor

British teen cinema gets an injection of hallucinogenic imagination, plus a few unicorns and aliens, in Alex Taylor’s unclassifiable debut feature.

Rent for £3.50

StreetdanceStreetdance

Musical201098 minsDirector: Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini

A streetdance crew are forced to take in some ballet dancers in order to compete at their UK finals. With performances by Diversity and Flawless.

Rent for £3.50

SubmarineSubmarine

Comedy201197 minsDirector: Richard Ayoade

Richard Ayoade’s sweet and quirky directorial debut about a Swansea teen’s travails with his distant girlfriend and warring parents.

Rent for £2.50

3 Steps to Heaven3 Steps to Heaven

Drama199587 minsDirector: Constantine Giannaris

Edgy mixture of black comedy and urban drama about a woman uncovering the hidden truths about her dead lover.

More Backed by BFI in our subscription collection.