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Backed by BFI

Internationally acclaimed films, with success at the box office, festivals and awards ceremonies, 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. Championing powerful debuts as well as established filmmakers, this collection illustrates 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.

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GirlGirl

Drama202287 minsDirector: Adura Onashile

Le’Shantey Bonsu gives a stunning performance as a young girl deeply connected to her mother (Déborah Lukumuena) in Adura Onashile’s tender drama.

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ScrapperScrapper

Comedy202390 minsDirector: Charlotte Regan

A gorgeous and colourful heart-warming gem from Charlotte Regan, one of the best new voices in British film.

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Pretty Red DressPretty Red Dress

Drama2022110 minsDirector: Dionne Edwards

One dress changes everything for a family in Dionne Edwards’ brilliant debut. Defiant, uplifting and with music at its core.

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Sky PealsSky Peals

Science Fiction202391 minsDirector: Moin Hussain

A coming-of-age tale about a father-son relationship that might just be out of this world.

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BeastBeast

Drama2018106 minsDirector: Michael Pearce

The hunt for a Jersey serial killer sparks a dangerous awakening in a young woman (Jessie Buckley, in her feature debut) in this astonishing psycho-sexual thriller, which sets all the senses aflame.

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Young Soul RebelsYoung Soul Rebels

Drama1991105 minsDirector: Isaac Julien

The Queen's Silver Jubilee beats to the sounds of Funkadelic, Sylvester and the O'Jays in Isaac Julien’s feature debut.

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SCALA!!!SCALA!!!

Documentary202396 minsDirector: Jane Giles and Ali Catterall

Engrossing tribute to London’s legendary Scala cinema, aptly subtitled: Or, the incredibly strange rise and fall of the world’s wildest cinema and how it influenced a mixed-up generation of weirdos and misfits.

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Name Me LawandName Me Lawand

Documentary202290 minsDirector: Edward Lovelace

Edward Lovelace explores the power of communication and community with this rapturous portrait of a young deaf Kurdish boy.

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The SouvenirThe Souvenir

Drama2018120 minsDirector: Joanna Hogg

Sight and Sound's 2019 film of the year is the compelling, semi-autobiographical drama from acclaimed writer-director Joanna Hogg.

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LondonLondon

Animation & Artists Moving Image199485 minsDirector: Patrick Keiller

The first in Patrick Keiller’s highly imaginative trilogy of films is a photographic trip through London, recounted by our unseen narrator.

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The ArborThe Arbor

Biopic201090 minsDirector: Clio Barnard

Clio Barnard's film about Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar mixes reconstruction, interviews (performed by actors) and scenes from the plays.

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The Duke of BurgundyThe Duke of Burgundy

Drama2015104 minsDirector: Peter Strickland

Peter Strickland’s visually and aurally intoxicating tale of sadomasochistic power-play is a daringly erotic sensory feast.

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Burning an IllusionBurning an Illusion

Drama1982102 minsDirector: Menelik Shabazz

Menelik Shabazz’s pioneering first feature traces the emotional and political growth of a young black couple in Thatcher’s London.

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Postcards from LondonPostcards from London

Drama201889 minsDirector: Steve McLean

A stylish, sensuous film about a young man’s journey into an unusual form of escort work.

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The FallingThe Falling

Drama2015102 minsDirector: Carol Morley

Florence Pugh's first film teams her with Maisie Williams as teenage friends at a school cursed by mystery sickness.

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Fish TankFish Tank

Drama2009118 minsDirector: Andrea Arnold

Andrea Arnold's BAFTA winner and coming-of-age story starring newcomer Katie Jarvis as disaffected teen Mia and Michael Fassbender in one of his earliest film roles.

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Red RoadRed Road

Thriller2006110 minsDirector: Andrea Arnold

Andrea Arnold’s highly acclaimed film, winner of top prizes at Cannes and the BFI London Film Festival, is a haunting drama about a woman confronting past demons.

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PressurePressure

Drama1978121 minsDirector: Horace Ové

Hailed as Britain's first black feature film, Pressure is a hard-hitting, honest document of the plight of disenchanted black youths in 1970s London; now available in its new restoration.

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ApostasyApostasy

Drama201895 minsDirector: Dan Kokotajlo

A deeply religious family must decide whether to stick by their relation or abandon her, in this striking debut from Daniel Kokotajlo - a prizewinner at BFI London Film Festival 2017

More Backed by BFI: Features in our Rentals collection