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Flipside - Cult British Cinema
With films from the BFI's Flipside collection - and beyond - we cherish those British films that have fallen through the cracks.
With cult favourites from the BFI’s Flipside DVD label – and more besides - the collection delves into British cinema's dark and strange underbelly; making a fresh case to revist the overlooked, the sidelined and the undervalued.
Deep EndDeep End
Drama197092 minsDirector: Jerzy Skolimowski
Jerzy Skolimowski’s darkly comic and utterly compelling story of teenage infatuation in a run-down swimming pool.
The AppointmentThe Appointment
Horror198189 minsDirector: Lindsey C. Vickers
An evil and enigmatic entity throws a family into turmoil in Lindsey C. Vickers' much sought-after cult horror.
Requiem for a VillageRequiem for a Village
Animation & Artists Moving Image197568 minsDirector: David Gladwell
The idyllic, pastoral past of a Suffolk village is reborn through memory in this extraordinary, little-known film from director David Gladwell.
Radio OnRadio On
Road movie1979100 minsDirector: Chris Petit
Chris Petit's cult classic is one of the most striking feature debuts in British cinema – a haunting blend of edgy mystery story and existential road movie.
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.
Oss Oss Wee OssOss Oss Wee Oss
Performance195317 minsDirector: Alan Lomax
A short playful film about the famous May Day ceremony of Padstow, a fishing village in Cornwall.
The Blood on Satan's ClawThe Blood on Satan's Claw
Horror197196 minsDirector: Piers Haggard
Depraved sexual practices and satanic violence envelop a remote country village in this exciting period horror.
Visions of EcstasyVisions of Ecstasy
Drama198920 minsDirector: Nigel Wingrove
Nigel Wingrove's experimental depiction of the erotic imaginings of the 16th Century Carmelite nun remains the only film ever to banned under Britain's blasphemy laws.
Haunters of the DeepHaunters of the Deep
Children's198461 minsDirector: Andrew Bogle
A ghostly boy returns from the grave to warn against reopening 'The Devil's Mine' in this spooky drama.
The Passion of RemembranceThe Passion of Remembrance
Animation & Artists Moving Image198683 minsDirector: Maureen Blackwood and Isaac Julien
In this London-set drama, the Baptiste family are caught in intergenerational debates reflecting Black viewpoints on life in Britain.
The Last of EnglandThe Last of England
Animation & Artists Moving Image198791 minsDirector: Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman's passionate and poetic lament on the rise of Thatcherism and corporate dealings.
GallivantGallivant
Animation & Artists Moving Image1997100 minsDirector: Andrew Kötting
Andrew Kötting takes a terrific, twisting coastal tour of the UK with his family.
Kelly + VictorKelly + Victor
Drama201390 minsDirector: Kieran Evans
In modern Liverpool, a couple meet and begin a transgressive, sexually charged affair set against a background of crime and encroaching danger.
FaceFace
Crime1997101 minsDirector: Antonia Bird
Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone are members of a criminal gang that tears itself apart after a heist goes wrong, in Antonia Bird’s stylish thriller.
Being BlackerBeing Blacker
Documentary201889 minsDirector: Molly Dineen
Molly Dineen’s acclaimed documentary about renowned Brixton-based music producer Blacker Dread.
MoonlightingMoonlighting
Drama198297 minsDirector: Jerzy Skolimowski
When martial law is declared back home, a Polish builder (Jeremy Irons) decides not to tell his colleagues in Jerzy Skolimowski's Cannes-winning drama.
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.
All is VanityAll is Vanity
Fantasy202172 minsDirector: Marcos Mereles
Marcos Mereles’ archly funny, endlessly inventive and reflexive puzzle piece explores a strange disappearance at a hip London fashion shoot.
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the SeaThe Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
Drama1976105 minsDirector: Lewis John Carlino
When an English widow, Anne (Sarah Miles, Ryan’s Daughter) falls in love with a dashing American sailor (singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson), her jealous teenage son goes to horrific lengths to restore the status quo.
Play Me SomethingPlay Me Something
Drama198969 minsDirector: Timothy Neat
Tilda Swinton stars in a playful and ingenious cine-essay on the art of storytelling, from art critic John Berger and filmmaker Timothy Neat.
EarwigEarwig
Fantasy2021114 minsDirector: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
French cinema’s dream weaver Lucile Hadžihalilović returns with a haunting, eerie tale about a child with teeth of ice and her anxious guardian.
The GhoulThe Ghoul
Crime201782 minsDirector: Gareth Tunley
A British indie crime film of great style and ingenuity, executive produced by Ben Wheatley and starring Tom Meeten and Alice Lowe.
Way of the MorrisWay of the Morris
Documentary201064 minsDirector: Tim Plester and Rob Curry
Filmmaker Tim Plester's deeply personal journey to reclaim Morris dancing from national joke to one of England's most ancient and enduring roots traditions.
The FallsThe Falls
Animation & Artists Moving Image1980195 minsDirector: Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway's epic first feature, constructed as an excerpt from an imagined, filmic directory listing everyone affected by VUE – the Violent Unknown Event
Black JoyBlack Joy
Comedy197799 minsDirector: Anthony Simmons
Ben, an innocent immigrant from a remote village in Guyana, arrives in Brixton and falls prey to an assortment of streetwise characters in Anthony Simmons' Palme d’Or nominated comic drama.
Far from the Apple TreeFar from the Apple Tree
Horror201989 minsDirector: Grant McPhee
Grant McPhee’s chilling fairytale horror about a young art student who gets her dream job working for a famous artist.
Under the SkinUnder the Skin
Melodrama199783 minsDirector: Carine Adler
Carine Adler’s sexy and dark debut, starring Samantha Morton in her first major feature film role.
NighthawksNighthawks
Drama1978113 minsDirector: Ron Peck
A schoolteacher juggles everyday life with nights spent cruising for Mr Right in this fascinating landmark in British gay cinema
Ray & LizRay & Liz
Drama2018104 minsDirector: Richard Billingham
In this astonishingly personal film, artist Richard Billingham delves into his Black Country upbringing to recreate visceral family memories and desperate living in Thatcher’s Britain.
The Baby of MâconThe Baby of Mâcon
Period drama1993122 minsDirector: Peter Greenaway
An apparently miraculous birth is exploited by the authorities in medieval France in Greenaway's disturbing film about corruption, starring Julia Ormond and Ralph Fiennes.