It is an exciting time to live in South London when the BFI's (British Film Institute) London Film Festival comes around.
At the London Film Festival, there are a host of red-carpet galas to dazzle us, but there are also a range of free events to explore. This year’s London Film Festival started on the 5th and goes to 16th of October, with a range of film available on BFI Player from 14-23 October as well. In these two weeks, stars, fans and critics alike will gather while BFI screens over 300 films, documentaries and shorts from ~50 countries, right here in London.
This festival was launched back in 1957 at South Bank, one day after Princess Margaret opened the British Film Institute’s South Bank Cinema. It became a celebration of homegrown and international film, new talent and the world’s most renowned filmmakers, and a hugely diverse range of themes.
Becoming a centre of film and art culture
The area that would become South Bank needed significant restoration after the trials of WWI and WWII, and the Festival of Britain in 1951 was a pivotal event to help revitalise it as the centre of art and entertainment in the Capital. Now, South Bank is home to the National Theatre, Hayward Gallery, London Aquarium, London Eye, Oxo Tower and more London landmarks. The National Film Theatre, which is now the BFI South Bank Cinema was introduced following the Festival of Britain. The BFI National Archive, one of the largest collections of film and TV in the world is also in South Bank.
Film History made in South Bank
There are so many film classics that have made waves at London Film Festival throughout the years - Roman Polanski's Knife in the Water (1962), David Lynch's The Grandmother (1970), Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986), Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days (1995), Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland (2006), Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette (2015)...65 years of film history has been made on the bank of the Thames, thanks to this festival:
- The first ever film screened the London Film Festival was legendary director, Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957).
- The first award at the London Film Festival was for Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story (1958), winner of the inaugural Sutherland Award.
- The first British film screened at the London Film Festival was Karel Reisz’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960).
- Three films, in 1967 became the first screened by the London Film Festivals by female directors: Shirley Clarke’s Portrait of Jason, Agnès Varda’s Les Créatures and Vera Chytilová’s Daisies.
- Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) was the first that only members could attend, as this terrifying independent horror film did not meet classification guidelines.
Great locations with access to South Bank
South Bank is in the borough of Lambeth, which features in our Cheapest Areas to Rent by London Region article. With easy access to Waterloo Station, South Bank has a big appeal if you're thinking of living near South London stations like Twickenham, as we describe in Moving London: Let’s find you a rental, “If someone loves exploring Central London but needs a cheaper option, they might actually benefit in moving from their £634 per week rental in Islington to a £435 per week rental in Surbiton or Twickenham (based on Foxtons average rental prices), where a train can get them to the well-connected Waterloo Station in 20 minutes.”
Get in touch with your local Foxtons office to learn more about South London property, and explore property to let near South Bank and properties for sale near South Bank.
