Mandeep Kaur-Lakhan

Nov 14, 2023 | bfi.org.uk | Bruno Savill De Jong |Becca Voelcker |Mandeep Kaur-Lakhan |Kenneth Tynan

Alfred Hitchcock once said “the beauty of a matte shot is that you can become God.” Hollywood extravagance is often associated with elaborate sets and huge locations. But the humble matte painting could transport filmmakers anywhere, be it a banal city skyline or impossible alien planet.

Nov 8, 2023 | bfi.org.uk | Mandeep Kaur-Lakhan |Kenneth Tynan |Ian Christie |Clive Nwonka

In the 75th year of the National Health Service, BFI assistant curator Mandeep Kaur-Lakhan looks at how shows from General Hospital to Casualty have helped to take the pulse of the nation. While the first NHS hospital was opened by Aneurin Bevan in Greater Manchester in 1948, it wasn’t until 1957 that audiences were first admitted on to the fictional wards of the hospital soap.

Nov 6, 2023 | bfi.org.uk | Ian Christie |Becca Voelcker |Mandeep Kaur-Lakhan |Kenneth Tynan

Was it the scandal of Peeping Tom’s critical reception that put an end to Michael Powell’s career as a major filmmaker? Judging by how often this is repeated, it’s widely believed as a convenient explanation for why one of Britain’s great filmmakers produced so little of substance after 1960, while his near contemporary, and former editor, David Lean was reaching the climax of his career.

Sep 4, 2023 | bfi.org.uk | Michael Brooke |Mandeep Kaur-Lakhan |Kenneth Tynan |Ian Christie

Although a comparatively late starter when it came to film (he’d trained as a dancer and worked as a successful photographer before turning to amateur filmmaking on the cusp of his thirties), Ken Russell more than made up for lost time, and his massive, sprawling 50-year film and television output offers a daunting challenge to newcomers trying to hack a coherent path through such a florid thicket.