Bowie at the BFI!

BFI Southbank kick off 2021 with a month-long season celebrating David Bowie on screen.

   Screenings of films, television work, documentaries and concert films at BFI Southbank from 1-30 January.

Also includes an accompanying series of films which inspired Bowie, featuring iconic silent films of the German Expressionist movement, and work by Scorsese, Kubrick and Fassbinder.

Special events programme including a BUG Special hosted by Adam Buxton, with more events (including free online events on BFI YouTube) to be announced soon.

Rarities from the BFI National Archive on the big screen and in a free Mediatheque collection.

BFI Southbank will kick off 2021 with BOWIE: STARMAN AND THE SILVER SCREEN, a month-long season celebrating actor and performer David Bowie, 5 years since his death. Running from 1-30 January, the season’s mixture of feature films, television and documentaries will show that, whether a bit-part, starring role, or being just himself, David Bowie was always magnetic on screen. Films screening in the season will include THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (Nicolas Roeg, 1976), MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE (Nagisa Ôshima, 1983) CHRISTIANE F. (Uli Edel, 1981), THE HUNGER (Tony Scott, 1983) and LABYRINTH (Jim Henson, 1986), while documentaries, concert films and TV work will include ZIGGY STARDUST & THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (DA Pennebaker, 1979), BAAL (Alan Clarke, 1982), BOWIE AT GLASTONBURY 2000 (BBC, 2000) and a collection of rare TV material from the BFI National Archive.

As a composer, innovator and concept artist, Bowie’s fascination for film fed an insatiable creative drive which the season will also explore, via a selection of titles that influenced him. HOOKED TO THE SILVER SCREEN: BOWIE AT THE MOVIES will feature a range of titles, from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) and THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (Robert Wiene, 1920) to QUERELLE (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982) and TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese, 1976). The season will also include special events at BFI Southbank and online via BFI YouTube; a highlight of the events programme will be the return of BUG with comedian Adam Buxton on what would have been Bowie’s 74th birthday – 8 January. Bowie’s engagement with film, theatre and design forged his high-concept approach to pop stardom and supercharged the evolution of music video; BUG Special: David Bowie will be a fan’s journey through the career of an artist whose influence on modern popular culture will continue to be felt for decades, featuring music videos, rare clips, animation and comedy. The full online events programme will be announced soon.

Some key Bowie titles, including THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (Nicolas Roeg, 1976) and THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (Martin Scorsese, 1988), and a number of the films from HOOKED TO THE SILVER SCREEN series will also be available for audiences across the UK to watch on BFI Player throughout January as well. It can be hard to look beyond Bowie ‘the star’ to appreciate the characters he portrayed, but five years on from his passing, Bowie’s star still sparkles brightly.

For more treasures from the BFI National Archive, audiences need look no further that BFI Southbank’s Mediatheque, bookable in advance and free to use. The Mediatheque’s DAVID BOWIE ON TV collection include a rendition of ‘Heroes’ on a 1977 edition of Marc Bolan’s eponymous Granada TV show, while the ‘Ashes to Ashes’ video gets an airing in MOON DOGS MATINEE (1981). Documentaries include DAVID BOWIE AND THE STORY OF ZIGGY STARDUST (2012), featuring Marc Almond and Elton John among the interviewees and QUEER AS POP (2013), looking at Bowie’s influence on gay liberation.

Full Listings For The David Bowie Season:

The Man Who Fell to Earth
UK 1976. Dir Nicolas Roeg. With David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark. 139min. Digital 4K. 18
Also available on BFI Player
SAT 9 JAN 17:00 NFT1 / TUE 19 JAN 14:30 NFT1 / TUE 26 JAN 17:40 NFT1 

Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
UK 1979. Dir DA Pennebaker. 90min. Digital. 12A. Courtesy of DCD Rights Ltd and Jones Music / Mainman 1973
SUN 10 JAN 14:45 NFT1 / TUE 26 JAN 20:35 NFT2

 Cracked Actor
Omnibus. BBC 1975. Dir Alan Yentob. 53min
+ Oddities
A curated selection of television materials featuring David Bowie, held by the BFI National Archive.
SAT 9 JAN 14:45 NFT2 

Christiane F. Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo
Germany 1981. Dir Uli Edel. With Natja Brunckhorst, Thomas Haustein, Jens Kuphal, David Bowie. 131min. Digital. EST. 18
SAT 16 JAN 20:30 NFT3 / MON 25 JAN 17:40 NFT2 

The Hunger
UK-USA 1983. Dir Tony Scott. With Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Cliff De Young. 97min. Digital. 18
THU 14 JAN 18:00 NFT3 / FRI 15 JAN 21:00 NFT1 

Baal
UK 1982. Dir Alan Clarke. With David Bowie, Robert Austin, Jonathan Kent. 62min. 15
+ Pierrot in Turquoise or The Looking Glass Murders
UK 1970. Dir Brian Mahoney. With David Bowie, Lindsay Kemp, Jack Birkett. 25min
SAT 9 JAN 12:15 NFT2 

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
UK-Japan-New Zealand 1983. Dir Nagisa Oshima. With David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano. 123min. Digital 4K. 15
SUN 10 JAN 18:00 NFT2 / THU 21 JAN 20:30 NFT3 / THU 28 JAN 14:40 NFT3 

Absolute Beginners
UK 1986. Dir Julien Temple. With Eddie O’Connell, Patsy Kensit, David Bowie, James Fox. 108min. Digital. 12A
SAT 2 JAN 17:30 NFT2 / MON 11 JAN 17:45 NFT3  

Labyrinth
UK-USA 1986. Dir Jim Henson. With David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Brain Henson, Toby Froud. 101min. Digital 4K. U
SUN 10 JAN 12:00 NFT1 / FRI 22 JAN 17:45 NFT3  

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
France-USA 1992. Dir David Lynch. With Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Kyle MacLachlan, Chris Issak, David Bowie, Harry Dean Stanton. 134min. Digital 4K. 18
SAT 9 JAN 20:20 NFT1 / FRI 29 JAN 20:25 NFT2  

Basquiat
USA 1996. Dir Julian Schnabel. With Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, David Bowie. 107min 35mm 15
WED 13 JAN 20:50 NFT2 / SUN 24 JAN 18:20 NFT2

 The Prestige
UK-USA 2006. Dir Christopher Nolan. With Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Rebecca Hall, Michael Caine, David Bowie. 130min 35mm 12A
SUN 3 JAN 14:40 NFT2 / FRI 22 JAN 20:30 NFT3  

Bowie at Glastonbury 2000
BBC 2000. Dir Janet Fraser Crook. 115min
SAT 23 JAN 20:45 NFT1

 BUG Special: David Bowie
TRT 170min
Tickets £20, concs £16 (Members pay £2 less)

FRI 8 JAN 18:00 NFT1 / FRI 8 JAN 20:50 NFT1

HOOKED TO THE SILVER SCREEN: BOWIE AT THE MOVIES

A selection of titles that influenced the eclectic artist:

2001: A Space Odyssey
UK-USA 1968. Dir Stanley Kubrick. With Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester. 149min. Digital. U
Also available on BFI Player
FRI 1 JAN 13:30 NFT1 / FRI 8 JAN 13:15 NFT1 / WED 20 JAN 20:15 NFT1 / WED 27 JAN 17:30 NFT1 / SAT 30 JAN 14:50 NFT1 

A Clockwork Orange
UK-USA 1971. Dir Stanley Kubrick. With Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke. 136min. Digital. 18
Also available on BFI Player
MON 4 JAN 14:00 NFT2 / TUE 12 JAN 20:25 NFT1 / MON 25 JAN 20:25 NFT1 

Metropolis
Germany 1927. Dir Fritz Lang. With Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich. 149min. Digital. EST. U. With recorded score
Also available on BFI Player
SUN 3 JAN 12:15 NFT1 / WED 6 JAN 14:00 NFT1 / WED 27 JAN 13:45 NFT1 

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
Germany 1920. Dir Robert Wiene. With Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover. 77min. Digital. EST. U. With recorded score
Also available on BFI Player
+ Un Chien andalou
France 1929. Dir Luis Buñuel. With Simone Mareuil, Pierre Batcheff, Salvador Dalí, Luis Buñuel. 16min. 15
SAT 16 JAN 12:00 NFT2 / THU 21 JAN 18:00 NFT1

 Querelle
France-West Germany 1982. Dir Rainer Werner Fassbinder. With Brad Davis, Franco Nero, Jeanne Moreau, Laurent Malet. 108min. Digital. 18
+ Un Chant D’Amour
France 1950. Dir Jean Genet. 26min. EST. 18
SUN 24 JAN 12:20 NFT2 / THU 28 JAN 20:25 NFT2  

Taxi Driver
USA 1976. Dir Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd. 114min. Digital. 18
THU 7 JAN 20:45 NFT2 / TUE 19 JAN 20:45 NFT1 / MON 25 JAN 14:30 NFT2

Tickets for BOWIE: STARMAN AND THE SILVER SCREEN will go on sale to BFI Patrons and Champions on 14 December, BFI Members on 15 December and to the general public on 17 December. Audience members aged 25 and Under can sign up and take advantage of £3 tickets to any film in the season, available to book in advance or on the day of the screening.


❉ News source: Liz Parkinson – PR Manager, BFI Cultural Programme

❉ We Are Cult is not responsible for the content of this news release.

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