BFI Southbank — Local services in London

Shabby and worn out, the screens here are terrible, as is their snobby clientele. I have been here on numerous occasions, for special screenings or film seasons. One time, I was there with a friend and we had purchased crisps from the foyer, which we were allowed to take in. The film hadn’t started yet, and a woman, with a young boy, sat next to me. She told me “excuse me, but you can’t eat in here during the screening”. I wasn’t eating, and hadn’t even opened the packet of crisps. I had purchased it to consume after the screening ended because I know people attending BFI screenings don’t eat during the film. Even so, I politely reminded her that the programmes had not started and was not going to for at least another 20 minutes, and plenty of people there have refreshments before the lights go out. The funny thing was that during the movie’s intermission, the lady went out with the child, and they came back in, and ate crisps. Looks like this snobby person just wanted to make sure I did not break the sanctity of the NFT by eating, assuming I had not been there before. When I am at the BFI I don’t eat anything when the lights go down, but the general rule to not eat popcorn during the screening is very daft anyway. Eating popcorn and refreshments during a film is part of the enjoyment of seeing films, and is also part of the cinema-going experience. I love having some popcorn when I watch movies. It is not like the films being viewed are so sacred that munching popcorn would be disrespectful to the art form, or even the audience. Most people who go to the cinema are used to hearing people eat popcorn so I doubt it would bother them. The BFI should get over itself.

Anyway, apart from that, most of the screens are small, and the theatres, in spite of refurbishments still have a very run down look about them, and hardly seem equipped to celebrate cinema. NFT1 is the only half decent screen there, and even that is just about good enough. NFT3 is a tiny theatre with a screen that barely provides a better experience than a decent tv. The BFI/NFT sounds better than it is, and the whole experience of being there is extremely underwhelming due to the outdated design of the buildings, small screens and poor use of floor space. The location by the Southbank is quite good, but the BFI buildings are a hideous eyesore. They should close for a period, tear down the old sites, and rebuild it from scratch, but this time with a clearer idea of what they want this place to be. The site should be like a film museum, but I think they can actually improve its exhibition spaces and turn it into a proper museum, a luxurious building that celebrates the history of cinema and also shows movies. While they might be doing that at present, the building layout is poor and no one would just walk in here unless they had tickets to see a film. Most people probably miss the poorly laid out exhibits inside the building. I think a future BFI should be a multi-storey building with all its screens on the ground floor, and the upper floors could be used to exhibit film technology, costumes, prints, and even have special interactive areas showing how films were made in different times. Children could come in and learn about film production, and there could be changing exhibitions showcasing famous film makers, actors, and movies. They do this to an extent but not very well. I think they need to re-conceptualise the whole thing. If these are the buildings that celebrate global cinema, they should look the part, and audiences should not be encouraged to be so conservative. Cinema is about fun, relaxation, enlightenment and entertainment, not some boring exercise in edification. Furthermore, if this is the satire that celebrates cinema, they need to have the best screens and theatres, and equipment. If vintage films look better on your tv, there is little point in going to...

We attended here yesterday for the pre-view screening of Mr Loverman, which was well received by the audience in attendance.

Unfortunately, the screening was delayed due to the previous event having over- run. This meant that having arrived in good time. we were kept waiting for almost thirty minutes, before we were allowed to enter the auditorium during which time, we were in a noisy, congested and narrow through corridor waiting, with minimum accessible seating nearby/to hand. Whilst I appreciate that, this was beyond the managements control, there appeared to be little consideration given to the ability of those waiting, to stand for that length time. More on this point, later! We saw two episodes of the programme, which is to be televised.

The Q&A session attended by some of the performers, the producer and the author of the book upon which, the programme was based, was informative and lively.

Having come out, we were hungry and immediately opted for the neaby Bar Front in the foyer, for a bite to eat, where we waited to be seated during which tables were cleared, to enable us to do so.

It was not until we had almost finished consuming our meal, that we were informed that the kitchen was closing and to therefore discover that, there was no possibility of a desert to complete our meal. We were not offered an option of ordering a desert at the outset when or order was taken or, notified of this when the staff must have been aware of the impact on the kitchen of the delay and the resulting constraints.

In my view, it was poor and unprofessional not to have been informed of this BEFORE we were seated and our order taken. Had this happened, we would have been in the position to make an informed decision as to whether to eat there or elsewhere, under the circumstances.

The staff were attentive and nice enough so, when our bill arrived to include service charge of £15.88 (for what transpired to be one course with beverages to include wine) it felt a little churlish to challenge this although, perhaps we should have done so given our...

Undoubtedly one of the best cinemas in London, with an amazing programme and fantastic facilities. I've spent more hours here than I can count, so some top cheapskate tips for BFI newbies:

Use the Mediatheque! They have fantastic viewing pods, which are very comfy and allow you access to a vast swathe of the BFI archive with the touch of a button - including feature films, TV shows and shorts. It's completely free and often bafflingly empty - you could easily chill here with a movie on a rainy afternoon. Check out the upper gallery. To the left of the box office there are stairs leading upwards. Few people seem to take these stairs, but they should - once up there there's one of the smaller cinemas and a gallery with an exhibition. The exhibition is free and changes frequently, so it's always worth checking out to see what's new. Read a book in the BFI Reuben Library. It make look all shadowy and intimidating, but anyone can use it and it's free. The chairs near the window are the comfiest. Visit the BFI bar (the one at the back, near the box office), for comfy seating and a peaceful experience where no one bothers you for a couple of hours. Refill your water bottle (for free, ofc) at the water fountain next to the disabled toilet opposite the bar. The water is ice cold and delicious.

There's probably more, but I'll leave it there for now. If you love cinema and you're in London, this is the no 1...