BFI America will launch in Los Angeles on April 23 at a reception to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the BFI National Archive.
The non-profit formerly known as Friends Of the British Film Institute will operate as the US counterpart to the British Film Institute, with a remit that includes preservation and restoration of the BFI National Archive, and maintaining strong ties with US cinema and its film community.
Longtime James Bond producer and former guardian of the franchise Barbara Broccoli takes her place on the BFI America board alongside filmmaker Terry Gilliam, Varo Money founder Colin Walsh, producer Deborah Schindler, producer and marketing expert Penelope Wong, and UCLA professor Mali Heled Kinberg.
BFI chief executive Ben Roberts will host the reception at Consul General Paul Rennie’s British Residence alongside BFI governors Scott Stuber and Laura Miele and BFI America board directors Wong and Kinberg.
BFI leadership including executive director of knowledge, learning and collections Arike Oke, head of conservation Kieron Webb, and executive director fundraising & enterprise Francesca Vinti, who serves as interim chair of BFI America, will also attend.
The TCM Classic Film Festival kicks off the following day (April 24-27) showcasing six films from the BFI National Archive’s collection. The line-up includes a 50th anniversary original British release dye-transfer Technicolor print of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, introduced by Roberts and featuring cast member Lorraine Gary interviewed on stage at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
The remaining festival screenings are David Lean’s Blithe Spirit (1945); Martin Ritt’s Edge Of The City (1957), Michael Curtiz’s Mildred Pierce (1945), Alexander Korda’s The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933); and Ernst Lubitsch’s To Be or Not to Be (1942).
On April 25, Roberts will join Guillermo Del Toro on stage at The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood to discuss rarities and restorations from the BFI National Archive.
Roberts said, “The UK and the US share deep and rich connections in cinema. We are excited to celebrate our continued cultural collaboration and present these extraordinary treasures from the BFI National Archive to US audiences.”
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