James Bell

Senior Curator of Fiction @BFI National Archive. Formerly of @sightsoundmag. Editor of BFI Compendium series. Programmer of BFI Southbank ‘Deep Focus’ seasons

[Josephine Botting @ReelJoBotting]

I've written a blog about rare post-war British melodrama The White Unicorn in which Margaret Lockwood is subjected to more heartache than any woman should endure.
https://t.co/OP8at5FBEb

[BFI @BFI]

As the BFI Film on Film Festival comes to a close, we'd like to extend a huge thanks to the BFI National Archive team (a handful of whom are depicted here), whose work has underpinned the whole weekend.

Photo: David Briggs

[Josephine Botting @ReelJoBotting]

I've written another blog about a forgotten British feature, with a major Hollywood star in the lead role.
https://t.co/6DDKurA7rJ

[BFI @BFI]

574,000 feet worth of film passed through BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX over the last several days 🎞️

It took 104 separate film prints, 287 individual reels, approximately 109 miles of film and 24 projectionists to bring the BFI Film on Film Festival to life.

[Hind Mezaina @hindmezaina]

@magentabias Wasn’t expecting how emotional I’d be attending this. It was a truly special night. Thanks to @james___bell and team for making this happen.

And congratulations to everyone involved for this 2nd edition. 👏 👏 👏

[Claire West @magentabias]

Living inside a dream last night with Kyle MacLachlan at #BFI Southbank 🤩😍😍
#TwinPeaks

[Steve Scarebear @Scare158Steve]

Great 1st day @BFI #FilmonFilm . 3 standouts were I Walked with a Zombie & a brilliant Nitrate of the surprisingly witty Dancing with Crime with a fun into from @ReelJoBotting . But @LostReelsUK packed screening of Last Summer along with intro with Mark Jenkin blew me away.

[Steve Scarebear @Scare158Steve]

And so to the final day of @BFI #FilmonFilm. A big Western, a British Crime caper, A 70s revenge thriller & a great b movie monster classic. 3 of these I've not seen before and the other never on the big screen.

Looking forward to more fun with all my movie buddies.

[Steve Scarebear @Scare158Steve]

Also a huge shout out to Kitty Robertson from the @BFI National Archive whose fantastic intro & emotional tribute to Gene Hackman before the #FilmOnFilm screening of Get Shorty was just perfect & so we'll presented.

A wonderful film a great way to finish the day.

[Josephine Botting @ReelJoBotting]

Anthony, Basil and Roderick Keys were all on the crew with him. There are still tickets left to see the film on 35mm nitrate tomorrow morning at 11.30 @BFI Southbank. #FilmOnFilm Image BFI National Archive
https://t.co/vnrThevUOv

[Claire West @magentabias]

A huge amount of work went into curating, inspecting, quality checking, cleaning, prepping, managing & transporting every film being screened at the festival. We hope you enjoy the results 📽️🎞️

#FilmOnFilm
#KeepingItReel

[Claire West @magentabias]

Ahead of the #BFI Film on Film Festival which starts tomorrow at BFI Southbank, a big shout out to my colleagues across #BFINationalArchive who helped make it all possible, (just a few of them pictured here).

[BFI @BFI]

We're proud to be preserving the work of Jenn Nkiru in the BFI National Archive. Learn more about her artistry and some of the titles that have entered the collection at @sxswlndn this Friday.
https://t.co/4JDbNYuJi8

[Christina Newland @christinalefou]

For Paul Newman’s centenary at @BFI Film on Film this June, I’ll be doing an introduction of Martin Ritt’s mean-spirited 1963 neo-Western Hud. In 35mm, of course. Couldn’t be happier.

https://t.co/VpTHn8Wmpi.

[James Bell @james___bell]

Unmissable screening alert!! The black and white CinemaScope print of Martin Ritt’s Hud that were screening in the @bfi #filmonfilmfestival on Friday 13th June is beautiful, and just stunning seen large on the NFT1 screen. And a @christinalefou intro too!

[Christina Newland @christinalefou]

For Paul Newman’s centenary at @BFI Film on Film this June, I’ll be doing an introduction of Martin Ritt’s mean-spirited 1963 neo-Western Hud. In 35mm, of course. Couldn’t be happier.

https://t.co/VpTHn8Wmpi.

[Michael Leader @MichaelJLeader]

Neglected to shout about this before now, but I'm very excited to be introducing @DonBluth's AN AMERICAN TAIL, screening from a gorgeous release print, at the @BFI Film on Film Festival on Sunday 15th! 📽️

[Steve Scarebear @Scare158Steve]

Very Sad.

A fitting tribute is that The Outfit is being shown as part of the @BFI Film on Film Festival On Sun 15th June - And there are just 3 tickets remaining.

[Josephine Botting @ReelJoBotting]

Last chance to see super rare British thriller Blackmailed (1951) before the 35mm print goes back to the archive. Dirk Bogarde and Mai Zetterling star. Weds 14 May 6.20 @BFI Southbank. Book here: https://t.co/It7RPVRRoW Images #BFINationalArchive

[Lost Reels @LostReelsUK]

A big THANK-YOU to everyone who made the @lostreelsuk LAST SUMMER event the quickest sellout of the 2025 @BFI Film on Film Festival. It's going to be an amazing screening, I'm so looking forward to it!

[Do You Expect Us To Talk? @ExpectUsToTalk]

It also looks like the @BFI are showing a nitrate print of the original 1934 THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, as part of their Film on Film festival:

https://t.co/ZRlFCxdSA6