Celebrate Shakespeare with the BFI
Sir Ian McKellen on Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere; Toyah Willcox on Derek Jarman's 1979 film of The Tempest and the earliest-ever screen version of Shakespeare, a silent King John from 1899.
Catch these and lots more silver-screen Shakespeare before 23rd October, thanks to the BFI.
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Screenings and events around the UK from the BFI.
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A pioneering partnership produced by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ and British Council with partners The RSC, Shakespeare's Globe, BFI, Royal Opera House and Hay Festival.
Sir Ian McKellen at the BFI
To mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death the BFI hosted two Q&A events with Sir Ian McKellen, one of the greatest living exponents of Shakespeare's work.
Sir Ian's first exposure to Shakespeare was as a child in Wigan and his performances date back to his student days in Cambridge in 1959. His breakthrough roles included Richard II at the Edinburgh Festival in 1969 and he has since played Shakespearean leads for the RSC and National Theatre including Macbeth, Iago and King Lear.
In 1995, he played the title role in Director Richard Loncraine's film verison of Richard III.
Shakespeare on Stage, Screen and Elsewhere with Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen’s compelling, insightful and often hilarious personal tour of Shakespeare.
Sir Ian McKellen on Shakespeare's Richard III from the BFI
Ian McKellen and director Richard Loncraine discuss their 1995 adaptation.
More from Sir Ian McKellen at the BFI
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Sir Ian McKellen gives us a song from a musical version of Love's Labour's Lost.
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Ian McKellen explains why Macbeth is seen as unlucky.
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With a personal introduction to the play, Sir Ian gives an impassioned performance.
Silent Shakespeare
The BFI owns a treasure-trove of Shakespeare films from the earliest days of cinema.
Watch examples of these films to see how the silent film-makers interpreted Shakespeare's works without sound, see some of the earliest special effects and find out more about this remarkable archive.
The BFI presents Silent Shakespeare
Discover why filmmakers in the silent era adapted 100s of Shakespeare’s plays
Play On
When the BFI needed a soundtrack for their archive of silent Shakespeare films they turned to the musician's of The Globe Theatre.
Find out how the two organisations came together to breathe new life into 100-year old footage.
More from the BFI
Travel back in time as the BFI mine their archive of fascinating travelogues and join actress and singer Toyah Willcox and choreographer Stuart Hopps to discover how the experimental film-maker Derek Jarman expressed his unique vision of Shakespeare's The Tempest.
The Magic Behind Derek Jarman's 1979 Film of The Tempest
Discover how Derek Jarman expressed his unique vision of Shakespeare's The Tempest.
The united nations of screen Shakespeare
From Italy to Japan and Finland to Hong Kong, Dr Daniel Rosenthal (lecturer and author of 100 Shakespeare Films for the BFI) with his selection of the best Shakespeare films with an international twist.
Welcome to Shakespeare Land!
Travel back to a bygone Stratford-upon-Avon with the BFI's fascinating travelogues.
More from Shakespeare Lives
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Experience an incredible commemoration of the Bard's 400th death anniversary with videos feauring David Tennant, Ian McKellan, Adrian Lester and more.
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From the Bard's influence on pop music to his face appearing on a Β£20 banknote, discover more unorthodox and unusual tales of Shakespeare from past to present.
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Shakespeare's Globe has assembled an all-star cast to make 37 short films - one for each play - made on location in the real setting of each plot.
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Composer Michael Nyman sets the bard's bawdy words in a World Premiere.
