British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[vieyra]

Hi all,

Do someone know if there is a way to know/be informed when a first pressing of BFI releases are totally sold-out and there is a second one without booklet and so on is issuing/circulating in all stores?

I'm tempted to buy their The Wages of Fear 4K, but really wanted the booklet ---slipcover doesn't say anything to me although they come together---, and no idea if in usual retailers they still have the first pressing, or if second one is already out there.

BTW, interesting debate in it's speciifc threads about BFI vs Criterion versions, the grain/fake grain/no grain,/HDR etc... I would go for double dip but my wallet says NO, and BFI seems my option due its very restrained price. I do not believe the difference will be really like night and day in the end, nop?

Cheers,

[JackyJacquard]

Originally Posted by vieyra

Hi all,

Do someone know if there is a way to know/be informed when a first pressing of BFI releases are totally sold-out and there is a second one without booklet and so on is issuing/circulating in all stores?

I'm tempted to buy their The Wages of Fear 4K, but really wanted the booklet ---slipcover doesn't say anything to me although they come together---, and no idea if in usual retailers they still have the first pressing, or if second one is already out there.

BTW, interesting debate in it's speciifc threads about BFI vs Criterion versions, the grain/fake grain/no grain,/HDR etc... I would go for double dip but my wallet says NO, and BFI seems my option due its very restrained price. I do not believe the difference will be really like night and day in the end, nop?

Cheers,

I would assume if their website was working (its not) you could check there and that would inform your decision - if they still listed it then presumably everywhere would still have booklet etc. whereas if they list no booklet then its unlikely but not impossible to get them. But no its a crapshoot.

Yeah I haven’t seen any reviews suggesting night and day differences between Criterion and BFI 4Ks. I have BFI’s TWOF 4K and it looks amazing imo

[vieyra]

Originally Posted by JackyJacquard

I would assume if their website was working (its not) you could check there and that would inform your decision - if they still listed it then presumably everywhere would still have booklet etc. whereas if they list no booklet then its unlikely but not impossible to get them. But no its a crapshoot.

Yeah I haven’t seen any reviews suggesting night and day differences between Criterion and BFI 4Ks. I have BFI’s TWOF 4K and it looks amazing imo

Got it, thanks for your reply, happy to hear about the BFI PQ. And yep, my initial plan was the same ---checking BFI website--- but wasn't totally sure if they update or not the info saying when first edition is OOP, anyway, as you said, BFI Shop website is still down, it seems their proposed fix is not so quick to implement...

Cheers,

[JackyJacquard]

Originally Posted by vieyra

Got it, thanks for your reply, happy to hear about the BFI PQ. And yep, my initial plan was the same ---checking BFI website--- but wasn't totally sure if they update or not the info saying when first edition is OOP, anyway, as you said, BFI Shop website is still down, it seems their proposed fix is not so quick to implement...

Cheers,

Btw if you wanna guarantee a slip and booklet, there’s always eBay

Search results there show one at ~£16 before anyone bids on it at least

[MifuneFan]

Finalized extras for the Chantal Akerman Collection Vol. 2 set now up:

Extras

• Five Blu-ray set featuring 12 landmark films by Chantal Akerman
• Hotel des Acacias (Yves Hanchar, Pierre Charles Rochette, Francois Vanderveken, Isabelle Willems, 1982): the outcome of an INSAS workshop led by Chantal Akerman
• Audio commentary on Histoires d'Amerique: Food, Family and Philosophy by Marc David Jacobs
• No Home But Cinemas: The Spaces of Chantal Akerman (2025): video essay by writer and critic Jessica McGoff
• Le Rendez-vous de Chantal Akerman (2025): panel discussion with Sonia Wieder-Atherton (cellist and composer), Adam Roberts (co-founder of A Nos Amours collective), Celine Brouwez (Fondation Chantal Akerman), Lynda Myles (former director of Edinburgh International Film Festival) and Isabel Stevens (Sight and Sound)
• Marilyn Watelet Q&A (2025): Akerman's lifelong friend and producer looks back over her life and career
• Sonia Wieder-Atherton Q&A (2025): the cellist and composer discusses Golden Eighties
• Proust and Signs (2025): video essay on La Captive by writer and critic Cristina Alvarez Lopez
• Autour de la Folie Almayer (2022): 'making of' documentary, shot by Sopheak Sao in 2010 and edited by Marwan Montel in 2021
• Everyone Has Their Own Life (2025): video essay on No Home Movie by artist Sarah Wood
• 72-page perfect-bound book featuring new essays by Erin Nunoda, Daniella Shreir, Rachel Pronger, Ivone Margulies, Elena Gorfinkel, Blair McClenden, Catherine Wheatley, Ivan Ramos, Adam Roberts, Marion Schmid, Alisa Lebow and Cristina Alvarez Lopez
• Limited edition of 2,000 copies

[ryanhoward79]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Finalized extras for the Chantal Akerman Collection Vol. 2 set now up:

Did a film get added to the release or something? I count 11 films listed on the original description of this release, and the TBD extras includes 11 films spanning 5 blu rays.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by ryanhoward79

Did a film get added to the release or something? I count 11 films listed on the original description of this release, and the TBD extras includes 11 films spanning 5 blu rays.

Yep, looks like the film La-bas (Down There) (2006) has been added

The Films

Toute Une Nuit (1982)
Les Annees 80 (1983)
Golden Eighties (1986)
La Paresse (1986)
Histoires d'Amerique: Food, Family and Philosophy (1988)
D'Est (1993), Sud (1999)
La Captive (2000)
De l'Autre Côté (2002)
La-bas (2006)
La Folie Almayer (2011)
No Home Movie (2015)

[Sifox211]

Not sure if this has been posted already, but Rarewaves have a good price for vol 2 - pretty much what it would be from HMV with the code:

Chantal Akerman Vol. 2 £44.46

I had a ten pound voucher in my pocket so got it for even less

[TheDot]

Seem like Akerman Volume 1 is OOP, Ben staring on Facebook all 2100 shipped from warehouse and no more manufactured.

[Sifox211]

Still there at Rarewaves, £50.69 - albeit "low stock"

[everygrainofsand]

For those in Edinburgh, Vol. 1 of BFI's Ackerman is available - at least as at this morning - in both FOPP (West End) and HMV (Princes Street). The former was in perfect nick; the latter had that weird spider-wire around it, so couldn't tell. Both these limited editions contain the superlative book, of course.

[MifuneFan]

Wow, BFI's shop is still down. The hack must have been pretty severe. Hopefully they can get up and running again soon as I imagine it's costing them some money. I imagine we'd have newer titles announced too by now as well, no?

[TheHistorian]

At least we don't have to worry about changing our passwords yet.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Wow, BFI's shop is still down. The hack must have been pretty severe. Hopefully they can get up and running again soon as I imagine it's costing them some money. I imagine we'd have newer titles announced too by as well, no?

I had been wondering recently when we'll be getting the next set of BFI title announcements.

[grahams76]

Presumably, it's not practical for BFI to announce new titles when they've no online shop to take orders, especially so when the emailed announcements contain direct links to their store.

[GaryCouzens]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

I had been wondering recently when we'll be getting the next set of BFI title announcements.

They announced January-March on 7 November and April-June on 6 February, both Thursdays, so we could be due July-September announcements imminently.

[thenexus6]

Anyone picked up Brother yet? I was wondering how it looks.

[ophone]

Originally Posted by thenexus6

Anyone picked up Brother yet? I was wondering how it looks.

I did but haven't watched it yet.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Ben Stoddard said this in the BFI Group with relation to the Romulus titles they hold:

A follow-up to this, Stoddard has posted that Beat the Devil will be deleted on May 30th:

Originally Posted by Ben Stoddard

**Deletion Notice** Our Blu-ray/DVD release of Beat the Devil will be officially deleted on May 30th.

Still available from Amazon, and elsewhere while supplies last. It does not include a booklet for anyone wondering.

[darrellmaclaine]

Always slightly bizarre when a licenced release of a public domain film gets deleted for rights reasons. The BFI can't legally keep theirs in print but you or I could rip the main feature and sell that!