The revolution will be projected! A season of films embodying the defiant, outspoken spirit of ’68.

Written by BFI season programmer David Edgar.

“Be realistic: demand the impossible!”
May ’68 slogan

Fifty years ago, in May 1968, anti-establishment protests brought France to a standstill. At the same time, anti-Vietnam protests, the civil rights movement, decolonisation struggles and the sexual revolution raged across the world. Cameras captured events on the streets as they unfolded. European auteurs like Godard and Pasolini made challenging, mischievous films that attacked bourgeois values. African and Latin American filmmakers rejected colonial power and tradition, and generated bold new cinematic styles. The provocative and innovative films in this season are smart and earnest, yet often very playful and occasionally a little bonkers. More than anything, they demonstrate the ability of film to challenge the way we think and live our lives. They show us the power cinema has to change the world.

The BFI Season Uprising: The Spirit of ’68 runs from 3-29 May.

Films and events include:
Medium Cool + intro
Maydays + Q&A with director William Klein
Sambizanga + intro by Annouchka de Andrade
Lucía
Theorem
One Plus One (aka Sympathy for the Devil) + intro by Alex Loftus and Mark Shiel from King’s College
Plus more.

See the full line up here: bfi.org.uk