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The British Film Institute Enters The U.S. Streaming Market With BFI Player Classics

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“I think we were surprised by how many titles that felt absolutely core, some of the greatest British films of all time, weren’t available on any streaming platform,” exclaimed Robin Baker, Head Curator at the BFI National Archive.

The BFI Player Classics, a new streaming service with a $5.99 per month subscription fee, aims to fill the gap in the market and allow audiences in the US to explore a world of seminal British cinema. It launched on Friday, May 14, 2021.

The library of over 200 titles is presented via both genre-based collections such as British Classics, Comedy, and Sci-Fi and thematic collections including Great British Icons, Based on the Book, and Woman with a Movie Camera.

I caught up with Banks to discuss what surprised him about the streaming marketplace and what sets BFI Player Classics apart from other platforms.  

Simon Thompson: Was this part of a long-term plan, or was it something more recent due to the increasing popularity of streaming, especially during the last 12 months?

Robin Baker: It is undoubtedly something that has become more relevant, but it has been part of the BFI’s long-term strategy. Our desire is to ensure that what we are trying to take across the world is a broader range of British films. It is core to our ambition that US audiences engage with films that are not just that top-level everybody is aware of but understand that the UK has one of the world’s richest film heritages. Unless you are helped to find that, it’s kind of difficult to access a lot of it. I think we were surprised by how many titles that felt absolutely core, some of the greatest British films of all time, weren’t available on any streaming platform. It felt like our responsibility to change that.

Thompson: The fact many of these films aren’t available to stream did surprise me too.

Baker: I think we have a similar position in the UK where there are essential US classics that I still can’t quite believe I can’t easily access here. To me, it was looking at things like those films that feel like the DNA of our country, like Whisky Galore, Kind Hearts and Coronets, or Went the Day Well?. All these films are so central to the British canon. They not only offer an understanding of a sense of Britishness but are actually among some of the more innovative films ever made. Some people who love cinema are frustrated by a variety of platforms that don’t enable them to make real discoveries. We’ve got a large number of people at the BFI who know rather a lot about British film and can pick those titles that we find not only the greatest, but those we find intriguing, and that have excited us for one reason or another. We brought a range of voices to the table, and hopefully the most varied mix of British cinema that you can imagine, from films that have been massive hits in their time to those that hardly even had a release. Some felt very resonant for now, while others simply really deserved an audience in the 21st century.

Thompson: BFI Player Classics offers over 200 titles which is a good range, but it is not so large that it feels overwhelming, especially for the uninitiated. Was that deliberate?

Baker: I think that was a key consideration. It’s relatively easy to hoover up entire libraries of films. I go to Amazon or Netflix, and I can see why people default to those super popular titles that are being promoted at any given time. It is so much like hard work to work your way through these vast libraries. That sense of having something that is much more bespoke, handpicked and recommended, counts for a great deal in an age of extraordinary choice. Yes, we’re trying to increase choice, obviously, but we’re trying to do it in a way that we hope will focus people on what we care about.

Thompson: The pandemic has played a part in audiences experimenting with their traditional viewing habits and exploring classic cinema. Is that something you have seen via the BFI’s various platforms?

Baker: Absolutely. We’ve seen that. What threw me with the BFI Player in the UK was the popularity of many under-the-radar titles. We saw a massive peak, particularly at the start of the very first lockdown and our viewing figures on the BFI Player in the UK increased massively over the last year. That is people’s desire to want to have broader access but also be curated for. In a world of streaming where you subscribe to a package, you can afford to take risks.  I think it’s very different to going out and buying an expensive Blu-ray. For example, if you like Tilda Swinton and are engaged with the kinds of films she chooses as an artist, you understand she is the author of her own destiny. She made Play Me Something right at the beginning, and audiences have engaged with it in a big way. We premiered the BFI restoration of Friendship’s Death at the London Film Festival online last year, and I was stunned by the traction on a film like that. It is not one of the commercial works, but when you have an appetite for understanding someone’s career, you take risks, you try something new on for size. I think that is part of where things are going. Although it might be an industry in part crisis or hiatus for the last year, I think it is an extraordinary, exciting moment. The lesson for all of us is never to underestimate your audience. Don’t just give them what they already know. When offered that real richness, people want to make a discovery.

Thompson: Britain and British cinema can often be seen in a stereotypically way by audiences outside of the UK. 

Baker: The last thing we wanted was to do a heavy-duty, ‘This is good for you’ offering. It was not going to be the muesli of film going. The BFI PLayer Classics was about pleasure and discovery. You want to celebrate British taste, which is why we looked at some of those real success stories like the Carry On films or The Wicker Man and a range of other British horror titles which have both been central to British filmmaking. We also try to look at some of the flip sides of Britain, which can sometimes be seen through a sort of costume drama, Downton Abbey prism. We wanted to identify those films like Joseph Lose’s The Servant and Carol Reed’s The Fallen Idol, which, for me, is one of the greatest and under-loved classics. We looked at those stereotypes of Britain and tried to riff on that. British cinema is not stereotypical, which is why the richness of what we’re trying to do felt so important. You are correct that Britain is seen as this kind of dichotomy of the posh folk and the very gritty kitchen sink, working-class drama. It’s not that we’re turning your back on that but about what else is in that mix. 

Thompson: The BFI is renowned for its program of inviting the cream of the British and international film industry to curate collections. Is that something we can expect on the BFI Player Classic streaming service?

Baker: This is absolutely a possibility for the future and something we are discussing. It’s what we do on the BFI Player in the UK. One of the ways in which you help audiences to discover anything beyond the obvious is through recommendations. Using directors, filmmakers, cultural commentators to help audiences find ways into this world is a strong way for us to go. We’re starting with a collection of films presented in various ways, and there are a whole range of genre routes. My desire is that as many different people engage with this work as possible, which is why we’ve tried to create such variety and embed such diversity in the overall program mix.

BFI Player Classics is available now.

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