David Lynch: The Dreamer (1/1/26–1/2/26)

The BFI have announced details for their January season, David Lynch: The Dreamer, at London's BFI Southbank and IMAX (1 January–1 February), paying tribute to a true multidisciplinary artist and unique visionary.  Honouring Lynch’s enduring influence and legacy, the programme is a chance for reflection a year on from his passing and what would have been his 80th birthday.  The season includes his great masterpieces, his innovative short films and playful digital experiments, documentary portraits, including a preview of new documentary Welcome to Lynchland (Stéphane Ghez, 2025), plus a Twin Peaks-inspired immersive installation.  A selection of Lynch's films will also be available on BFI Player.

Although he was a certified grandmaster of the surreal, and frequently characterised as a maker of challenging films, the true defining quality of David Lynch’s work is its power to connect with audiences.  He crafted distinct dreamscapes, through his rich visuals, idiosyncratic music choices and haunting sound design, that are charged with human emotion, moving us to both frightening and nostalgic places and taking us on journeys to examine and understand the darkness that lurks under everyday pristine facades.  Lynch embraced a spectrum of creative outlets; unarguably one of the most influential filmmakers of the last 50 years, his brilliance reshaped cinema, television, music, art and the internet.

The season includes screenings of Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980)—including a screening introduced by actor and filmmaker Dexter Fletcher on 27 January—Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Lost Highway (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001) and Inland Empire (2006).  Fire Walk with Me (1992) and Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014) will screen as a David Lynch birthday double bill on 20 January.  There’s also the opportunity to experience Lynch’s universe on the UK’s biggest screen at BFI IMAX, with screenings of Eraserhead (11 January), Blue Velvet (12 January), Wild at Heart (18 January), Mulholland Drive (25 January) and Lost Highway (1 February).

Source/images: BFI

Sofa, So Good (Kyle Thiele/Eli Thiele/Cole Thiele, 2024)

Sofa, So Good debuted at last year's edition of the Cleveland International Film Festival and has since enjoyed no less than three screenings at the London Film Festival, where it received its European premiere.  Written and directed by the Thiele Brothers (Kyle, Eli and Cole), the film is a slight mumblecore comedy that follows the exploits of two Ohio cousins who, after purchasing a second-hand sofa, find themselves struggling to transport it home.  What follows is a monochrome trek across the cousins' hometown, in which a routine task escalates into a byzantine journey replete with frustrating incidents and oddball characters.

The film's premise is as straightforward as it is relatable, exploring themes of friendship, determination, and the inherent vagaries of life.  It tells a story recognisable to anyone who has taken on a simple challenge that unexpectedly snowballed into a labyrinthine ordeal, and the Thiele Brothers have crafted a tale that encourages viewers to see the funny side of the quotidian hurdles we all face—or at the very least, find humour in the ways in which we might attempt to solve such problems.  The film's conclusion, while thuddingly predictable, is as absurd as what has come before, and reminds us not to take things too seriously.

This amusingly titled film could also be viewed as a microcosm of life as a whole: is each of us, in our own way, heaving the couch across town, and if so, to what avail?  Set and filmed entirely in and around the rust belt city of Dayton, Sofa, So Good was made—with the barest of skeleton crews—during the 2020 lockdown; as such, its weirdly unpopulated streets add to the surreal, off-kilter nature of a movie that maintains the same low-key pace for much of its brisk running time.  While it certainly doesn't deliver a surfeit of laughs, this engaging throwback nevertheless serves as a sturdy example of pandemic-era indie filmmaking.

Darren Arnold

Images: BFI 

BFI Flare 2026 (18/3/26–29/3/26)

The BFI today announced the dates for the 2026 edition of BFI Flare.  The festival, which screens the best in contemporary LGBTQIA+ cinema from around the globe—in addition to a rich selection of events and archive titles—is celebrating its 40th year and will run from 18th–29th March 2026 at BFI Southbank.  This year’s festival sees the 12th year of #FiveFilmsForFreedom in partnership with the British Council.  This landmark initiative presents five films for free to audiences globally and invites everyone everywhere to show solidarity with LGBT communities in countries where freedom and equal rights are limited.

The 2025 FFFF selections came from Indonesia, New Zealand, the USA/China, and the UK, and the digital campaign attracted over 3 million views.  Since 2015, Five Films For Freedom has showcased 55 films over 132 days, reaching audiences of over 28 million in 220 countries and principalities.  The 2026 Five Films for Freedom shorts will be available to watch for free UK-wide on BFI Player.  Submissions for all film lengths for the 2026 edition of Flare are now open, and will close on Friday 5 December.  Further details will be revealed in the coming months, with the full programme set to be announced in February.

Source: BFI

Images: A24