Ken Russell's The Devils: 4K UHD Announced

Censored for over half a century, Ken Russell's visionary masterpiece The Devils will finally be available on 4K UHD Blu-ray on 20 April 2027, with both standard one-disc and collector's three-disc editions issued by the BFI in partnership with Warner Bros. Clockwork.  Fully restored in 4K and cut to Ken Russell's specific direction, Ken Russell's The Devils is the first publicly released version of the film as intended by the filmmaker.  Fifty-five years after its initial release, the definitive version of The Devils was unveiled at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival as an official selection in Cannes Classics.

An enduring masterpiece of cinema starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, Ken Russell's The Devils is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption—and a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell, the disruptive visionary behind classics like Tommy, Women in Love, and Altered States.  Inspired by the true story of 17th-century priest Urbain Grandier, accused of bewitching a convent of nuns, the film lays bare the collusion of church and state through a searing vision of religious persecution, collective hysteria and institutional corruption.

In addition to powerhouse performances from Reed and Redgrave, Ken Russell's The Devils showcases the stunning work of artists at the peak of their craft: Academy Award-winning cinematographer David Watkin (Out of Africa); editor Michael Bradsell (Mahler); and visual artist Derek Jarman (Edward II), whose work as production designer marks his feature film debut.  Produced by Warner Bros. in 1971, the film received Best Director awards from two of the most prestigious institutions in the world: the 33rd Venice International Film Festival and the US National Board of Review.

Ken Russell was a pioneering Academy Award-nominated British filmmaker who directed one Academy Award-winning performance: Glenda Jackson in Women in Love.  Ken Russell's The Devils—which is in Dutch cinemas from today—is the definitive cut of The Devils, and no other director's cut formally exists.  This version was originally reconstructed in 2004 under the supervision of Russell and Bradsell; the 4K restoration was completed using the original camera negative at WB Water Tower Color, with audio restoration completed using original composite 35mm mag film at WB Sound.

Source/images: BFI

15/18 (Cédric Kahn, 2026)

In France, psychiatric care for young people aged 15 to 18 is provided through a combination of hospital services, specialist adolescent mental health units, outpatient clinics, and community-based support programmes.  Treatment is designed to address a wide range of conditions, including anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, and behavioural difficulties, while recognising the unique challenges faced by adolescents.  Mental health professionals often work closely with families, schools, and social services to create coordinated care plans that fully support both recovery and educational development.

In recent years, growing awareness of adolescent mental health needs has contributed to ongoing discussions about improving access to specialised services and reducing waiting times for treatment.  Cédric Kahn's wonderfully empathetic new film 15/18 (AKA A Place to Heal) is set in an adolescent psychiatric facility, and stands as one of the finest works in this mercurial director's filmography.  15/18 features a notable supporting turn from Sophie Guillemin, the star of Kahn's excellent, and controversial, 1998 drama L'ennui, but this new film is very much an ensemble piece, one in which the predominantly young cast shine.

After being found by the police in Belgium, 17-year-old runaway Lucia (Malou Khebizi) is returned to the adolescent psychiatric ward she knows all too well.  There, she reunites with her friend Eloïse (Zoé Monpart), meets a new group of young patients, and becomes fully immersed in the rhythms of life on the ward.  Under the care of Etienne (Kahn) and his overworked team, patients and caregivers forge meaningful connections that offer comfort and hope amid difficult circumstances.  The careful balance they maintain, however, is thrown into doubt with the arrival of Enzo (Kenji Peyran), a surly, unpredictable newcomer.

As we might reasonably expect, Enzo becomes an agent of change, but few will predict the startling left turn Kahn's film takes as it heads towards its conclusion.  15/18's unforeseen ending nonetheless marks a watershed moment for one of its young protagonists, as does the film's singularly most moving scene, which takes the form of an emotional goodbye from a patient ready to begin a new chapter in life.  While the film is not above dealing in well-established medical tropes (the green intern, the weary-but-kindly consultant), it beautifully illuminates the painful struggles faced by teenagers with mental health issues.

Darren Arnold

Images: Ad Vitam

70th BFI London Film Festival (7–18/10/26)

The 70th BFI London Film Festival closed on Sunday 18th October with the UK Premiere of Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut, attended by the writer and director alongside the star of the film Julianne Moore.  The Closing Night Gala took place at the Royal Festival Hall, which returned as the festival's Gala venue for a sixth time since its inaugural year in 2021.  LFF Director Kristy Matheson said: "It was joyful to witness a community come together over 12 days of screenings and events to celebrate our 70th birthday.  Across the UK, audiences flocked to their local cinemas for LFF on Tour while London audiences enthusiastically embraced the programme, recording their highest ever levels of attendance [173,443]."

Festival goers were once again invited to vote in the Audience Award for Best Feature Film and Audience Award for Best British Discovery.  Following the vote, the genre-defying queer epic La bola negra, directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, was chosen as the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.  Rooted in the legacy of writer Federico García Lorca, the film had its Gala screening on 8th October at the Royal Festival Hall, introduced by directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo and stars Penélope Cruz, Guitarricadelafuente and Miguel Bernardeau.  Grace Harper Brighouse's Dependence, an intimate study of what it means to love an addict, was voted the winner of the Audience Award for Best British Discovery.

The 70th edition welcomed more than 1000 international and UK filmmakers, immersive art and extended reality artists and series creatives and their teams to present their work at venues across the capital.  The festival kicked off with the European Premiere of Simon Stone's Elsinore, attended by cast members Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Monica Dolan and Johnny Flynn.  The festival featured a range of 258 titles (comprising features, shorts, series and immersive works) hailing from 87 countries and featured 249 languages, with 43% of works from female filmmakers.  All features and series screened to UK audiences for the first time, including 33 World Premieres.

LFF Expanded returned this year for its sixth edition, with nine projects spanning immersive art, virtual reality, AI and video gaming.  The Games Lounge also returned to BFI IMAX with five international titles: TearyHand Studio's ...and Roger, an interactive visual novel exploring the experience of dementia; The Day I Became a Bird, a hand-drawn interactive story from Passion Pictures and Hyper Luminal Games; Unrelated Studio's puzzle adventure Lofsöng; brlka's gravity-shifting platformer Love Eternal; and Mixtape by Beethoven and Dinosaur, which follows three friends on one last adventure together, set to a soundtrack from artists including Roxy Music, Iggy Pop, and Joy Division.

The 71st BFI London Film Festival will take place from 6–17 October 2027.

Source/images: BFI