Birmingham Internation Film Society

About Birmingham Internation Film Society

Birmingham International Film Society began in May 2008 to bring foreign language and independent cinema to Birmingham. Our aim is to exhibit the wide variety of films from around the world which will otherwise be passed over by the commercial operators in the city.

Screenings (with occasional guest speakers) take place on regular Tuesday or Thursday evenings at the Library Theatre, Birmingham Central Library’s own 200 capacity venue. This is an intimate space in the city centre, conveniently located next to the Central Library, with several restaurants and eating places close by. With proper tiered theatre seating and the advantage of a licensed bar it's an ideal venue for the discerning cinephile.

The Society has built partnerships and developed links with groups and organisations reflecting local communities and their interests including Amnesty International, Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Friends of the Earth, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and United Nigeria Welfare Association.

Affiliated to the British Federation of Film Societies, BIFS has worked alongside other film societies and festivals such as Africa in Motion, Flatpack Festival and Lewes Film Society to ensure that we bring our audiences the very best films. Titles such as Klass, La Trahison and Le Couperet have been acclaimed in their home countries but so far have failed to be seen (outside of a few London venues) in the rest of the UK.

BIFS has also given exclusive screenings to a number of world cinema releases including:

  • South Africa’s underground hit SMS Sugar Man, the world’s first feature shot using mobile phones
  • The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, acclaimed Japanese anime feature
  • Freedom in Chains and documentary This is Nollywood as part of our Nollywood night celebrating Nigerian Independence Day
  • Romanian portmanteau Tales from the Golden Age, written and co-directed by Cannes winner Cristian Mungiu
  • Burma VJ, a potent documentary about the monk's protests in September 2007


Other special event screenings have included:

  • A Spanish science fiction night featuring Fermat’s Room and Timecrimes
  • A season of Cuban films including the Birmingham premiere of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's The Twelve Chairs
  • American film archivist and historian Dennis Nyback brought us a selection of short films (on 16mm) by legendary Polish stop motion animator Wladyslaw Starewicz
  • A Brazilian cinema night featuring the stirring documentary Favela Rising and the acclaimed Birdwatchers about the plight of the indigenous Guarani peoples of Brazil
  • A special in-person event with Ian Hawkins, director of acclaimed micro-budget documentary My DDR T-Shirt


The BIFS programming team regularly attend cinema conferences, film festivals and special screening events to keep informed on the latest and forthcoming releases. Members of our team have travelled to the Viva! Spanish Film Festival in Manchester and even as far as West Africa for the Pan-African FESPACO.

The Society values the feedback and input of our audience, and aims to reflect their suggestions in our programme.

Coming Soon

  1. 18:15 Tue 28th February

    Me and My Sister (Les Sœurs Fâchées) (15)
    Dir: Alexandra Leclère
    France 2004 1hr 28mins French with subtitles

    A thoroughly charming, funny and blackly entertaining film

    — Dvd Times

    Louise comes to Paris from the country for an interview about her manuscript, and gets to visit her older sister, Martine. Louise… More

  2. 20:00 Tue 28th February

    The Hedgehog (Le Herisson) + Togo Igawa (12A)
    Dir: Mona Achache
    France 2009 1hr 39mins French with subtitles

    Warms the heart with insights both painful and profound

    — Screen Fanatic

    Paloma is a bright and serious 11 year-old girl, who is sick of her life, and plans to kill herself in a year’s time. Armed with a… More

  3. 18:00 Tue 6th March

    Blood in the Mobile + Q&A (E)
    Dir: Frank Poulsen
    Denmark 2011 1hr 23mins

    A truly shocking film

    — Derek Malcolm

    Mobile phones have become a seemingly indispensable accessory for modern life, yet behind the story of their success lies the dark and… More

  4. 20:00 Tue 6th March

    Colossal Youth (Juventude em Marcha) (15)
    Dir: Pedro Costa
    Portugal 2006 2hrs 30mins Portuguese with subtitles

    The most important filmmaker working today

    — Distant Voices

    Costa’s epic is set in Fontainhas, a slum district of Lisbon. The central figure is Ventura, a former labourer from Cape Verde.… More

  5. 18:15 Thu 15th March

    Blank City (E) FREE SCREENING c/o BIFS + Flatpack Festival (E)
    Dir: Celine Danhier
    USA 2011 1hr 36mins

    The fabled downtown Manhattan avant-filmmaking scene of yore gets its due in this passionate chronicle of cinematic rebellion

    — Film Journal International

    An exhilarating and unique portrait of New York in the mid-70s and 80s, at the time a wasteland of cheap rent and cheap drugs, focusing… More

  6. 18:15 Tue 20th March

    Hell and Back Again (15)
    Dir: Danfung Dennis
    USA 2011 1hr 28mins

    I can\'t recall a documentary shaped quite this way. Dennis handles it with integrity, and the effect is painful and deeply moving

    — Philip French, The Observer

    In 2009, U.S. Marines launched a major assault on a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Dropped deep behind enemy lines, 25 year-old Sergeant… More

  7. 20:15 Tue 20th March

    Junkhearts (15)
    Dir: Tinge Krishnan
    UK 2011 1hr 35mins

    A gritty, self-assured directorial debut

    — Little White Lies

    A multi-stranded psychological thriller set in inner city London, Junkhearts follows the story of Frank (Eddie Marsan), a vulnerable… More

  8. 18:15 Tue 27th March

    Post Mortem (15)
    Dir: Pablo Larrain
    Chile 2010 1hr 37mins Spanish with subtitles

    A thoughtful and unique film that manages to linger in the mind

    — Little White Lies

    Santiago 1973. Middle-aged Mario works in a morgue typing autopsy reports. He and his on-off partner Nancy, a cabaret dancer, seem oblivious… More

  9. 20:15 Tue 27th March

    Los Bastardos (18)
    Dir: Amat Escalante
    Mexico/USA 2008 1hr 26mins English & Spanish with subtitles

    Escalante possesses a strong talent… looks and sounds very impressive

    — Variety

    Jesús and Fausto are illegal Mexican migrants, working odd jobs in LA. However, they decide there are quicker ways to get paid,… More