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 7th February

    Morgiana (15)
    Dir: Juraj Herz
    Czechoslovakia 1972 1hr 37mins Czech with subtitles

    A unique, psychological, horror

    — Dvd Beaver

    Twin sisters Klára and Viktorie (both played by Janžurová) inherit their late father’s estate. Younger red-headed Klára… More

  2. 20:15 Tue 7th February

    Bluebeard (Barbe Bleue) (15)
    Dir: Catherine Breillat
    France 2009 1hr 20mins French with subtitles

    This is once-upon-a-time at its grim best

    — Film4

    In a dusty attic, two young sisters are reading the creepy tale by Perrault, also about two sisters, whose father has just died, leaving… More

  3. 18:15 Thu 16th February

    Way of the Morris (E)
    Dir: Rob Curry, Tim Plester
    UK 2011 1hr 4mins

    An enchanting traipse through England\'s green and pleasant land that shares some fascinating insights into this proud folk tradition

    — Empire

    In Partnership with Moseley Folk Festival

    A… More

  4. 20:15 Thu 16th February

    The Wild Hunt (15)
    Dir: Alexandre Franchi
    Canada 2009 1hr 36mins

    A nuanced, unpredictable character study

    — Jam!

    Jilted by his girlfriend Evelyn, Erik sets off to win her back. To do so, however, he must swallow his pride and join in with the LARP-ers… More

  5. 18:15 Tue 21st February

    The Lighthouse (Mayak) (12)
    Dir: Maria Saakyan
    Russia 2006 1hr 15mins Russian with subtitles

    A poetic reverie on memory and homeland, with a hypnotic combination of image and music

    — Sight & Sound

    Lena travels to her grandparents’ small village in war-torn Armenia, to… More

  6. 20:00 Tue 21st February

    Dreams of a Life (E)
    Dir: Carol Morley
    UK/Ireland 2011 1h 30mins

    Haunting, compassionate and inventive

    — Time Out

    In 2006, a gruesome discovery was made in a block of flats above Wood Green shopping centre in London – the skeletal body of… More