Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 5 and Version 4 of BFI Southbank

Version 5 Version 4
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The Benugo cafe/bar is the more up-market of the two spaces, and has a fair number of seats for drinkers around the bar, as well as a separate area for dining. The bar seating is comfortable, largely leather sofas and armchairs, but before and after popular screenings can fill up very quickly. The bar menu includes a standard range of lagers (no real ales), as well as excellent cocktails. On a visit in April 2008, the cocktails were themed after the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival which was running at the time and all cost £7.50 (£9.50 for the champagne cocktails). Both cocktails sampled (a quince & vanilla margarita, and one dubbed "Venus in Furs") were of a very high quality, and carefully mixed by the bartender.

See also:
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[http://londonnet.co.uk/cinema/nationalfilmtheatre.html Film times from LondonNet]

<div class="last_verified">Bar last visited by [[Ewan]] and friend, 10 April 2008.</div>

[http://londonnet.co.uk/cinema/nationalfilmtheatre.html Film times from LondonNet]
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category='Art Galleries,Bars,Cafes,Cinemas,Cocktails'
category='Cinemas'
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host='86.136.190.101'
host='213.165.225.132'

Cinema complex run by the British Film Institute, near Waterloo Station. Previously known as the National Film Theatre, it has now been officially rebranded as BFI Southbank, though the individual cinemas are still labelled NFT1, NFT2 and NFT3.

The largest of the cinemas is NFT1, which is a large, wide space, with a raised stage area beneath the screen. NFT2 also has a raised area at the front, but speakers and visiting filmmakers do not use this when addressing the audience. Both NFT2 and NFT3 are much thinner spaces, with NFT3 rising more steeply towards the back. NFT1 and NFT3 both have seats which are designed to lean back when you sit in them, which can be a little disconcerting at first.

The films programmed are generally repertory fare, with a speciality in complete retrospectives of filmmakers. However, there are extended runs of selected films from one or two of each month's thematic programmes, and sometimes these are recent films which haven't obtained a release anywhere else.

Apart from the three cinemas, the BFI Southbank complex also includes: the 'Studio', which is another screening room specialising in digital projection (it holds around 50 people); the 'Mediatheque', where there are around 15 viewing stations that members of the public can sit at (some of these have more than one headset, so couples can use them) and view digitised films from the BFI archives (this service is free and availability depends on how busy it is, though at busy times, they may limit how long you can sit at a viewing station); a gallery space; and two eating places (the Film Cafe, and an outpost of Benugo). There are also conference rooms and the like.

Film times from LondonNet


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