[Mark Hodgkinson]

Archives, Interviews, Trailers etc

Samsung has announced the launch of a BFI (British Film Institute) App on its Smart TV platform. As part of their longstanding partnership, Samsung and the BFI have created the App which features content from the 56th BFI London Film Festival and events at BFI Southbank including Screen Epiphanies.

Viewers will be able to select the App on the Smart Hub to access trailers of films appearing at the festival, and interviews with film talent. Future releases of the BFI app will enable Samsung TV owners to watch footage from the BFI archives and see the latest BFI interviews with screen masters such as Im Kwon-Taek and John Landis.

The BFI App will launch with a selection of content including:

· ‘Today at the Festival’ highlights, featuring interviews with Bill Murray from the Mayor’s gala premiere of his new film, Hyde Park on Hudson and Dustin Hoffman at the American Airlines gala screening of his directorial debut, Quartet

· Feature trailers from the films in this year’s festival including Ben Affleck’s Argo, the comedy drama The Sapphires starring Chris O’Dowd, Brett Morgen’s new Rolling Stones documentary Crossfire Hurricane and Mike Newell’s Great Expectations starring Helena Bonham-Carter and Ralph Fiennes

· Q&A sessions including BAFTA-winning director Nick Murphy, talking about his new gritty cop thriller Blood with actors Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham; Frank Langella talking about his new futuristic comedy Robot and Frank and director, Prakash Jha talking about his new Bollywood action epic Chakravyuh after its Thrill Gala screening

· An upcoming Screen Epiphany on stage interview with John Landis, director of cult classics such as An American Werewolf in London, The Blues Brothers and Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video. John will introduce his Screen Epiphany Kubrick’s 2001: Space Odyssey

· An upcoming Screen Epiphany on stage interview with Adam Buxton who will introduce his Screen Epiphany, The Man Who Fell to Earth

Guy Kinnell, Director, TV/AV (UK) and Consumer Electronics (Ireland), Samsung Electronics, comments: “We are proud to support the BFI’s Film Forever initiative. We are committed to expanding the access to British film and increasing growth in the industry. Our BFI App will provide viewers with a richer film experience, content from the red carpet and director’s insights on upcoming films. With an ultra-thin 5mm bezel, 2D and 3D images and award winning picture quality, Samsung TVs bring films to life and enhance their power to share stories and shape culture.”

BFI’s Acting Digital Director Chris Travers welcomed the Samsung development

‘We are delighted to take the riches of film culture and especially British film into so many homes with Samsung .This new app gets Samsung’s customers closer to the action with all that’s happening in the world of film. It’s a key staging post in realising the BFI’s ambitions for a wider suite of on-demand services, connecting audiences with our amazing content’