slade in flame

 

release date: 19th may 2025

Described as ‘the Citizen Kane of British pop movies’ by critic Mark Kermode, Slade in Flame both confounded and delighted audiences when it was released in 1975, at the height of the legendary glam-rock band’s success. Starring the band themselves, this was a music film like no other. Charting the rise and fall of a pop group at the end of the 1960s – from bold beginnings in seedy clubs to booze-addled endings in spectacular stadiums – this darkly cynical, warts-and-all portrait of a band in freefall amidst the music-industry suits who want a piece of the pie, was not what anybody was expecting.

 

• Newly remastered by the BFI and presented in High Definition and Standard Definition

• Newly recorded audio commentary with director Richard Loncraine and film critic Mark Kermode

• Make Way For Noddy(2025, 9 mins): actor Tom Conti discusses the making of Slade in Flame

• Noddy Holder Interview (2002, 54 mins): Noddy speaks to broadcaster Gary Crowley in the uncut, full-length version of an interview that later featured in The Making of Slade in Flame

• The Making of Slade in Flame (2007, 58 mins): recorded for the film’s original DVD release and featuring interviews with all four members of Slade, director Richard Loncraine and actor Tom Conti, this documentary tells the story of Slade in Flame from its inception to its London premiere.

• This Week: Men’s Fashions (1973, 5 mins): meet Tommy Nutter, the rebel tailor of Savile Row, as flamboyant fashions get thoroughly road-tested in this glam 1970s fashion short

• Slade in Frame – a collection of promotional images from the film’s original release

• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Graham Rinaldi and other essays by J T Rathbone and Barry Forshaw

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prince of broadway

 

release date: 5th may 2025

A raw, disarmingly moving slice of neorealism, this early-career triumph from DIY auteur Sean Baker plunges into the world of West African immigrant Lucky (Prince Adu) and his Armenian Lebanese boss Levon (Karren Karagulian), two unlikely friends who peddle knockoff designer goods in Manhattan’s wholesale district. When a long-forgotten ex forces him to take care of a young son he didn’t even know he had, Lucky must figure out how to become a father without losing his edge in the counterfeit-merch game. Capturing the chaos of urban life through expressive handheld camera work, remarkably naturalistic performances, and flashes of manic humour, Prince of Broadway is one of Baker’s most vivid explorations of the illusory nature of the American dream.

 

• Commentary by Sean Baker, Darren Dean (producer/co-writer), Victoria Tate (associate producer/actor), and Karren Karagulian (actor)

• Interviews with Sean Baker (director) and Prince Adu (actor)

• Making-of documentary

• Introduction by Sean Baker

• Restoration demonstration

• Essay by film critic Robert Daniels

• New cover by Drusilla Adeline / Sister Hyde, with additional photography by Ivory Woods

• Trailers

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castlefreak

 

release date: 26th may 2025

101 Films presents gothic horror Castle Freak (1995) on Blu-ray. Directed by the late Stuart Gordon, this chilling tale is one of his many films inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Best known for his distinctive contributions to cult horror and sci-fi throughout the ’80s and ’90s — with genre classics such as Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Dolls — Gordon returned to familiar territory with Castle Freak, a lesser-known gem that reunited him with frequent collaborator and producer Charles Band.

John Reilly, (Jeffrey Combs – Re-Animator), his wife Susan (Barbara Crampton – Re Animator, The Young and the Restless) and their daughter come face to face with terror when they travel to Italy to move into a castle they have inherited. Unbeknownst to them, their new home harbours a grotesquely disfigured and tortured man who has been imprisoned for decades. When mutilated bodies start turning up, John must uncover the Reilly family’s dark secret to save his wife and child from the sadistic being.

 

• Get Your Freak On! – Interview with composer Richard Band

• Don’t Look in the Basement! – Interview with actress Barbara Crampton

• Freak on a Leash! – Interview with filmmaker Chris Alexander

• Castle Speak with Stuart Gordon

• William Shatner interview with Stuart Gordon, Barbara Crampton, and Jeffrey Combs

• Videozone

• Trailer

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tokyo pop

 

release date: 5th may 2025

An underseen gem of ’80s American independent cinema by Fran Rubel Kuzui (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Tokyo Pop takes us on a breezy tour through bubble era Tokyo, replete with knowing nods to the city’s vibrant pop culture. Bleach-blonde wannabe rocker Wendy (Carrie Hamilton) is disillusioned with her life in New York City. After receiving a postcard from Japan saying “wish you were here,” she spontaneously hops on a plane to Tokyo with dreams of making it big as a singer. Quickly finding herself broke and a fish out of water, she moves into a youth hostel for gaijin (foreigners) and takes up work as a hostess at a karaoke bar. Just when she’s at her breaking point, she meets Hiro (Diamond Yukai), a rock ‘n’ roller whose band is looking for their big break. They form a romantic and musical connection and Hiro convinces Wendy to become their lead singer. Through a combination of hustle and luck, they stumble into their 15 minutes of fame, but Wendy soon comes to realize that being a gaijin rocker may be nothing more than a passing fad.

 

• Booklet

• Bonus footage

• Commentary by Fran Rubel Kuzui (director)

• Slipcase edition

• Video essay by James Balmont

• Director Q&A at the Japan Society

• Panel discussion at the Tokyo Film Festival

• Trailers

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throne of blood

 

release date: 19th may 2025

New restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s astonishing film that’s considered to be one of the great adaptations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. A truly remarkable film, Throne of Blood manages to combine beauty and terror to produce a mood of truly haunting power. Starring the irrepressible Toshiro Mifune as the doomed warlord Washizu and a wonderfully creepy turn by Isuzu Yamadaas the Lady Macbeth-inspired Asaji, the film shows Kurosawa’s familiar mastery of atmosphere and action combined with the savagery of war.

 

• Newly restored in 4K and presented in High Definition

• Introduction by Sir Ian McKellen (2016, 2 mins)

• Introduction to Throne of Blood by Mamoun Hassan (2012, 7 mins): the late writer, director, and producer introduces a screening of Akira Kurosawa’s film at the BFI Southbank

• Audio commentary by Japanese-film expert Michael Jeck

• Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create – Throne of Blood (2002, 23 mins): this documentary about the making of Throne of Blood features interviews with Akira Kurosawa, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, Noh performer Mitsuhiro Honda (from the Konparu School), and actress Isuzu Yamada

• Macbeth (1945, 16 mins): two scenes from Shakespeare’s famous Scottish tragedy, with Wilfrid Lawson and Cathleen Nesbitt as a fine murderous duo

• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with writing on the film by Alex Barrett, an essay on Kurosawa’s adaptations of Shakespeare by Ben Nicholson, Kurosawa on Throne of Blood (1964) and an original review

• All extras are TBC and subject to change 

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ishanou

 

release date: 26th may 2025

Aribam Syam Sharma’s Ishanou (‘The Chosen One’) is a poignant tale of love, faith and loss steeped in Manipuri culture. The film beautifully juxtaposes the spiritual world of the Maibis (priestesses) with everyday life, underlining the belief of how the occult and the material world exist in the same reality. Syam Sharma’s delicate approach, the stunning camerawork and understated performances, coupled with the vivid depiction of the Maibi culture and the use of the traditional music of Manipur (composed by the filmmaker himself), gives the film an authenticity that blends fiction, documentary and ethnography.

 

• Booklet

• Documentary: Ishanou at Cannes 2023

• Interview with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur (film-maker/archivist)

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seedpeople

 

release date: 12th may 2025

WHAT’S GOING ON IN COMET VALLEY? Something’s brewing in this quiet rural community: things are falling from the skies, people are acting strangely and there’s something very nasty waiting in the orchard… It’s up to visiting geologist Tom Baines (Sam Hennings – Drop Zone) to figure out the mystery: if he can’t, then the whole world is in trouble. From executive producer Charles Band (Trancers), Seedpeople is a smart update on Invasion of the Body Snatchers (and other old-skool sci-fi movies), complete with fearsome aliens and rubbery special effects.

 

• Bonus footage

• Commentary by Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz

• Original and newly commissioned artwork by Joel Robinson

• Trailers

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the railroad man

 

release date: 19th may 2025

Pietro Germi (The Facts of Murder) directs and stars in this deeply affecting drama about a train driver. Living modestly with his wife Sara (Luisa Della Noce), Andrea Marcocci’s life is thrown into turmoil when he witnesses a suicide on the tracks ahead of him. Tenderly narrated from the perspective of his young son Sandro (Edoardo Nevola), the incident has repercussions on Andrea and his extended family – including his unemployed son Marcello (Renato Speziali) and pregnant daughter Giulia (Sylva Koscina) – who he is expected to support. A huge success on release, with a tough, muscular performance by Germi at its centre, The Railroad Man should sit alongside the likes of Bicycle Thieves and La terra trema in the pantheon of great neorealistic classics.

 

• Booklet

• Bonus footage

• Interviews:

• Interview with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti

• Interview with actor Edoardo Nevola

• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters

• Trailers

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release date: 19th may 2025

Andy Warhol protege Paul Morrissey writes and directs this stylised cult adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic tale. Udo Kier plays the titular scientist who plans to create a new race of perfect humans and needs the brain of lusty young stableboy Nicholas (Joe Dallesandro) to complete his masterpiece. However, Frankenstein’s wife Katrin (Monique van Vooren) has her own plan for Nicholas…

 

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