How do I watch films?

The basics:

You can watch BFI Player films in the UK only, because of licensor restrictions.  BFI Player films cannot be watched via a VPN.

To stream our films, you must have internet access and a BFI Player compatible device. You cannot download films.

Supported devices and apps:

BFI Player films can be played on: PC; Mac; iOS devices - iPhone and iPad; Android mobile and tablet devices; and selected Samsung Smart TVs (2015-2023).

In order to view films on iOS devices, you need to go to the App Store and update to the latest version of the BFI Player app. Then you can browse and watch films on the app.

On Android devices, please go to Google Play whilst on your Android device and install the latest version of the BFI Player app. You will then be able to browse and watch films on the app.

Unfortunately digital festival screenings are not available on BFI Player’s Samsung TV app, Amazon Prime channel or the Apple TV channel. They cannot be viewed on Smart TVs with a web browser, via Chromecast from an iOS device or using AirPlay.

Supported operating system versions:

We support the latest versions of the most popular operating systems, browsers (the latest version and the two previous major versions) and devices.

At a minimum, you should use the following for a good playback experience:

  • PC: Windows 10 or higher
  • Mac: macOS 11 or higher
  • iOS: iOS 13 or higher
  • Android: V11 or higher
  • Samsung Smart TV (2015-2022)

Currently we do not support playback on the Linux operating system or Firefox browser on Android devices.

If you are watching on a supported device and operating system and you still experience playback issues, please contact LiveChat.

Watching on your TV:

You can cast films to Chromecast devices from your Chrome browser or our iOS app, and to an Apple TV device from our iOS app via AirPlay.  The Chromecast icon on browser is on the video player on the far right of the control panel.

You can watch films on your TV by plugging your laptop or computer into your TV or projector via an HDMI cable.  (Please note your device and cable must be HDCP compliant. 

Broadband connection:

We offer adaptive bitrate for playback that automatically adjusts to your internet connection speed.

However, buffering or pixelation may occur on internet connections below 5 Mbps.