UK Premiere: Whistle Down the Wind (35mm)

On the centenary of his birth, BFI National Archive presents a brand new 35mm print of Brian Forbes' directorial debut, which put the rural North of England on screen and launched the screen career of Alan Bates. To mark the centenary of the birth of one of the most versatile and influential figures in postwar British cinema, Bryan Forbes (1926-2013), we present Whistle Down the Wind in a brand new 35mm print from the BFI National Archive following its showing at Il Cinema Ritrovato festival. Set in Lancashire, the film can be seen as part of the British New Wave thanks to its striking use of location shooting in the North of England, and for giving Alan Bates his first starring role. When an injured criminal (Alan Bates) takes refuge in the barn of a remote farm, the owner's three children (led by Hayley Mills as Kathy) believe they are witnesses to the Second Coming of Christ. They keep his presence a secret from the sceptical adults around them, convinced he will suffer the same fate as on his first earthly visit. The film is unique in its authentic presentation of rural Lancashire life, mixing professional actors with local children, all brilliantly directed by Forbes. The script by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall interrogates religious ideas through a child's eyes, immersing the audience in their world and providing a blend of humour and poignancy rarely matched in British cinema. A brand new 35mm print made in 2026 by BFI National Archive at Haghefilm, Netherlands. The soundtrack was scanned by the BFI National Archive and restored by Molinare, London. Funding provided by Simon and Harley Hessel. With an introduction by Josephine Botting (Curator, BFI National Archive and author of upcoming BFI Film Classic Whistle Down the Wind).