BFI Mediatheque

Did you know you can watch free films at the Library of Birmingham? No? Well, read on…
The BFI installed it’s «Mediatheque» on level 3 of the new Library. I hadn’t even noticed it was there until I was wandering around with my lovely other half and spotted the cute red and white booths in a random corner of the building.
On further investigation, I realised what it was! There are over 2,500 free films to watch within the database and you can either bring your own headphones or purchase some from the Library for £1 to watch. The seats are big enough for a couple of people, so you could even take a date along to watch a classic.
You need to get a login number from the customer service desk on level 3, but the whole process should only take you a few minutes. You can even peruse the selections before you go down here (
), to make that massive archive easier to manage before you go!
Now, unfortunately… It doesn’t always seem to work… Sometimes the log in’s go a bit screwy or the screens are a bit shonky, but there are quite a few units here and you can always ask a member of staff to help if there is an issue (they will probably turn it off and on again for you if needs be).
As I have discovered a new found love of old film recently, a visit to the Mediatheque is a must if you’re in town for a few hours or just want to uncover a hidden gem in the BFI archive.