The BFI has announced the home entertainment releases lined up for January, February and March 2025, with all titles now available to pre-order.
Highlights of this first quarter of the new year include a new restoration of Guillermo del Toro’s debut feature CRONOS, the first volume of Belgian director Chantal Akerman’s groundbreaking films and this year’s Cannes Grand Prix winner, Payal Kapadia’s ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT.
20 January: HIGH AND LOW and STRAY DOG on Blu-ray
In January we bring two more films by master director Akira Kurosawa to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. HIGH AND LOW (1963) stars Toshiro Mifune as a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a kidnapper. This tense adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel is released ahead of Spike Lee’s upcoming remake. Mifune also stars as the homicide detective on the hunt for a stolen gun in Kurosawa’s masterful crime drama STRAY DOG(1949). Both Blu-rays come with new artwork designed by Matt Needle.
24 February: CRONOS on UHD and Blu-ray and CHANTAL AKERMAN VOLUME 1: 1967-1978 on Blu-ray
Late February will see the release of a new 4K restoration of Guillermo del Toro’s debut film CRONOS(1992). This independently produced vampire movie has since become regarded as one of the most important Mexican, and horror, films of all time. Starring Federico Luppi and Ron Perlman (who both went on to become regular actors in del Toro’s films), this restoration, available in Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray sets, has been personally approved by the director.
Also released this month is CHANTAL AKERMAN VOLUME 1: 1967-1978. Marking the first time the films by this incredibly important filmmaker have been readily available in the UK, the set includes Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) which famously topped the most recent Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time poll. Other highlights include the influential News from Home (1976) and the set contains extras including interviews.
17 March: ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT on Blu-ray/DVD and SANJURO and YOJIMBO together on UHD and Blu-ray
Following its upcoming UK-wide cinema release by BFI Distribution on 29 November, Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT is released in a Dual Format Edition. Already a hit with critics and at festivals across the globe, including the BFI London Film Festival last month, this beautiful feature about three female friends negotiating work, life and love in modern Mumbai, is set to feature in ‘Best Films of 2024’ lists.
Also in March, two Kurosawa samurai classics, YOJIMBO (1961) and its sequel SANJURO(1962),again both starring Toshiro Mifune, will be available together in new 4K UHD and Blu-ray sets. These hugely entertaining films went on to influence numerous directors such as Sergio Leone and Walter Hill.
Each of these BFI releases will contain a selection of extra features and an illustrated book/booklet (first pressing only) to provide contextual information.
All titles are available for customers to pre-order online now from the BFI Shop and other home entertainment retailers.
Bloody Flicks 