Film4 Summer Screen Pre-Sale Book Now
Film4 Summer Screen at Somerset House returns this August, bringing you a film lover’s dream season with 14 nights of the best of classic, cult and contemporary cinema in the iconic Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, including fun double-bill nights and red carpet premieres presented in surround sound and with state-of-the-art projection on London’s largest outdoor screen. This year's distinguished selection features inspirational stories of ambition, freedom and equality, celebrations of love, nostalgia and desire, with some of the most fantastical narratives and scenery ever seen on screen.
The Somerset House E-newsletter Subscribers Pre-Sale is open from 10.00 on Wed 16 May. Tickets go on general sale on Friday 18 May at 10.00.
Please note, during busy periods we operate an online queueing system to ensure that traffic to our website is managed safely.
OPENING PREMIERE: THE WIFE
THU 9 AUG
Glenn Close, who will introduce the film with director Björn Runge, delivers one of the finest performances of her remarkable career in this compelling and very timely drama about a woman emerging from the shadow of her famous husband.
Join us for the UK premiere of what's sure to be a major award-winner come the end of the year, as well as one of 2018's most talked about films.
Join us for the UK premiere of what's sure to be a major award-winner come the end of the year, as well as one of 2018's most talked about films.
2018, 100 mins, Cert TBC
INCEPTION
FRI 10 AUG
An awe-inspiring, mind-bending thrill-ride into the subconscious from Christopher Nolan, director of Dunkirk and The Dark Knight featuring an all-star cast.
This fantastically imaginative and densely plotted thriller demands to be seen on the big-screen, as urban landscapes transform in spectacular fashion and reality constantly shifts the deeper you travel into the story. Summer Screen’s journey into the dream life of cinema takes off from here on in.
2010, 148 mins, 12
DOUBLE BILL
LABYRINTH
SAT 11 AUG
Settle in – you’re about to go on an amazing odyssey. For one night only Somerset House is transformed into a world of extravagant fantasy and musical delight with two of cinema’s most beloved dream-world adventures.
The first part of the evening will take you into Labyrinth, the endlessly surprising and creature-filled fairytale from the minds of Muppet maestro Jim Henson, Star Wars creator George Lucas, Monty Python’s Terry Jones and legendary designer Brian Froud.
1986, 101 mins, U
1986, 101 mins, U
THE WIZARD OF OZ
SAT 11 AUG
Later in the evening, we’re off down the Yellow Brick road to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
With Judy Garland delivering iconic songs that have stood the test of time and old friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion along for companionship, this is the perfect way to re-discover a film classic. So put on those ruby slippers and join us for a dream double-bill.
1939, 103 mins, U
REBECCA
SUN 12 AUG
A young woman enters a world of shadows and secrets in this lavish gothic melodrama, the perfect story for a cosy Sunday night under the stars.
The master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock made his American directorial debut with this adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s best-seller, celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, creating a haunting romantic thriller that hooks you right in from its iconic opening line: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
1940, 130 mins, PG
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
MON 13 AUG
Take a trip into the mind of a movie star in this hilarious and highly original comedy from two of cinema’s most inventive and unclassifiable talents, directorSpike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman.
Both Jonze and Kaufman received Oscar nominations for directing and writing respectively, and the pair have gone on to boggle the minds of audiences and broaden the horizons of cinema. We’ve all seen odd and hard to describe films over the years, but nothing matches Malkovich.
1999, 110 mins, 15
20 FEET FROM STARDOM
TUE 14 AUG
An evening of soul-stirring, spirit-lifting and roof raising songs and stories, courtesy of the Oscar winning documentary that shines a spotlight on some of music’s most under-appreciated artists: the backing singers.
It’s when we see and hear the phenomenal women perform that the film truly soars, turning this documentary into an overwhelming and uplifting testament to the power of music and the human voice.
2013, 91 mins, 12A
CAROL
WED 15 AUG
A story of forbidden love and powerful yet unspoken feelings, starring the magnificent Cate Blanchett in the title role and Rooney Mara as the younger woman who fatefully catches her eye.
A film in which every moving part miraculously seems to fall perfectly into place, this really is a modern masterpiece. Come and fall in love at Somerset House.
2015, 118 mins, 15
BLUE VELVET
THU 16 AUG
Step into the dream world of David Lynch if you dare. Blue Velvet is the film with which he made his name, winning him an Oscar nomination and establishing him as an artist with a unique voice and sensibility.
This is a film that will make you look at the world around you in a different way, starting the moment you step into the Somerset House courtyard and into David Lynch’s world.
1986, 120 mins, 18
LA BELLE ET LA BETE + BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
FRI 17 AUG
A sublime evening of classic fables, fairytales and creature features, pairing two short but timeless classics that together will transport you to another time and directly into a world of cinematic dreams.
Cocteau's La belle et la bêteperfectly conjures the feel of being enmeshed in a waking dream, while director James Whale's 1935 Bride of Frankenstein is widely considered one of the greatest sequels of all time.
1946, 93 mins, PG
1935, 75mins, PG
1935, 75mins, PG
DOUBLE BILL
TOTAL RECALL
SAT 18 AUG
The dark side of dreams is explored in this double-bill of dystopian science-fiction and vivid nightmares. More simply put, it's Arnold Schwarzenegger versus Freddy Krueger - the movie match-up that nobody expected.
Director Paul Verhoeven, the man behind RoboCop and Starship Troopers, creates more mayhem with this colourful, violent, blackly comic and relentlessly enjoyable romp that doesn't pause for breath from first scene to last.
1990, 113 mins, 15
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
SAT 18 AUG
You'll need to stay wide awake as we approach midnight because, "one, two, Freddy's coming for you!" This subconscious slasher hit from director Wes Craven (who went on to create Scream) was a landmark of horror upon its release in 1984.
Featuring a very early performance from a fresh faced Johnny Depp, this is one film that demands you stay up late and stick together with friends as the night falls at Somerset House.
1984, 91 mins, 18
SLEEPING BEAUTY
SUN 19 AUG
Join us for a night that will truly be Once Upon a Dream as the Walt Disney classic fills the courtyard with colour, romance, music and animated magic. This 1959 favourite was Disney’s most elaborate and expensive film at the time of release, and even now you can still see how special it is.
And for a summer’s evening under the stars what could be better than the instantly recognisable music adapted from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet, from which the film’s signature song also emerges. Simply put, this is what dreams are made of.
1959, 75 mins, U
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
MON 20 AUG
Summer Screen presents one of the most perfect evocations of first love, a rapturous film that has become an instant classic in less than a year.
Experiencing this film – one that glows with heat, passion and beauty – in the beautiful surroundings of the Somerset House courtyard, filled with summer lovers, promises to be an experience not to be missed and never to be forgotten.
2017, 129 mins, 15
SELMA
TUE 21 AUG
A film of formidable power from director Ava DuVernay, who turns an episode from the history of the civil rights struggle into an incendiary dramatic thriller, sacrificing neither political complexity nor human emotion along the way.
This is undoubtedly a film to watch on the big screen and to share with others, both to celebrate the power of Ava DuVernay’s vision and to feel the strength in coming together as a group for a collective experience.
2015, 127 mins, 12
CLOSING NIGHT PREMIERE: AMERICAN ANIMALS
WED 22 AUG
Film4 Summer Screen closes with a white-knuckle heist thriller, the unbelievable true story of four students who mistake their lives for a movie and attempt to pull of one of the most audacious art-thefts in recent US history.
American Animals features rising young stars Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan and is from the BAFTA-winning director Bart Layton, who will introduce the premiere.
2018, 116 mins, 18
NEW SHORT FILM COMMISSION -
FOR SOOTH
New this year, Somerset House has commissioned a short film to be screened ahead of each evening’s feature film, setting the atmosphere for the fantastical stories ahead. Starring David Cann (Brass Eye), For Soothhas been created by performance artist Mel Brimfieldand filmmaker Ewan Jones Morris, both are artists in Somerset House Studios.
UPGRADE YOUR EVENING
Enjoy one of Bryn Williams' delicious picnic hampers for two to share. Hampers can be ordered in advance for you to pick up on the evening of your screening and can be tailored to your dietary requirements.
A range of food is also available to buy on site, and there's a fully-licensed bar and coffee point. This year we’ll also be serving delicious street food from a pop-up food stall serving pizza and nachos.
For the ultimate experience, back-rests and blankets for extra comfort and warmth can be pre-ordered in advance, and for those who want a seat, a very limited number of seated tickets are available at the rear of the courtyard for all screenings.