What is BFI Player? Video on Demand explained

There are tons of great streaming sites to choose from these days, but what if you’re looking for something a little more niche? This is where the BFI Player comes in.

Unlike Netflix or Disney Plus, BFI Player doesn’t deal with the latest blockbusters or TV series. Instead, the site focuses on collecting independent films dating from 2022 back to more than a century ago.

Here’s everything you need to know about BFI Player…

What is BFI Player?

BFI Player is an on-demand film streaming service from the British Film Institute (BFI) where you can find “famous, notable and archive films” with an emphasis on British and European independent films as well as international releases.

Some movies are available on a subscription basis, while some have to be rented and others are completely free.

How do I subscribe to BFI Player?

Many of the new and classic films on BFI Player are exclusive to subscribers, meaning you’ll need to pay for a subscription to stream them on demand.

Fortunately, the BFI offers a 14-day free trial, so you can try the service for two weeks before committing to a monthly or annual subscription. Once your 14 days are up, you’ll have the option of paying £4.99 per month or £49 per year. That means you’ll save around £10 a year by choosing the latter.

BFI is also currently offering an extended one-month trial with the code SUMMER22, so be sure to enter it before your trial starts to take advantage of the offer.

You can find a list of all available with a subscription on the BFI Player website.

Rental and free content

Many movies – including some currently available in theaters – are only available for rental. This means they are not included in a BFI Player subscription (but still require you to create a BFI Player account)

Rentals start from £2.50, with some going as high as £10, although most seem to cost around £3.50.

You can also get a 15% discount on hire with BFI membership, which is different to a BFI Player subscription and gives you access to special events, previews and screenings at BFI Southbank and BFI Festivals for £37 a year.

You can see the site’s featured rentals here.

Finally, there’s plenty of free content to stream on the BFI Player. The collection includes BFI short and feature films, national and regional archives spanning 120 years.

You don’t even need to make an account to stream these movies. All you have to do is select a title from the BFI Player website and press “Watch Free”.