The British Film Institute in South Bank

The British Film Institute aka BFI is one of the many wonderful cultural institutes in South Bank, London's cultural hub by the River Thames.

Apart from watching films at the cinema, there are other interesting things you can do at the BFI.

The BFI Mediatheque lets you watch over 33,000 short films, TV shows, rare films, documentaries and more. Use the headphone and the touchscreen to select what you'd like to watch. There are themed collections curated by the BFI to help you choose.

The BFI also has a lovely little gallery in the mezzanine, featuring exhibitions related to the world of cinema, with posters, costumes, movie scripts etc.

Another point of interest at the BFI is the library, where you get free and open access to book and journals about British and international cinema.

Extra tip: Right outside the BFI you'll find the South Bank book market. It's a lovely second hand book market loved by locals and tourists.