The first MK3D of 2024 was the 87th edition of the show at the BFI Southbank, hosted by Mark Kermode and we kicked off the show with the Here’s the Thing segment, to talk about some Awards Season news.

Mark talked about the only two Awards ceremonies that are of any importance: The Critics Circle Film Awards which happen on 4 February at the May Fair Hotel, which Mark is presenting. And the Girls On Film Awards which take place on 20 February at Regent Street Cinema – which this year, are open to the public. Seats go on sale on 27 January. Mark also flagged up two Girls On Film screenings, free to subscribers of their newsletter: they are MAESTRO on 23 January followed by a Q&A with Carey Mulligan, and KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON on 28 January followed by a Q&A with Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone. A few tickets are still available: email girlsonfilmsocial@gmail.com to apply for tickets.

Mark’s first guests on the show were Jane Giles and Ali Catterall to talk about their documentary SCALA!!! OR THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE RISE AND FALL OF THE WORLD’S WILDEST CINEMA AND HOW IT INFLUENCED A MIXED-UP GENERATION OF WEIRDOS AND MISFITS. The release of the film is accompanied by a BFI Season entitled SEX, DRUGS & ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CINEMA, which includes films like THUNDERCRACK, CLOCKWORK ORANGE and FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL! KILL!

Mark also showed a “very Scala” mash-up of DOUGAL AND THE BLUE CAT and THE WICKER MAN – entitled DOUGAL AND THE WICKER MAN, which was Ali Caterall’s first film.

Next up Mark talked about THE END WE START FROM which releases this coming Friday, and invited director Mahalia Belo and screenwriter Alice Birch onto the stage. You will know Alice for her writing of LADY MACBETH, NORMAL PEOPLE, THE WONDER and DEAD RINGERS. Mahalia Belo won a TV BAFTA Breakthrough Talent Award in 2017 for ELLEN and a BAFTA nomination for THE LONG SONG. Alice and Mahalia talked about their collaboration on THE END WE START FROM, about working with its star Jodie Comer, and about working with babies on set.

Mark asked them to talk about the films that had influenced them. Alice Birch chose John Cassavetes’ A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, which changed the way she writes. She talked about the ‘spaghetti scene’ which features a large group of people sitting around the table, and Gena Rowland’s extraordinary performance in it opposite Peter Falk as her husband. Mahalia Belo chose Lynne Ramsay’s RATCATCHER, which was the first film she saw that was directed by a woman, and inspired her to become a director herself.

Next Mark moved to the ASK THE AUDIENCE segment and the questions involved gems like: what film would you make your worst enemy watch?

Mark moved on to POOR THINGS, Yorgos’ Lanthimos feature starring Emma Stone, easily the most talked about film this year, which is out in cinemas now. We were thrilled to welcome composer Jerskin Fendrix whose fantastic score is an integral part of the emotional immediacy and success of the film. Jerskin has a cameo in the dance scene in POOR THINGS, playing a fictional musical instrument. He talked about his experiences of writing the score during lockdown and his close collaboration with Yorgos. The latter told Mark recently that he thinks of Fendrix as ‘his musical muse’.

Finally Mark welcomed Andrew Haigh, director of ALL OF US STRANGERS, and its star Claire Foy. Nominated for a ton of BIFAs, ALL OF US STRANGERS won several, including Best British Independent film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Andrew Haigh is known for his films WEEKEND, 45 YEARS and LEAN ON PETE and Claire Foy is best known for playing the Queen in the first season of THE CROWN, and for WOMEN TALKING, WOLF HALL and A VERY BRITISH SCANDAL.

Mark talked to both guests about the narrative of the film, and getting the tonal balance just right, in the interaction between Claire Foy as the mother and Andrew Scott as her son.

Mark asked Claire to reveal a performance that had influenced her and she talked eloquently about Marion Cotillard, who won an Oscar for playing Edith Piaf in LA VIE EN ROSE – and the spine-tingling way in which she conveyed shock in one of the pivotal scenes. Andrew talked about The Film That Changed His Life, DON’T LOOK NOW, which had a seminal influence on his work as a director.

We finished the show with a SOUND & VISION segment, paying tribute once more to Marion Cotillard in LA VIE EN ROSE and her searing rendition of the song Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.

With thanks to Charlotte Matheson for her help in pulling together the guests and assisting on the night, and to Julie Edwards Photography for stunning photos. Also to the BFI team Sophie Kendrick, Hannah Greenwood, Josh Glenn and Stuart Brown.

18 December was the 86th #MK3D @BFI, and we celebrated Christmas early by hosting a lineup of all-singing, all-dancing guests: Ian McKellen, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Molly Manning Walker, George MacKay, Jason Isaacs and special musical guests, The Dodge Brothers’ Mike Hammond and composer/drummer Stephen Hiscock.

The show opened with an original Dodge Brothers song from their new EP Trim Your (Christmas) Tree with Mike on piano and Mark on the double bass.

First on the stage was the legendary actor Ian McKellen, who talked about the new film adaptation of HAMLET, in which he plays the title role. Mark and Ian spoke about the difference between acting and audiences for film and for theatre, and the blind casting of Ian’s new film. The MK3D audience was also treated to a spontaneous rendition of a famous soliloquy from HAMLET.

Next to join Mark on stage were actor Mia McKenna-Bruce and writer and director Molly Manning Walker, who talked about their film HOW TO HAVE SEX. Mia spoke about how Kate Winslet’s performance in TITANIC had had a profound impact on her, and revealed that she was so traumatised by the film when she watched it as a five-year-old, that her mother asked her grandfather to call her pretending to be the film’s director James Cameron to assure her that Jack and Rose were made up!

Mark then welcomed actor George MacKay on stage to talk about his new film FEMME, for which he won the Best Lead Performance with his co-star Nathan Jarrett-Stewart at the BIFAs. George spoke about Roberto De Niro as a major influence, especially in Scorsese’s iconic RAGING BULL.

Lastly, Mark said hello to Jason Isaacs, who came on stage to discuss his recent series ARCHIE, where he stars as Cary Grant. Jason spoke about the challenges of depicting an authentic version of such a contradictory man’s life, before talking about a film that had a great influence on him, especially in his teenage years: Lawrence Kasdan’s THE BIG CHILL.

Mark drew the show to a close by inviting his guests, plus Executive Producer Hedda Archbold, up on stage for a performance of I’ll Be Home For Christmas and a rousing rendition of Run Run Rudolph.

With thanks to Charlotte Matheson, Nick Jones, Josh Glenn, Hannah Greenwood, Sophie Kendrick, Stuart Brown, Clair Dobbs, Molly Driver, Robyn Murphy, Marek Steven, Rosina Fielder, and Julia Nowicka for making it all run so smoothly. And of course for Julie Edwards Photography for the fabulous photographs.

Last night was the 85th #MK3D @BFI, and Mark celebrated by hosting a stellar lineup of guests: Joanna Hogg, William Oldroyd, Jeanie Finlay and Emerald Fennell.

First on stage was Joanna Hogg, who talked about her new BIFA-nominated film THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER, which stars Tilda Swinton in a dual-performance of mother and daughter against the eery backdrop of a stately home in North Wales. Joanna talked about the process behind making this film, and revealed some of the light relief she indulges in as a Guilty Pleasure in-between shoots, including the cartoon Rick and Morty, which she called ‘anarchic’ and ‘very meta’.

Next to join Mark on stage was director William Oldroyd, who previously directed BAFTA-nominated drama LADY MACBETH, to talk about his new film EILEEN, which stars Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie both working in a prison in 1960s Boston. William talked about adapting the film from Ottessa Moshfegh award-winning novel, and described his Hitchockian noir as ‘The perfect Christmas story’.

Mark then welcomed back Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Jeanie Finlay, who talked about her upcoming doc YOUR FAT FRIEND, which follows the life of US-based writer and fat activist Aubrey Gordon. She described meeting the film’s subject, recalling that ‘her writing was tender, I didn’t know who I was going to find’. In fact she found a lively, funny and raucously entertaining woman. Jeanie highlighted the way she likes to balance the emotional tone in her work: ‘If you laugh more, it makes you cry harder’. She also talked about Hirokazu Kazeeda’s AFTER LIFE as a life-changing film.

Our final guest was Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell, who came on the show to talk about her self-confessedly ‘depraved’ new film SALTBURN. She spoke about the film’s characters as ‘the kind of people you desperately want to like you, or you desperately want to sleep with.’ On writing SALTBURN during lockdown, Emerald described the impulse to write it as ‘what happens to you when you can’t touch people and fluids are forbidden’. For a film that inspired her, Emerald chose CRUEL INTENTIONS, recalling how, when it was released, the film caused ‘immediate loss of virginity’ in her class at school.

Finally Mark paid tribute to the late Richard Roundtree, best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film SHAFT, by playing the film’s iconic opening credits complete with its iconic funk soundtrack.

With thanks to Charlotte Matheson, Josh Glenn, Hannah Greenwood, Sophie Kendrick, Stuart Brown, Jill Reading, Matt Dinsdale, Kelsey O’Connor and Laura Symons for making it all run so smoothly.

And of course to Julie Edwards for the fabulous photographs.

This month saw the 84th #MK3D @BFI, where Mark discussed all things film with four fantastic guests: Adura Onashile, David C. Fein, Thelma Schoonmaker and Kevin MacDonald.

First on stage was Adura Onashile, who talked about her debut feature film GIRL, which was shown as part of the LFF and won Best Narrative Feature at the BlackStar Film Festival.

Next to join Mark on stage was producer David C. Fein who spoke about STAR TREK : THE MOTION PICTURE – THE DIRECTOR’S EDITION and shared side by side comparisons of the original STAR TREK film from 1979, and the updated Director’s Edition from 2022.

Mark paid tribute to the icon of British cinema, the late Terence Davies, who passed away on 7 October 2023. His extraordinary legacy includes DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES and OF TIME AND THE CITY.

Mark then welcomed Hollywood royalty Thelma Schoonmaker onstage to discuss KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, the most recent film she has edited in a fifty five year collaboration with Martin Scorsese, which has earned her eight Oscar nominations. She then shared fascinating insights into the work of legendary filmmaking duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger as part of the UK-wide launch of UNBOUND CINEMA: THE CREATIVE WORLDS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER.

Our fourth guest was BAFTA winning filmmaker Kevin MacDonald, who is the biographer and grandson of Emeric Pressburger. Mark asked Kevin and Thelma to share their highlights from the Powell and Pressburger season, which included I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING!, EDGE OF THE WORLD, and THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP.

UNBOUND CINEMA: THE CREATIVE WORLDS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER runs from 16 October to 31 December 2023.

With thanks to Charlotte Matheson, Josh Glenn, Sophie Kendrick, Stuart Brown, Rhidian Davis, Sarah Bemand, Tash Malhotra and Dave Norris for making it all run so smoothly. And of course for Julie Edwards for the fabulous photographs.