About us
Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image (BIMI) is a unique central London space for discovering the history of cinema, television and screen media, as well as exploring new directions in moving image culture. Located at Birkbeck, BIMI is a university-led cinema and cultural hub that investigates cinema, television and screen media through research, film cultures and public engagement, challenging conventional boundaries between academic inquiry and cultural participation.
Our public programming complements rigorous academic research. Our versatile 70-seat cinema, created in 2007 and RIBA award-winning, showcases both historical treasures and bold contemporary works. With wheelchair access from the Gordon Square pavement, 35mm projection capabilities for archival screenings, excellent sound, and a piano for silent-era accompaniment, we have created an intimate venue that honours cinema’s rich heritage while embracing its evolving future. Our regular Magic Lantern shows add further dimensions to the moving image experience.
As the first true cinema venue within a British university, BIMI has pioneered imaginative public engagement that brings together original programming with academic events and creative dialogue. Students from across the UG and PG film programmes use and learn in the cinema by showcasing, programming and curating film and screen media work.
BIMI bridges academia and public culture through diverse partnerships that foreground experimental, archival, and politically engaged filmmaking - and was the home of the Essay Film Festival (2015-2022). We preserve and celebrate moving-image heritage while making film history genuinely accessible. BIMI is also part of an innovative network of creative and critical practice-based research, working closely with the Derek Jarman Lab (DJL), the Vasari Centre for Art and Technology, the Peltz Gallery and the Centre for Creative AI, all within the Creative Practice Lab, which fosters knowledge exchange across the creative arts. Through collaborations with other departments at Birkbeck, as well as with external cultural institutions and festival partners, we ensure that anyone - regardless of background or resources - can engage with the transformative power of the moving image.
Launched in 2013 under founding director Laura Mulvey’s visionary leadership, BIMI was subsequently guided by Michael Temple - who was also Director of the Essay Film Festival - (2015-2022) and Ian Christie (2022-2025), with Janet McCabe taking the helm in August 2025 to lead BIMI into its next chapter. Since 2016, BIMI’s programme has been managed by Matthew Barrington.
Our audiences
Most of our events are free of charge and open to the public, but we ask donations via the GoodBox to support our work. Pre-booking is highly advisable. As our programme addresses a variety of social, cultural and political issues related to academic research, we attract a broad range of people to our events, including academics, students, artists, curators, independent researchers, activists and the general public.
Our people
Director: Dr. Janet McCabe
Manager: Dr. Matthew Barrington
Advisory Board: Dr. Bartek Dziadosz, Dr. Eleni Liarou, Dr. Dorota Ostrowska