The BFI has announced a special BFI IMAX programme curated by Academy Award and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman, Saltburn), created to complement the release of her sweeping romantic drama “WUTHERING HEIGHTS” (2026), which opens in IMAX with Laser at BFI IMAX from 13 February.
Emerald Fennell curates “Love Stories” at BFI IMAX
For this limited engagement, Fennell has selected four films. These films come from a longer list of thirteen “Love Stories” she has curated especially for the BFI. The titles are shown on the UK’s largest screen on Sundays throughout February. They offer a window into the films that have inspired her. They hint at what audiences can expect from her bold imagining of Emily Brontë’s classic novel.
The IMAX line-up includes:
- CRASH (David Cronenberg, 1996) – Digital 2K
- ROMEO + JULIET (Baz Luhrmann, 1996) – Digital 2K
- THE HANDMAIDEN – DIRECTOR’S CUT (Park Chan-wook, 2016) – Digital 4K
- THE BEGUILED (Sofia Coppola, 2017) – Digital
Writing exclusively for the BFI, Fennell reflects on how Wuthering Heights has always unsettled traditional ideas of romance:
“Since its publication 200 years ago, critics have challenged Wuthering Heights’ validity as a love story. It is too shocking, too cruel, too narratively strange to slip neatly into the world of romance, but it is a love story nonetheless. While researching it, I rewatched many of my own favourite ‘love stories’, ones that challenged, subverted, even obliterated the conventions of the genre. These are stories which put the love story under duress, which stick a needle into the strawberry trifle, which show love in all its freakish, gory detail.”
“WUTHERING HEIGHTS”: Emerald Fennell in conversation
Fennell will appear in person at BFI Southbank on 4 February. She will be there for “WUTHERING HEIGHTS: Emerald Fennell in Conversation”. She will discuss the making of her new big-screen adaptation ahead of its IMAX launch.
Fennell’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS is described as a bold and original imagining. It is seen as “one of the greatest love stories of all time”. It stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Their forbidden passion spirals from romantic to intoxicating. It evolves into an epic tale of lust, love and madness.
The full “Love Stories” list
Beyond the four IMAX titles, Fennell’s complete “Love Stories” selection for the BFI, chosen to complement and contextualise her version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS, includes:
- RANDOM HARVEST (Mervyn LeRoy, 1942)
- A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1946)
- FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (John Schlesinger, 1967)
- PEAU D’ÂNE (Jacques Demy, 1970)
- THE NIGHT PORTER (Liliana Cavani, 1974)
- BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)
- CRASH (David Cronenberg, 1996)
- ROMEO + JULIET (Baz Luhrmann, 1996)
- THE END OF THE AFFAIR (Neil Jordan, 1999)
- ROMANCE (Catherine Breillat, 1999)
- BLUEBEARD (Catherine Breillat, 2009)
- THE HANDMAIDEN – DIRECTOR’S CUT (Park Chan-wook, 2016)
- THE BEGUILED (Sofia Coppola, 2017)
The BFI has also shared Fennell’s own notes on some of these films in the IMAX programme:
- On THE HANDMAIDEN:“A spectacular adaptation of a spectacular book (Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith), The Handmaiden opens itself up slowly and to devastatingly sexy effect. A magic trick of a film that only gets cleverer the closer you look at it.”
- On CRASH:“As certain to cause arguments in the lobby as any film out there. Ice-cold, Brechtian, camp as hell, gorgeous in a profoundly inhuman way. The desire to connect taken to its bleakest point and left on the side of the motorway to die.”
- On ROMEO + JULIET:“This film subverted what an adaptation could look like. Iconoclastic, funny, beautiful, heartbreaking, it blew the dust off the source material like a hurricane.”
- On THE BEGUILED:“I could have chosen so many of Coppola’s films, her gift for the not-quite-love story is so profound. In The Beguiled, poor Colin Farrell is a Civil War soldier. He finds himself injured at a remote boarding school full of beautiful blondes. Things do not go well for him.”
Key dates and ticket information
At BFI IMAX:
- THE HANDMAIDEN – DIRECTOR’S CUT – Sun 1 Feb, 14:00
- CRASH – Sun 8 Feb, 14:30
- ROMEO + JULIET – Sun 15 Feb, 11:30
- THE BEGUILED – Sun 22 Feb, 12:30
- WUTHERING HEIGHTS (Emerald Fennell, 2026) – from Fri 13 Feb, in IMAX with Laser
At BFI Southbank:
- “WUTHERING HEIGHTS: Emerald Fennell in Conversation” – Wed 4 Feb, 20:00
Tickets for Emerald Fennell Curates “Love Stories” at BFI IMAX go on sale Wednesday 14 January:
- from 12:00 for BFI Members
- from 16:00 for the general public
Tickets for WUTHERING HEIGHTS at BFI IMAX (IMAX with Laser) are on sale the same day from 12:30. Details for the BFI Southbank conversation event will be announced soon.
Whether you are a filmmaker or just an aspiring one, you can start learning filmmaking. Simply purchase this book from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, we may receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
🎥 Follow The Hidden Review!
Stay ahead with the latest news, reviews, and interviews. Gain tips from our Blog and exclusive insights. Get behind-the-scenes updates on movies, TV shows, and more!
📌 Don’t miss out—hit that subscribe button and tap the bell for notifications. 🔔
🔍 Stay in the know with The Hidden Review:
✨ Discover what’s hidden, only with The Hidden Review.
©2026 The Hidden Review