BFI Southbank Formerly: National Film Theatre (NFT)

A beloved riverside hot spot situated between the National Theatre and the Southbank Centre art-and-music complex, the British Film Institute's three-screen flagship projects more than 1,000 films a year. Monthly themed seasons cover every imaginable aspect of film, from silent cinema, animation and avant-garde to Hollywood restorations, foreign obscurities and video, plus archived television episodes. Other features includes an archive mediatheque, library (formerly at Stephen St off Tottenham Court Rd), workshops, gallery, starry interviews, bookshop, and various food, drink and hanging-out options, with the latter now seeming to attract a majority not there to see a movie. BFI Southbank also hosts the annual London Film Festival (October) and BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival (March/April) — both major events with global appeal. Across the road is the BFI's 500-seat Odeon-operated IMAX cinema. Tube stations: Waterloo (south of the river) or Embankment (north of the river), the latter of which affords a splendid walk over either of the two Golden Jubilee Bridges (linked with Hungerford Bridge).