BROKEN ENGLISH BARBICAN LAUNCH

To mark the UK theatrical release of our new film Broken English, about Marianne Faithfull, a special live preview film screening and concert will take place at the Barbican on 18th March 2026.

Photo: Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images

The evening includes an exclusive preview of the film ahead of its release, followed by live music performances from the film’s house band: Anna Calvi, Rob Ellis, Ed Harcourt, Anna Phoebe, Adrian Utley (Portishead). The band will be joined by a line up of special guests, each singing songs from across Faithfull’s career.

Starring George MacKay and Tilda Swinton, the film unfolds within The Ministry of Not Forgetting — an imagined, cinematic institution where memory and mythology collide. With a cast including Sophia Di Martino, Zawe Ashton and Calvin Demba and performances from friends and collaborators including Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Beth Orton, Courtney Love, Jehnny Beth and Suki Waterhouse. The film traces a life shaped by fame and reinvention. Across six decades and more than 35 albums, Faithfull emerged as one of the most distinctive voices of her generation, whose work continues to influence music and culture. A Rustic Canyon Pictures and Phantoscopic production, produced by Beth Earl.

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https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/broken-english

“The layered structure on which Broken English rests is the fictional ‘Ministry of Not Forgetting’ (led by Tilda Swinton and her trusty interviewer George MacKay), who take Marianne on a journey into a rich and event-filled past. Images, clips and interviews are interspersed with musical responses by Beth Orton, Courtney Love and Nick Cave. Triumphantly defying categorisation, Pollard and Forsyth (20,000 Days on Earth, The Extraordinary Miss Flower) expertly rewire the documentary genre once more with their most ambitious film to date.”

Kristy Matheson, BFI Festivals Director

More info: www.brokenenglish.film