Film 4

Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films.

Film4 did not originally focus on broadcasting blockbusters, but nowadays broadcasts mainly mainstream Hollywood movies. The channel frequently has themed nights or seasons in which a number of films centred around one genre, director or actor are shown. As Channel 4 also owns a film production company, Film4 Productions, it shows many of its in-house productions.

Occasional non-film (but film-related) programmes are also shown.

Wherever possible, films are shown in their correct aspect ratio. No digital on-screen graphics are superimposed. Under UK broadcasting rules, it was able to screen most films unedited and in earlier timeslots when it was a subscription channel, but these concessions were lost when it became free-to-air, and more adult material is now confined to after the 9pm watershed. Some films are also now edited to make them suitable for pre-watershed screenings, a decision which was criticised by viewers on the channel's now defunct internet forum.

To alert the public to it going free-to-air, Film4 launched a massive campaign directed by Kevin Spaceyfeaturing major celebrities advertising Film4 in odd ways. The slogan of the campaign was "FILMS FOR FREE". Examples include:

• Judi Dench in a lobster costume, operatically singing the words "Film Four!"
• Lucy Liu in a banner plane, insulting Ray Winstone and Christian Slater who have incorrectly erected a 'Film4 is free' sign, whilst her own banner is displayed upside-down.
• Ewan McGregor in a tomato costume, talking to Judi Dench about whether he is a fruit or a vegetable.
• Gael García Bernal putting leaflets, advertising Film4, onto cars and setting off their alarms. To which he then throws the remaining leaflets in the air.
• Willem Dafoe saying to one of the advertising campaigners (played by Mackenzie Crook), "First day? It'll get better."
• Rhys Ifans advertising the channel door-to-door, but often having a door slammed in his face.

These are some of the films that they produced 

• 24 Hour Party People (co-production with United Artists, UK Film Council and Baby Cow Productions)
• A Month in the Country (co-production with Euston Films)
• A Room with a View (co-production with Merchant Ivory Productions and Goldcrest Films)
• A Zed and Two Noughts (co-production with British Film Institute and Artificial Eye)
• And When Did You Last See Your Father?
• Beautiful Thing
• Birthday Girl
• Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
• Brassed Off (co-production with Miramax Films and Prominent Features)
• Brothers of the Head
• Buena Vista Social Club
• Buffalo Soldiers (film) (co-production with Good Machineand Miramax Films)
• Bunny and the Bull (co-production with Warp X Productions,Wild Bunch, Optimum Releasing, Screen Yorkshire and UK Film Council)
• Charlotte Gray (co-production with Ecosse Films andWarner Bros.)
• Dancer in the Dark
• Dead Man's Shoes
• Comrades (co-production with now-defunct National Film Finance Corporation)
• Death To Smoochy (co-production with Senator Film andWarner Bros.)
• Deep Water
• Dogma (produced by View Askew)
• East Is East
• Elizabeth (co-production with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Working Title Films)
• Enduring Love
• Fever Pitch
• Four Lions (co-production with Warp Films, Wild Bunch andOptimum Releasing)
• Four Weddings and a Funeral (co-production with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Working Title Films)

• Funny Games (co-production with Warner Independent Pictures and Tartan Films)
• Hallam Foe
• Happy-Go-Lucky (co-production with Ingenious Film Partners and Summit Entertainment)
• Hidden City
• In Bruges (co-production with Focus Features)
• Late Night Shopping
• Lucky Break (co-production with Paramount Pictures andMiramax Films)
• Me and You and Everyone We Know
• My Beautiful Laundrette (co-production with SAF Productions and Working Title Films)
• P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
• Red Monarch
• Series 7: The Contenders
• Sexy Beast (Co-production with Kanzaman, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Recorded Picture Company)
• Slumdog Millionaire (co-production with Fox Searchlight Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Pathé and Celador Films)
• The Crying Game (co-production with British Screen, Eurotrustees, Nippon Film Development and Finance and Palace Pictures)
• The Future is Unwritten: Joe Strummer
• The Last King of Scotland (co-production with DNA Filmsand Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (Co-production withUniversal Pictures and Tiger Aspect)
• The Lovely Bones (co-production with DreamWorks Pictures)
• The Madness of King George (co-production with The Samuel Goldwyn Company
• The Motorcycle Diaries
• The Pope Must Die (co production with Miramax Films, Palace Pictures and Michael White)
• The Straight Story (co-production with StudioCanal and Walt Disney Pictures)
• This Is England
• Touching the Void
• Trainspotting
• Venus (co-production with UK Film Council and Miramax Films)
• Wish You Were Here