The Brighton School in the late 19th century was a hotbed of cinema and arguably the most fundamentally important group of filmmakers in cinema history. They invented the close-up and continuity editing. British cinema itself wouldn’t ever hold quite as pioneering a role again. From the 1920s to 40s it produced quality domestic films, but Hollywood dominated the prestige bracket, and every great British director left for American money.

It was during the war that this began to be challenged, thanks to the works of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, like The Red Shoes, the emergence of Ealing Studios and more that captured the resilient, eccentric spirit of post-war Britain. Britain would take Italian neorealism’s influence and fit it into their society by inventing Kitchen Sink realism (Sometimes called the British New Wave) when directors like Tony Richardson and Ken Loach pivoted the camera away from upper-class dramas to focus on the gritty, raw realities of the working class in industrial towns. Concurrently, “Swinging London” birthed a stylised, vibrant pop-culture explosion epitomised by the James Bond franchise and Beatlemania, while Hammer Horror redefined the gothic genre for global audiences.

Britain has a very strong internal film industry with strong institutional support, and this has enabled the careers of auteurs like Mike Leigh and Danny Boyle; however, it’s also a major player in the global box office: Harry Potter, Christopher Nolan, and James Bond. Meaning it’s a thriving interconnected industry and modern directors continue to push boundaries, like Jonathan Glazer and Steve McQueen.