Film Institution - Film 4

Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Switzerland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films. Film4 did not originally focus on broadcasting blockbusters, but nowadays broadcasts many 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.

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.

Film 4 Productions include successful films such as:

127 hours, Four Lions, This is England, Slumdog Millionaire, The Inbetweeners Movie and the highly rated new release The Iron Lady.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, is an Anglo-Franco biopic about Margaret Thatcher, the longest serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century, portrayed primarily by Meryl Streep, but also, in her formative and early political years, by Alexandra Roach. Thatcher's husband,Denis Thatcher, is portrayed by Jim Broadbent, and Thatcher's longest-serving cabinet member and eventual deputy, Geoffrey Howe, is portrayed by Anthony Head.

The film met with mixed reviews although Meryl Streep's performance was widely acclaimed. Streep won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Makeup.

Early reviews have praised Streep's portrayal. The Times Kevin Maher said: "Streep has found the woman within the caricature." David Gritten at The Telegraphcommented; "Awards should be coming Streep's way; yet her brilliance rather overshadows the film itself." Xan Brooks of The Guardian said Streep's performance "is astonishing and all but flawless". Critic Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail wrote: "Only an actress of Streep's stature could possibly capture Thatcher's essence and bring it to the screen. It's a performance of towering proportions that sets a new benchmark for acting." Richard Corliss of Time named Meryl Streep's performance one of the Top 10 Movie Performances of 2011.