This is a sponsored article on behalf of the BFI London Film Festival.
Did you know that the 70th BFI London Film Festival goes well beyond the silver screen?
Now in its sixth year, LFF Expanded is an eclectic programme of immersive art, extended reality and video gaming works that invites audiences to explore powerful new ways of storytelling. And, for the first time ever, it's coming to one of London's most iconic churches: St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Water Body is a site-specific multisensory installation by acclaimed UK studio Marshmallow Laser Feast. Created in collaboration with award-winning nature writer Robert Macfarlane (Is A River Alive?, Underland, The Lost Words), it explores water as the connective tissue of life on our planet.
The installation uses global Earth systems datasets to reveal how water continually flows through rivers, oceans, landscapes and living beings, inviting visitors to see them holistically: part of one continuous planetary circulation. Here's the trailer, for a taste of what to expect.
Its colours, sounds and movements are brought to life amid the neoclassical grandeur of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Head to Trafalgar Square 3-18 October and prepare to be plunged into a watery world of hidden connections. Standard tickets start from £9 (plus booking fee) and are on sale now. Aged 16-25? You can discover Water Body for just £6, by signing up for a free BFI 25 and Under account.
Water Body is just one of nine projects that make up LFF Expanded this year. Other highlights include the installation premiere of Red the Ocean Around U at BFI IMAX. Mythology and machine learning intersect in this free immersive installation which explores what happens when AI starts asking questions, and evolves with every visitor who interacts with it.
Then there are two works in the VR Lounge at the BFI Southbank Atrium which reckon with rising waters. The Mark Ruffalo-narrated mixed-reality documentary Solwata exposes a vanishing way of life in the Solomon Islands, while The World Came Flooding In is an XR journey created with flood-affected communities in Australia.
Completing the LFF Expanded line-up are five international titles in the (free, drop-in) Games Lounge at BFI IMAX, spanning mind-bending puzzles, interactive visual novels and other narrative adventures. Browse the full programme and plan your visit now.
The 70th BFI London Film Festival runs 7-18 October 2026 at various venues in London and beyond. Water Body — part of LFF Expanded — is at St Martin-in-the-Fields (Trafalgar Square) from 3-18 October 2026. Get your tickets today.
