Departures of note

Brian Robinson was a British film industry figure who spent nearly four decades at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London, joining as a press officer in 1987 and later becoming communications manager for archive and heritage. From 2000 he joined the programming team of the BFI's London Lesbian & Gay film festival, retitled BFI Flare in 2014, where he worked until stepping down in 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma. He was widely celebrated as a champion of queer cinema and an elder of London's LGBTQ+ film community.

Born in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, Robinson studied law and French at Sussex University, graduating in 1981. Before joining the BFI he worked at the Greater London Council information centre and as a press office assistant with the Association of London Authorities. He was also part of the collective that launched the queer arts and culture magazine Square Peg in 1983.

Robinson served on juries selecting the best LGBTQ+ films at major international festivals, including the Teddy award at the Berlinale, the Queer Palm at Cannes, and the Queer Lion at Venice, as well as the UK's Iris prize. A passionate curator of film, objects and people, he was also known for his love of 1960s pop art and his home in Waterloo, which he transformed into a shrine to that aesthetic.