Original Star Wars Cut to Screen Publicly for First Time in Decades at BFI Festival

The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced a rare treat for Star Wars fans: the original, unedited 1977 theatrical cut of Star Wars will be screened publicly for the first time in decades. The event will headline the BFI’s second annual Film on Film Festival, a celebration of classic print film, opening June 12 in London.

The BFI will showcase one of the few remaining dye transfer IB Technicolor prints made for the film’s original British release in December 1977, preserved carefully in the Institute’s national archive. It marks a historic moment for fans, as public access to the original trilogy has been largely unavailable since a limited 2006 DVD release — and even that was drawn from older LaserDisc masters.

Despite persistent rumors following Disney’s 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm, officially remastered versions of the theatrical cuts have yet to materialize. While fan restorations have circulated online, and a bizarre, brief appearance of the original Star Wars on Roku last month stirred excitement, official screenings have remained elusive — until now.

The festival won’t stop with Star Wars. Actor Kyle MacLachlan will also introduce a 35mm screening of the Twin Peaks pilot, marking the first-ever UK presentation of the U.S. version.

Tickets for the Film on Film Festival go on sale May 6. Fans eager to witness cinematic history should mark their calendars — opportunities like this are truly rare in the galaxy.