Martin Scorsese to be celebrated by the BFI in 2017

The retrospective will begin 1 January 2017, the same day new film Silence is released

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The BFI has announced a major retrospective dedicated to filmmaking great Martin Scorsese.

Highlights of the season include showings of numerous films from the director's back catalogue, including The Age of Innocence, with classics Goodfellas and Taxi Driver each getting cinema re-releases.

Many of his films will be shown accompanied by brand new 4K restorations and a collection of films - personally curated by Scorsese himself - will premiere as part of the celebration.

Another highlight will be a concert screening of the Robert De Niro-starring Taxi Driver that will see Bernard Hermann's score performed live by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Stuart Brown, BFI Head of Programme and Acquisitions said: “Martin Scorsese’s contribution to cinema is unique and unparalleled; not only is he is one of America’s finest filmmakers with a remarkable body of work, but he has also, through his non-profit organisation, The Film Foundation, brought back to life many classic, silent, independent and world cinema titles that might otherwise have disappeared from view.

The season will begin 1 January, the same day Scorsese's new film, Silence, is released in the UK. Starring Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, the film follows two Jesuits sent to Japan to preach Christianity and seek out their mentor in the year 1670. Once there, they endure brutal persecution at the time of the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians) following the defeat of the Shimabara Rebellion.