Free
Free
Explore archive films
See shorts and features, showing the best from the BFI, national and regional archives - including 120 years of Britain on film
What we're watching
Living TogetherLiving Together
Amateur film197111 minsSilent Location: Leicester
Leicester at the dawn of the 1970s. The forefront of a new multicultural Britain.
British GraffitiBritish Graffiti
Documentary19927 mins
Rockabilly passionates talk about their lifestyle and how they would prefer to live in the 1950s.
Premium Bonds: ClerkPremium Bonds: Clerk
Advert19601 mins
A cartoon city clerk escapes the binds of daily drudgery – thanks to a win on his Premium Bonds.
Bus StopBus Stop
Drama20148 mins
When teenage runaway bride Nelli encounters the rebellious De, she struggles with the decision of whether or not to marry childhood sweetheart Jake.
Colourful CaribbeanColourful Caribbean
Documentary195559 minsSilent
Amateur film from 1955 showing the people, landscapes and architecture of numerous islands in the Caribbean by Everild Helweg-Larsen, F.R.G.S.
Sikh MatronSikh Matron
Magazine and Review show19858 mins Location: Kinver
From the temple to the hospital Kartar Singh is a leading practitioner of Sikhism.
The NudistsThe Nudists
News19719 mins Location: Devon
Country House offers naturists a way to air all.
Lesbians (Gay Life)Lesbians (Gay Life)
198134 mins
Gay women from different generations discuss their experiences in this revealing TV documentary
Waverley StepsWaverley Steps
Documentary194831 mins Location: Edinburgh
Beautifully evocative impression of a Sunday in early postwar Edinburgh.
Holiday in Tenby 1953Holiday in Tenby 1953
Home movie195310 minsSilent Location: Tenby/Dinbych-y-pysgod
From Heywood in Lancashire to a farm near Tenby, Pembrokeshire, for a holiday filled with sandcastles and cattle, hiking and motorbikes.
Walsall MarketWalsall Market
News19736 mins Location: Walsall
The sights and sounds of Walsall Market
Saltash FestivalSaltash Festival
News19641 minsSilent Location: Saltash
A raft race and water fun enables visitors to keep up with the Saltashians.
Featured collections
Women's Football - the Trailblazers of the 20s
Women have been playing football in the UK for hundreds of years - through wars, a 50-year FA ban and no funding. Thanks to these trailblazers, football finally came home in summer 2022.
Animated Britain
An animated portrait of a nation, brought to life frame by painstaking frame
Festival Fever
From deep-rooted folk traditions to youth culture happenings: a celebration of the music and arts festivals of summers past.