This film is part of Free
28b Camden Street
A powerful documentary which sees a community of artists under threat as their London studios face demolition.
Overview
In this moving documentary, a community of sculptors (and a potter) face crisis as their London NW1 studios are threatened with demolition. New community amenities are being created, but at the expense of vulnerable - and talented - individuals whose world is being turned upside down. Peter Laszlo Peri, today the best-remembered of these artists, is the central figure of a lyrical, thought-provoking film.
Derrick Knight & Partners was one of the most interesting documentary companies of the 1960s, producing a mixture of sponsored, broadcast and independent films in a freshly contemporary style. 28b Camden Street was a no-budget labour of love, shot over two years using spare film stock. Knight's protégé David Gladwell (perhaps best known for his remarkable film Requiem for a Village, also available on BFI Player) directs the film with a characteristically contemplative feel for landscape and its relationship with people. At the very end of production the BBC stepped in with some completion money and showed the film on BBC2.
Related
Figures in a Landscape Figures in a Landscape
Documentary 1953 17 mins Silent Location: St Ives
A poetic portrait of sculptor Barbara Hepworth and the otherworldly Cornish landscapes which inspired her.
Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
Documentary 1984 61 mins
Discover the 'name behind the hairstyle', in this essential portrait of the bard of Salford, aka John Cooper Clarke.
The Scandalous Parson The Scandalous Parson
Comedy 1967 27 mins Location: Belfast
Author of Gulliver's Travels faces trial by television
Dancers Dancers
1978 29 mins
Impressionistic portrait of life as a dancer in London’s Ballet Rambert.
Mona Lisa Mona Lisa
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1983 2 mins
Playful experimental film about one of the most famous, widely reproduced paintings in the world.
Photomontage Today: Peter Kennard Photomontage Today: Peter Kennard
Documentary 1983 35 mins
An analysis of the use of photomontage to distort meaning and create subversive and oppositional art, exemplified by the work of Peter Kennard.
Good Night Good Night
Advert 1898 1 mins Silent Location: St Pancras
An unusual farewell in this charming early film
Horse-drawn Traffic in Euston Rd Horse-drawn Traffic in Euston Rd
1899 1 mins Silent Location: St Pancras
A close brush with the precursor to the number 73 bus in Victorian London.
Paradox City Paradox City
Documentary 1932 23 mins Silent Location: St Pancras
A call to action contrasting the grand homes of the wealthy with "the appalling shelter of thousands of decent citizens" in London slums.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.
Edgar Wright on The Running Man Edgar Wright on The Running Man
Inside Film 2025 28 mins
The director talks to Mark Kermode about putting Stephen King's dystopian life-or-death gameshow thriller through its paces.
Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 69 mins
Richard Linklater discusses his remarkable and wide-ranging body of work, including Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague.
Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 73 mins
Daniel Day-Lewis, the ultimate actor’s actor discusses his career in conversation with Mark Kermode.