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A lonely gay man discovers friends, love and activism in this rediscovered educational film made by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality
Drama-documentary 1976 38 mins
This is an important rediscovery in Britain's LGBT history, made on a shoestring on Super8 over the hot summer of 1976 by members of the Lewisham branch of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE). The film follows lonely, isolated office clerk David as he discovers CHE, makes new friends and blossoms into a happy, out gay man. Intended as an educational tool, the film was shown around the country to straight and gay audiences. It features rare footage of the 1976 Gay Pride rally in Hyde Park, where Tom Robinson debuted his hit anthem 'Glad to be Gay'.
David is Homosexual was written and directed by the late Wilfred Avery and filmed by David Belton; the pair were supported by many gay men and lesbians from CHE and the wider community. The edited film, along with many reels of rushes and outtakes, was donated to the BFI National Archive in 2016. The soundtrack, which features music donated by Paul South of the band Handbag, has sadly deteriorated, though the narration is audible.
Documentary 1969 52 mins Location: Vauxhall
Scintillating look at the 1960s drag renaissance, with a visit to London's Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Drama 1970 58 mins
Compelling play by the writer of Chariots of Fire, exposing homophobic bullying in a northern secondary modern.
1925 16 mins Silent
Effeminate fisticuffs from the French in this boxing-themed send-up of foreign stereotypes.
Documentary 1994 10 mins
Street protest tranvestite nuns perpetually indulge in this 1993 doc featuring Derek Jarman.
Documentary 1988 8 mins
An intimate account of frustration and disarray in 1980s Britain from the point of view of a young woman.
Amateur film 1952 10 mins Silent Location: Lewisham
Stopping at numerous locations across London, an amateur filmmaker records the last days of trams in 1952 and trolleybuses in 1962.
Industry sponsored film 1978 4 mins Silent Location: Crystal Palace
Take a trip down memory lane to a time when a fleet of the popular RT buses serves the capital and congestion is still a thing of the future.
School programme and Educational film 1975 17 mins Location: Lewisham
Changing streets and school playgrounds – plus children’s paintings – all feature in this final episode of a 1970s children series.
Amateur film 1933 6 mins Silent Location: Lewisham
Precious pre-war film of Lewisham town centre, shot on the opening day of Tower House, the huge Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society store, in 1933.
Travelogue 1922 5 mins Silent Location: Lewisham
Journey into a lost London with this exquisitely detailed tour of the shops and street life of 1920s Lewisham.
Advert 1985 2 mins
Take a fighter jet, a Top Gun pilot with sunglasses and a brand new SAAB 900 and you have a sure-fire vehicle to launch a Hollywood career.
Promotional 2019 10 mins
A wandering warrior dreams of a new form of expression, in this promo for UNKLE’s album The Road: Part II / Lost Highway Pt. II directed by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones.
1935 16 mins
A rare glimpse of 1930s London in colour: the Thames has never looked lovelier.
Advert 1946 1 mins Silent
Life is looking up! The war is over and the “Corona” Man can visit his “Corona” families once more, door-to-door.
Advert 1962 0 mins Location: Rhyl
Cinema advertisement for Marine Lake & Ocean Beach, Rhyl, a popular destination for crowds set on a day's fun on free rides.
Advert 1942 7 mins Silent Location: Blaenau Ffestiniog
Who could deny these advertising claims: "Attractive hair is the ambition of every woman", and "Your family will enjoy Lincoln potatoes"?
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