The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Face to Face
Marking time on a face, a swift, bleak portrait of a man from cradle to grave.
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1981 3 mins
From the collection of:
Overview
A performance in pastel, this swiftly drawn, ever-changing portrait with sound by South Shields animator Sheila Graber layers history and time on a face. From a cry at birth to chilling silence, the torrent of images remind us of our fate at an unsettling speed. Just ‘a brief flicker between two great silences’. Face to Face screened at the London Film Festival in 1983 and won a BBC Best Animation Award in 1984.
Director
Sheila Graber
Genres
Animation & Artists Moving Image
Released
1981
Country
United Kingdom
Location
South Shields
Language
English
Related
DIY Animation
Shadowman
Watch for free
Shadowman
Amateur film 1994 8 mins Location: Harlesden
A female protagonist falls prey to the ‘Shadowman’, who stalks his victim before attack. Uses stop-motion animation as well as live action.
The Fifth Minute
Watch for free
The Fifth Minute
Amateur film 1976 9 mins
Nightmarish visions become a reality in this imaginative production that mixes live action, animation, and special effects.
Howway the Lasses
Watch for free
Howway the Lasses
Documentary 1977 1 mins Location: Northumberland
This jaunty hand-drawn animation charts the history of womens revolutionary road to freedom in the North East - from Stone Age sister to suffragette of the twentieth century.
Is This Your Life?
Watch for free
Is This Your Life?
Amateur film 1957 9 mins Silent
An unusual and visually sophisticated commentary on the routine drabness and drudgery of everyday suburban existence.
Larn Yersel' Geordie
Watch for free
Larn Yersel' Geordie
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1980 11 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Learn how to speak Geordie with a riotous animation of Scott Dobsons popular vernacular lessons.
Problems End
Watch for free
Problems End
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1964 3 mins
Petty party politics gets animated - literally - in this amateur cartoon with a message.
South Shields
Evolution
Watch for free
Evolution
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1980 4 mins Location: South Shields
Staying alive, from a single cell to a big bang. Blink and you’ll miss the end.
South Shields Silver Jubilee Celebrations
Watch for free
South Shields Silver Jubilee Celebrations
Amateur film 1977 6 mins Silent Location: South Shields
One big happy family on the streets of South Shields for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee visit.
Tyne and Tide
Watch for free
Tyne and Tide
Amateur film 1980 8 mins Silent Location: South Shields
Going with the flow on the River Tyne at South Shields.
Marking Time
Watch for free
Marking Time
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1978 3 mins Location: South Shields
An uptempo look at man’s passionate obsession with time from first light to the dawn of the digital age.
How the Camel Got His Hump
Watch for free
How the Camel Got His Hump
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1981 10 mins Location: South Shields
An engaging, hand painted animation of Rudyard Kipling’s origin tale about a work shy camel who gets the hump.
I Bird
Watch for free
I Bird
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1983 5 mins Location: South Shields
Budgies for beginners: home comforts for birds explained to young pet owners.
New
The Lost Highway
Watch for free
The Lost Highway
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.
Colour on the Thames
Watch for free
Colour on the Thames
1935 16 mins
A rare glimpse of 1930s London in colour: the Thames has never looked lovelier.
What's Missing from this Picture?
Watch for free
What's Missing from this Picture?
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.
Fun at Rhyl
Watch for free
Fun at Rhyl
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.
Local Cinema Advertisements - Blaenau Ffestiniog and Merthyr
Watch for free
Local Cinema Advertisements - Blaenau Ffestiniog and Merthyr
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"?
Shippam's Three Beans
Watch for free
Shippam's Three Beans
Advert 1955 1 mins
Operatic chickens, shrimps and salmon sing-a-long with a paste pot chorus in this vibrantly animated advert for Shippam's
About the archive
Know this place?
Do you recognise a place, building or location in this film?
Help us populate the Britain on Film map by spotting and plotting the street or location you know. This is a BFI project and anyone can help.
Go to our Britain on Film crowdsourcing site and contribute to our mapping mission – to identify locations within our archive films.
Add a location