This film is part of Free

Title of error

See Help

Lahore - Badshahi Mosque

Extraordinary home movie footage of prayers in the Punjabi capital

Amateur film 1933 7 mins Silent

Overview

T. Burtt's home movies offer a vivid picture of Simla, Ajmer, Pushkar and, particularly, Lahore in the 1930s. It's easy to assume that tactless members of the Raj filmed exactly what they wanted without requesting permission. Yet Burtt achieved this extraordinary footage of prayers at the Badshahi Mosque - featuring what appear to be hundreds of thousands of men - with the help and full approval of the Mosque authorities. Despite the wobbly camera and dodgy angles, this is epic cinema. Then part of India, the Punjabi capital Lahore has been part of Pakistan since 1947.

Original title

Lahore - Badashahi Mosque

Genres

Amateur film

Country

United Kingdom

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Subjects

Watch for free

An Eastern Market An Eastern Market

Travelogue 1928 9 mins Silent

Documentary detailing a farmer’s visit to the market in Rawalpindi

Watch for free

Kagan Valley Kagan Valley

Amateur film 1931 15 mins

Amateur travelogue of the Kagan Valley and Darband, Pakistan.

Watch for free

Our Garden - Jhelum Our Garden - Jhelum

Amateur film 1945 12 mins Silent

This amateur film captures Colonel and Mrs Lord's garden at Jhelum, as well as soldiers at Karachi.

Watch for free

Life in Hunza Life in Hunza

Amateur film 1937 11 mins Silent

Fertility rites and wine production: life in the Hunza valley in northern Pakistan.

Watch for free

Indian Life Indian Life

Amateur film 1940 18 mins Silent

A motorist's excursion captures a world made by hand in the environs of Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi

Watch for free

Baluchistan Baluchistan

Travelogue 1928 10 mins Silent

The ‘wild’ frontier of India’s north west

Watch for free

New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine

Short documentary 2025 4 mins

Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.

Watch for free

Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A

Inside Film 2025 30 mins

The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.