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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
Penny for the Guy?Penny for the Guy?
Current affairs19615 mins Location: Plymouth
Young children collect money for their Guy on the streets of Plymouth.
Hackney Marshes - November 4th 1977Hackney Marshes - November 4th 1977
Animation & Artists Moving Image197715 minsSilent Location: Hackney Marsh
Careful match-framing creates uncanny, musical movements from a structured city landscape.
13 November 1967: Martin Luther King Interview13 November 1967: Martin Luther King Interview
News19672 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
A rare interview with Dr Martin Luther King casts fresh light on black British broadcast history.
Firework : EyesFirework : Eyes
Public Information Filler19741 mins
Stark 70s firework safety film which mixes the everyday and the uncanny
Bonfire NightBonfire Night
Amateur film19574 minsSilent Location: Shadwell
A time when Guy Fawkes Night was a family affair with a bonfire in the back garden, complete with baked potatoes, and small firework displays to delight the children.
"Please to Remember the 5th of November" - But Bridgwater Celebrates"Please to Remember the 5th of November" - But Bridgwater Celebrates
Non-Fiction19221 minsSilent Location: Bridgwater
Celebrate Guy Fawkes Night - Somerset-style - with this atmospheric film of Bridgwater's bonfire and costume parade.
The British Way of HealthThe British Way of Health
Documentary197327 mins Location: London
A portrayal of the NHS which shows off the “marvellous” system to audiences around the world.
Back to the CommunityBack to the Community
Documentary198629 mins Location: Bolton
Local authorities trial the Thatcher government’s new ‘care in the community’ initiative.
Tracing the Spread of InfectionTracing the Spread of Infection
Documentary194923 mins
Doctors undertake forensic-style detective work to identify the origins of outbreaks, in the fascinating film from the early days of the NHS.
The Strange Case of Penny AllisonThe Strange Case of Penny Allison
Government sponsored film200218 mins
Imelda Staunton and Hugh Laurie as you've not quite seen them before: in a comedy training video for Britain’s National Blood Service.
Organ Donor Card: Organ BoxOrgan Donor Card: Organ Box
19931 mins
An urgently filmed appeal for organ donation.
You and Your HealthYou and Your Health
Documentary197922 mins
The Community Health Council of Wales blows its own trumpet in myriad ways, including animation, to draw attention to their NHS advisory service.
Stop Motion
Reality and fantasy collide to extraordinary effect when you bring the inanimate to life, one frame at a time.
UkiUki
Animation & Artists Moving Image20186 mins
A short stop-frame animation following a lonely Inuit who struggles to survive after an oil tanker leaks oil off the coast of Alaska, killing all the wildlife in the area.
Animated PuttyAnimated Putty
Animation & Artists Moving Image19114 minsSilent
Long, long before Wallace met Gromit filmmakers performed malleable magic to bring clay to life
South Sea SweetheartsSouth Sea Sweethearts
Advert19386 mins
Say aloha to a Technicolor cinema ad for Horlicks from the master of the Puppetoon, George Pal
Short Tribute From Blues To YouShort Tribute From Blues To You
Amateur film19892 minsSilent Location: Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Model music men - an unusual appreciation of some legendary figures of rock.
Damaged GoodsDamaged Goods
Animation & Artists Moving Image20089 mins
A tragic story is played out by porcelain figurines residing in a bric-a-brac shop.
SupertedSuperted
Animation & Artists Moving Image19759 mins
Don’t tell the Spotty man but Superted has a new friend. A stop motion predecessor of the superhero teddy idea
Featured collections
Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film
Gothic horror and romance tales feed on our darkest fears and desires, and conjure the creatures of the night into being.
Black Britain on Film
Striking, illuminating and sometimes surprising images of black culture, community and characters, spanning over a century of British film and TV.
Stop Motion
Reality and fantasy collide to extraordinary effect when you bring the inanimate to life, one frame at a time.