Rentals

Century of Cinema

Personal and profound look into lives immersed in film. These documentaries about films and culture show the medium's role in love and war, nostalgia and national identity.

Cinema was born in the late 19th century when inventors in three different countries almost simultaneously developed the technology to shoot moving film and to project it. The Lumiere Brothers were the first in Paris, 1895. To celebrate cinema's centenary, in 1995 the BFI produced a series of documentaries in which talented directors were invited to contemplate their own national cinemas. The results ranged between highly personal and profoundly universal, and together constitute this collection, Century of Cinema.

Night of the FilmmakersNight of the Filmmakers

Documentary199551 minsDirector: Edgar Reitz

From the director of Heimat, a mini-epic about the history of German cinema.

Rent for £2.50

100 Years of Polish Cinema100 Years of Polish Cinema

Documentary199661 minsDirector: Pawel Lozinski

A history of Polish movies perceived by cinemagoers of all ages.

Rent for £2.50

Typically BritishTypically British

Documentary199476 minsDirector: Stephen Frears and Michael Dibb

Stephen Frears explores the wealth of stylish and familiar images created by the British film industry in the 20th century, aided by fellow directors Alexander Mackendrick, Michael Apted, and Alan Parker and writer Gavin Lambert.