Film Archives

film

Selling salvation

For over a quarter of a century from the end of the Second World War, the Church battled with what it believed was a tide of immorality sweeping the nation. One weapon they used in the battle to save the British soul was film. Find out more in the programme summary of selling salvation.

Who shoots?

Have you ever wondered why a piece of film was made and what it was intended to convey to you? Douglas Allen considers what goes on behind the camera.

Related programme

Nation On Film

If you want advice on researching your collection of archive film, you should contact the film archivist for your area. They may also be interested to hear from you if:

you have film or video for deposit or copy. This can include newsreels, cinema shorts, home movies, documentaries, travelogues, advertisements and publicity films, educational films and corporate videos. In return the archive will often provide you with a copy of your film on a modern format.

you know of any film or video that is in danger of neglect or destruction. At the present time, for example, videos may be at particular risk as video players are poised on the brink of obsolescence. Since video was cheaper than film this may extend the social range of family movies preserved in the archives.

you have cinema memorabilia such as photographs, ephemera, publicity materials, posters or business records relating to cinema or the film industry

you have information or memories about cinema going or film production as many film archivists preserve these records through oral history interviews

Here are links to film archives acround the British Isles:

United Kingdom
National Film and Television Archive
at the British Film Institute

Imperial War Museum Film and Video Archive
For film of conflicts involving forces from Britain and the Commonwealth

Scotland
Scottish Screen Archive

Wales
National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales

Republic of Ireland
Irish Film Archive
held by the Film Institute for Ireland

Regional Film Archives
East Anglian Film Archive
Covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk

Media Archive for Central England
Covering Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

North West Film Archive
Covering Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire

Northern Region Film and Television Archive
Covering all of the Northern region of England

South East Film and Video Archive
Covering Surrey, Kent, and Sussex

The South West Film and Television Archive
Covering the South West of England

Wessex Film and Sound Archive
Covering Hampshire, and central southern England

The Yorkshire Film Archive
Gathering footage from across the three Ridings

You can find more information about film archives around the country at Moving History.

And if you're looking for archive film to watch on your PC, the bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm site has got a lot of archive footage for you to explore.