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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
Winter WonderlandWinter Wonderland
Amateur film19573 minsSilent Location: Halesowen
It's not really a 'Winter Wonderland' for the drivers of Halesowen who faced the treacherously icy roads of Christmas 1957.
Wild Birds in Their HauntsWild Birds in Their Haunts
Interest film19094 minsSilent
Close-ups of wild birds in their natural habitat to inspire wonder in cinema audiences worldwide
Hereward CollegeHereward College
News19728 mins Location: Tile Hill
The opening of Hereward College in 1971 represented a major advance in access to education for young disabled people.
Archer's TargetArcher's Target
Current affairs19792 mins Location: Grampound
Determined archer hits the target.
Christmas Shopping, Godalming 1922Christmas Shopping, Godalming 1922
Amateur film19223 minsSilent Location: Godalming
The timber-framed establishments of old Godalming lure shoppers with their enticing displays of yuletide fare and mistletoe.
Resistance (BSL version)Resistance (BSL version)
Drama200813 mins
Artist-activist Liz Crow's haunting film about the Nazis' Aktion-T4 programme during World War Two. In 1939 Germany, a secret institution has sinister plans for its disabled inmates.
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.