The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Ancient Beltane Festival at Glastonbury Tor
Rite of spring is celebrated to signify renewal
In partnership with:
Overview
The Beltane Celebrations at Glastonbury Tor are a celebration of the ancient Celtic pagan fertility rite of spring. The Glastonbury Order of Druids holds the celebration to usher out winter and welcome in spring and a time of renewal. Ceremonies are held every year with a community group running celebrations at the White Spring, Market Cross and Bushey Comne in the centre of the town. The day culminates in a Beltane fire and service at the Abbey.
Pagans worship the spirit of nature. Druids, Heathens, Odinists, Sacred Ecologists, Shamans, Wiccans form part of the Pagan community. At the spring equinox, the sun is rising and plants growing and pagans prepare for the gifts of summer. Stone circles such as Stonehenge near Glastonbury are oriented towards the sun and an obvious place of worship. Ley lines are believed to be spiritual or mystical geographical alignments and thought to converge around Glastonbury.
Related
Watch for free
Knebworth Pop Festival Knebworth Pop Festival
News 1976 5 mins Location: Knebworth Ho
Free food' and 'free religion' is the mantra of some festival goers ahead of the Rolling Stones' appearance at Knebworth. And for the local publican, it's big business!
Watch for free
The Sidmouth Folk Festival The Sidmouth Folk Festival
Current affairs 1970 7 mins Location: Sidmouth
International folk bands and troupes put on an act at Sidmouth
Watch for free
Aldeburgh Festival Aldeburgh Festival
News 1963 13 mins Location: Aldeburgh
By 1963, Suffolk's Aldeburgh Festival was very much on the world music map but the annual invasion of 'foreigners' didn't go down well with all the locals.
Watch for free
Rave Rave
Documentary 1997 12 mins
Partying like it's 1997. We follow a rave DJ instigator rigging up decks in abandoned warehouses, a nosebleed 'techno tourist' who chases the hardcore around Europe and a girl addicted to... partying.
Watch for free
Frank at 'Cities in the Park' Frank at 'Cities in the Park'
Amateur film 1991 4 mins Silent Location: Heaton Park
Sunday in the park with Frank Sidebottom and the Manchester music mob.
Watch for free
Notting Hill Carnival Notting Hill Carnival
Amateur film 1976 2 mins Silent Location: Notting Hill
Music, dancing and community characterise this short film from Notting Hill Carnival, 1976.
Watch for free
Cine Scrapbook Cine Scrapbook
Amateur film 1930 20 mins Silent Location: Harewood
There are some visual rarities in this fascinating compilation spanning three decades - featuring air raid shelter antics, switchback rollercoasters and aerials over Oxford.
Watch for free
One Summer in Somerset One Summer in Somerset
Travelogue 1968 19 mins Location: Weston-super-Mare
Hitch a ride with a glamorous blonde in a convertible sports car, and take a spin around the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare and its surroundings.
Watch for free
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Watch for free
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Watch for free
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Watch for free
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.