This film is part of Free
Contrasts in Kensington
Shocking scenes of Kensington slums and 1930s housing developments offer a sharp contrast with today's reinvented area.
Overview
Insects living in damp, cracked walls. No running water in the home and an outdoor toilet. Broken windows and rising rents. Tuberculosis. Thankfully these are not rampant problems in the Kensington area today, due in part to the good work of organisations like the Kensington Housing Trust in creating decent affordable housing. Social and demographic shifts mean the area is almost unrecognisably affluent today in comparison with the slum conditions seen in this well-made amateur documentary.
This film was produced by the amateur filmmaking group Ace Movies and sponsored by the Kensington Housing Trust. The use of a non-professional set-up gives it a greater degree of access and intimacy with its subjects than professional films. Also available on BFI Player is Kensington Calling!, also backed by the Housing Trust but produced on professional 35mm film.
Related
Around the Village Green Around the Village Green
Travelogue 1937 12 mins Location: Finchingfield
Rural life in the Essex villages of Finchingfield and Great Bardfield - and the mixed reactions of older residents to changing times.
One Foot in Eden One Foot in Eden
Documentary 1978 49 mins Location: Orkney Islands
Orkney evoked through poetry, the sounds of nature, and the music of Peter Maxwell Davies.
A Day in the Hayfields A Day in the Hayfields
Non-Fiction 1904 3 mins Silent Location: Walton-on-Thames
Midsummer haymaking larks
West of England West of England
Industry sponsored film 1951 10 mins Location: Stroud
The Stroud valleys of Gloucestershire in glorious Technicolor - and with a Laurie Lee script.
Showtime Showtime
Documentary 1984 23 mins Location: Newark-on-Trent
From shire horses to the Royal Marines, welcome to the annual Newark Show. A serious business for the farming community, with prizes to win and 800 gallons of beer to be drunk.
Springtime in an English Village Springtime in an English Village
Documentary 1944 7 mins Location: Stanion
An extraordinary and unexpected snapshot of rural life in wartime in which a young black girl is crowned Queen of the May.
About Women - Disabled Living Foundation About Women - Disabled Living Foundation
Magazine and Review show 1973 7 mins Location: Kensington
Take a look at the creative inventions offered at the Disabled Living Foundation, that provide much needed solutions for independent living.
I Want to Be Happy I Want to Be Happy
Documentary 1972 19 mins Location: Kensington
A day in the life of a famous busker and wanderer known as Spider.
Squatters Squatters
Documentary 1970 17 mins Location: Ilford
To the front line of London's early 1970s' housing crisis in this angry campaign film.
Kensington Calling! Kensington Calling!
Documentary 1930 8 mins Silent Location: Kensington
This emotive campaign film takes a stand against the dire housing conditions in North Kensington, where rats, damp and overcrowding shame the borough.
Kensal House Kensal House
Documentary 1937 11 mins Silent Location: Kensington
Welcome to a visionary 1930s community, powered by the miracle of gas.
Your Police and You Your Police and You
Documentary 1973 25 mins Location: Whitechapel
No more Dixon of Dock Green: the Met faces changing times.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.