Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive is a free public access resource for teachers, students, historians and anyone who has an interest in moving images. Spanning from 1897 to the present day, the films in the Digital Film Archive cover all aspects of life in Northern Ireland and includes everything from dramas to documentaries, newsreels and features, animation to amateur footage.
This film is part of Free
Ulster To-day
From ancient crafts to state of the art computer production discover how "Ulster is not just yesterday, it is also tomorrow". Forget hindsight and enjoy this industrial dream.
From the collection of:
Overview
Put yourself in the shoes of a wealthy industrialist and decide if a promising theory can become a profitable fact. Your guide will extol the virtues of Ulster - how its people, government incentives and scenic grandeur all lend themselves to your industrialist ambitions. See if you agree that in a modern age, Lough Neagh is a terrible waste of space. Finally meet the skilled local workforce while they produce hand painted damask, Belleek pottery and even synthetic rubber.
The footage of the training centre -one of seven such centres in Northern Ireland at the time - highlights the plenitude of work within the industrial sector and how government tried to meet the need for vocational training. The result was the creation of a highly skilled workforce, ready not only to do specific jobs, but also often to work for specific manufacturers. Also featured is Craigavon. At the time little more than three and a half miles of open land, it was then foreseen not only as a "new city, but a new centre of industry" and was held up as an example of progressive thinking. Intended as symbol of modernity, in reality it would be controversial and problematic from the outset.
Related
Watch for free
Seaway To Northern Ireland Seaway To Northern Ireland
Sponsored film 1969 22 mins Location: Derry / Londonderry
Welcome aboard the Ulster Queen; as excited holidaymakers travel from Liverpool to Belfast. From the mythological to modern discover what awaits those who cross the Irish Sea.
Watch for free
Song of Ulster Song of Ulster
Sponsored film 1986 26 mins Location: Newcastle
Embark on a musical tour of Ulster. Enjoy diving-board hi-jinks and cruise along a sun-dappled Lough Erne. Let song and landscape tell you the story of each county.
Watch for free
Duke of Lancaster Duke of Lancaster
Sponsored film 1956 7 mins Silent Location: Belfast
Experience luxury afloat as the Duke of Lancaster embarks on its maiden voyage. Behold the splendour of the ill-fated Funship during it’s heyday with the British Railways fleet.
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.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.