BFI Mediatheque on Tour

In homage to the touring picture shows of the past, community groups, film societies, membership organisations and cinemas around the country can now access curated programmes offering insights into Britain and Britons during the 20th century, drawn from the new BFI Mediatheque. The appetite for social-history on film has been demonstrated in recent years by the huge success of the BBC/BFI Mitchell and Kenyon and Friese Greene collaborations. The Independent Cinema Office is delighted to make available three touring programmes of highlights from the Mediatheque. The first Mediatheque opened in London at BFI Southbank in March 2007. Further BFI Mediathques will open in Derby and Cambridge later in 2008.

NEW TOUR! Housewives' Choice

Not so long ago housewives had a number of very good reasons to be desperate. Not only did they have to look after their families in an age of depression, war and austerity, but they did so without the consumer durables that we now consider essential. With humour frequently in its sights, Housewives' Choice is a programme of films from the BFI National Archive that explores the lives of British housewives from the 1920s to the 1950s.

The programme includes documentaries, cinemagazines, propaganda films and adverts. It also features films by two of the women who helped to shape the British documentary movement of the 1930s and 40s – Ruby Grierson (1904-40) and Kay Mander (1915-).

For a taster of this programme view an extract of Going Shopping With Elizabeth Allan below…

Before Midnight — A Portrait of India on Film, 1899–1947

At the stroke of midnight on 14/15 August 1947 India finally achieved independence from Britain. Sixty years on, Before Midnight offers access to an unparalleled collection of films from the BFI National Archive exploring life in India during the early 20th century.

Some of the most potent records are to be found in the home movies — many of which are being made publicly available for the first time. The Maharajah of Jodhpur's home movies provide an epic portrait of princely power in the 1940s, whilst those of the Craster family offer an intimate picture of British family life.

Featuring over 25 films and extracts the programme takes us on a journey from the Northwest Frontier to Lahore, Rajasthan to Darjeeling and beyond. Before Midnight offers an unrivalled portrait of how lives — both Indian and British — were led across the Subcontinent.

Bombs at Teatime

Take a trip back in time to the 1940s. As if fighting World War II wasn’t hard enough, British people had to put up with years of rationing, baths taken in a couple of inches of water and frequent outbreaks of head lice…

Bombs at Teatime is a portrait of domestic life in Britain throughout one of the most extraordinary decades of our history. At times wry, affectionate and surprising, these rarely seen films from the BFI National Archive document a time of great austerity as Britain sought to retain its sanity in the shadow of war.

Bombs at Teatime is followed later in the year by a further two collections — a social history of food and feasting in Britain and a portrait of pre-independence India including previously unseen home movies.

‘The BFI Mediatheque on Tour programme is drawn from the BFI National Archive and is

What people say...

"We had 80+ and the response was really positive. Great collection of films, and lots of people asking if we'll be doing similar shows in the future." Ben Hartshorn, Screen in the Square, Crewkerne

"Archive film belongs on the big screen and all ages of customers react with interest to the opportunity of seeing it there. It's a real (and easy to organise!) special event." Martin Jennings-Wright, Little Theatre Cinema, Bath

"A great programme of films with a very interesting introduction — everyone really enjoyed it!" Angela Reed, Forum Cinema, Northampton