BFI Reg charity no: 287780

BFI

Discover more about film and television with the BFI

The BFI is one of the world’s most respected film organisations, with a mission to inspire, educate and enthuse people about the world of film and television. In addition to two annual international film festivals and the National Film Theatre (soon to be BFI Southbank) the BFI cares for the BFI National Archive - the national collection of rare film and television. Donations will go directly towards the care and restoration of rare films, which may be otherwise lost forever. Recent projects include the restoration of the films of Mitchell & Kenyon and other greats of British cinema.

Stacks of film cans at the National Archieve

The BFI National Archive

The BFI National Archive is one of the world's greatest collections of film and television. The majority of the collection is British material but it also features internationally significant holdings from around the world. We also collect films which feature key British actors and the work of British directors. There is a wealth of material of every genre from silent newsreels to CinemaScope epics, from home movies to avant-garde experiments, from classic documentaries to vintage television, from advertisements to 3-D films, soap opera to football. The sheer size and diversity of the collection presents us with special challenges.

The archive contains more than 50,000 fiction films, over 100,000 non-fiction titles and around 625,000 television programmes.

As guardians of our vast and growing national film heritage we are acutely aware of the responsibility for ensuring its continued survival. We have made significant investment in new storage facilities in the last 18 months and have also upgraded our existing stores. We are proud of our achievements and believe that film and television have the power to enhance all our lives. The digital age has the potential to offer access to the Archive by greater numbers of people than ever before.

We welcome all support to maintain and develop this important and world-renowned resource.

For more information please visit our website http://www.bfi.org.uk

The films of Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon were made between 1900 and 1913.

Now skilfully restored by the BFI National Archive, they bring to life the 'lost' world of Edwardian Britain.

© BFI 2005