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
Family Festival
From Modernist designs inspired by the atomic age to paddling pool picnics, find delight in this silent selection from the Festival of Britain
In partnership with:
Overview
This souvenir scrapbook of the Festival of Britain projects a vision of post-war progress and pride. Now you can catch a silent glimpse of this overlooked part of Northern Ireland’s history before industrial decline and the outbreak of violence. Sense the overload of activity as the brochures flash before you. Watch out for famous faces amid the pageantry and enjoy designs from the atomic age in Henry Lynch-Robinson’s Modernist Castlereagh Farm and Factory Building.
The Festival of Britain in Northern Ireland focused on the relationship between ‘Industry and Craftsmanship’. In 1949 the Festival Pattern Group was conceived by Irish crystallographer Dr Helen Dick Megaw bringing together scientific discovery and design. During the Festival 28 British manufacturers created products ranging from coffee pots to clocks based on crystal structures. You can see some of these objects as well as the printed programmes featured in this film in the Ulster Museum in Belfast. You can also watch on BFI Player the documentary Land of Ulster that was commissioned for the Ulster Farm and Factory exhibition. This film is from the collection of National Museums Northern Ireland.
Related
Watch for free
Food for Thought Food for Thought
Advert 6 mins Location: Belfast
Hangry animals demand better grub in this bizarre advert by E.T. Green
Watch for free
Kennedy's Bread Kennedy's Bread
Advert 1960 0 mins Location: Belfast
This family favourite is guaranteed to have you singing all the way to the bread bin
Watch for free
Launch of the "Celtic" Launch of the "Celtic"
Non-Fiction 1901 1 mins Location: Belfast
Seawards heads a great ship, the biggest of its day
Watch for free
Belfast Street Scenes 1890's Belfast Street Scenes 1890's
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Belfast
A view down the High Street featuring the Albert Clock, a shot of Queen's Bridge and the docks
Watch for free
Disabled Access in Belfast City Centre Disabled Access in Belfast City Centre
Current affairs 1981 20 mins Location: Belfast
Join Belfast’s first female Lord Mayor and reconsider how disabled people navigate the streets of Belfast.
Watch for free
Year of the Disabled Year of the Disabled
Current affairs 1981 20 mins Location: Belfast
Counterpoint explores how government policy measures up to the reality of the country’s mobility needs.
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.