All articles about BFI National Archive

Object of the week

The letter that made Audrey Hepburn a star

All it took was one very special screen test for Audrey Hepburn’s career to take flight. Read the letter that led to her star-making role in Roman Holiday.

By Nathalie Morris

The letter that made Audrey Hepburn a star

Object of the week

Object of the week: production design for the Hindi classic Pakeezah by British sketch artist Ivor Beddoes

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: production design for the Hindi classic Pakeezah by British sketch artist Ivor Beddoes

Rarities of British cinema

Knives out: remembering Murder in the Family, a forgotten drama from the golden age of detective fiction

By Josephine Botting

Knives out: remembering Murder in the Family, a forgotten drama from the golden age of detective fiction

Object of the week

The unique teaser posters for Ealing’s post-war émigré drama Frieda

By Nathalie Morris

The unique teaser posters for Ealing’s post-war émigré drama Frieda

Features

70 years of ITV: the early days of the UK’s first commercial channel

By Lisa Kerrigan

70 years of ITV: the early days of the UK’s first commercial channel

Features

Railway 200 on screen: British cinema’s great train journey

By Steven Foxon

Railway 200 on screen: British cinema’s great train journey

Object of the week

Behind-the-scenes photos of documentary pioneer Humphrey Jennings filming alt-history drama The Silent Village

By Nathalie Morris

Behind-the-scenes photos of documentary pioneer Humphrey Jennings filming alt-history drama The Silent Village

News

Heritage Open Days 2025: Go inside the archive at the BFI Conservation Centre

Object of the week

Henry VIII and His Six Wives: a costume drawing for the 1970s historical epic

By Nathalie Morris

Henry VIII and His Six Wives: a costume drawing for the 1970s historical epic

Object of the week

The 3D printer that helps us recreate vintage film equipment

By Ian Shand

The 3D printer that helps us recreate vintage film equipment

Object of the week

The annotated shooting script for The Third Man, minus the ‘cuckoo clock’ speech

By Nathalie Morris

The annotated shooting script for The Third Man, minus the ‘cuckoo clock’ speech

Rarities of British cinema

The Woman in the Hall: rediscovering a 1940s ‘bad mother’ melodrama

By Josephine Botting

The Woman in the Hall: rediscovering a 1940s ‘bad mother’ melodrama

Object of the week

The shooting script for Sally Potter’s Orlando

By Nathalie Morris

The shooting script for Sally Potter’s Orlando

Object of the week

Camels attending a cinema in Sutton in 1962

By Kay Eldridge and Alex Prideaux

Camels attending a cinema in Sutton in 1962

Object of the week

Alan Whicker’s cue cards for interviewing Sean Connery on You Only Live Twice

By Nathalie Morris

Alan Whicker’s cue cards for interviewing Sean Connery on You Only Live Twice

Object of the week

The painted ‘flying ballet’ design for Superman

By Claire Smith

The painted ‘flying ballet’ design for Superman

Rarities of British cinema

A Question of Adultery: how an X-rated 1950s drama tackled the subject of artificial insemination

By Josephine Botting

A Question of Adultery: how an X-rated 1950s drama tackled the subject of artificial insemination

Object of the week

Object of the week: Harold Brown’s handmade film printer, the Mark IV

By Alex Prideaux

Object of the week: Harold Brown’s handmade film printer, the Mark IV

Object of the week

Object of the week: 96-year-old footage of Alfred Hitchcock in a test take for his thriller Blackmail

By Bryony Dixon

Object of the week: 96-year-old footage of Alfred Hitchcock in a test take for his thriller Blackmail

Features

How to build an archive: inside the early years of the BFI’s National Film Library

By Pamela Hutchinson

How to build an archive: inside the early years of the BFI’s National Film Library

Object of the week

Object of the week: The colourful lists from Peter Wollen’s notebook

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: The colourful lists from Peter Wollen’s notebook

From the Sight and Sound archive

“Films constitute a valuable historical document”: Ernest Lindgren on the founding of the National Film Library

By Ernest Lindgren

“Films constitute a valuable historical document”: Ernest Lindgren on the founding of the National Film Library

Object of the week

Object of the week: promotional still for the lost silent romcom Swim Girl, Swim

By Eva Norton

Object of the week: promotional still for the lost silent romcom Swim Girl, Swim

Object of the week

Object of the week: The Red Shoes wallpaper by the film’s designer Hein Heckroth

By Nathalie Morris

Object of the week: The Red Shoes wallpaper by the film’s designer Hein Heckroth

10 great

10 great British animated feature films

By Jez Stewart

10 great British animated feature films

Features

Smashing the goldfish bowl: how the Grierson sisters helped pioneer British documentary

By Ros Cranston

Smashing the goldfish bowl: how the Grierson sisters helped pioneer British documentary

Features

28mm: the forgotten home movie gauge

By Christopher Bird

28mm: the forgotten home movie gauge

Rarities of British cinema

Idol of Paris: the lusty 1948 costume drama with a sensational whip duel

By Josephine Botting

Idol of Paris: the lusty 1948 costume drama with a sensational whip duel

Lists

Mental Health Awareness Week: 10 films showing the evolution of mental healthcare in the UK

By Patrick Russell and Jez Stewart

Mental Health Awareness Week: 10 films showing the evolution of mental healthcare in the UK

Features

Mai Zetterling in the UK: from stardom to freedom

By Josephine Botting

Mai Zetterling in the UK: from stardom to freedom