British Empire Movies

A British colonial policeman in Africa investigates a murder in a hospital up river.

No man is an island, but Charley represents his nation in this economical cartoon tale of Britain’s economics.

This punk-infused documentary by the Newsreel Collective invites young working class Londoners to discuss their experiences of racism. First and second generation Black and Asian immigrants, as well as ex-National Front members, paint a detailed picture of discrimination in 1970s Britain. The film...

As part of the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, the British Council and British Film Institute share a unique collection of films documenting the sights and culture of a bygone India. Filmed between 1899-1947, and preserved in the BFI National Archive since then, these rare films capture many...

Stand-up comedian Robert Newman gets to grips with the wars and politics of the last hundred years, from WWI through to the 2003 invasion of Iraq; but rather than adhering to the history we were fed at school, this show places oil centre stage as the cause of all commotion. This innovative history...

Feature documentary on the 3-days of riots in Derry, Northern Ireland that led to the deployment of British Troops into Derry in August 1969.

David Olusoga opens secret government files to show how the Windrush scandal and the ‘hostile environment’ for black British immigrants has been 70 years in the making.

Set during the first Anglo-Boer War 1880-1881 details the events leading up to this final battle ending in one of the most humiliating defeats for Britain in history.

Rare archive footage reveals what Singapore was like dating back to 1900, showing coolies sharing lunch, rickshaw pullers, a grand Peranakan funeral, and more.

‘Bring Out a Briton’ was a short appeal for Australians to help the Immigration Department in its plan to form and assist a ‘Bring Out a Briton’ Committee in each district. It featured popular Australian actor Chips Rafferty as the spokesman for the campaign. Aimed at the Australian public...

This 1944 black and white silent film provides brief glimpses of the lifestyle among Kenya's white/European settlers during the Second World War.

This British documentary looks at 40 years of the London Community Gospel Choir, focusing on co-founder Bazil Meade who travelled to the United Kingdom from Montserrat as a boy.

A 1935 black and white film advertising London and exolting it's most popular tourist attractions.

A poetic evocation of the history and character of Britian accompanied by spoken words based on the thoughts of many Britons, among them Sir Winston Churchill, John Keats, William Shakespeare, George Orwell and William Wordsworth.