A brief history of the bfi

The history of the bfi can be seen as a succession of great achievements and innovation intermingled with periods of crises and criticism. The issue of who controls the bfi has seldom gone away with the government, the film trade, the 'educationalists' and other cultural pressure groups all expressing their opinions at one time or another.

1929

A Commission of Educational and Cultural Films was set up during a conference organised by the British Institute for Adult Education. Its main objective was to produce a report on

1. the use of films in education
2. the development of public appreciation of films
3. the establishment of a 'permanent central agency' to achieve these aims.

1932

The Commission's report, The Film in National Life, was published. It recommended the creation of an independent film institute funded by public money and incorporated under Royal Charter.

1933

On 30 September, after long and difficult negotiations with the film trade, the BFI was eventually registered by the Board of Trade as a private company - and without a Royal Charter. The main tasks of the film institute would be to provide information on all aspects of film, to encourage public appreciation of film, to advise teachers, to act as a mediator between teachers and the industry, to carry out research, to maintain a national repository of films and to undertake the certification of films as cultural or educational on behalf of the government.

1934

The bfi received its first annual grant (£5,000) from the Cinematograph Fund, a fund administered by the Privy Council. The bfi took over the magazine Sight & Sound, launched in 1932. It also founded the Monthly Film Bulletin.

The most active section of the young Institute became the information department, which was set up "to provide information on every aspect of cinematography" to the bfi members, and more generally to teachers, students, film societies and all film enthusiasts. Ernest Lindgren, the future curator of the film archive, started setting up a book and periodical library as part of the Information department. All documents gathered in the department were carefully catalogued and indexed.

1935

The Institute set up the National Film Library (later renamed National Film Archive, then National Archive). It was to be curated by Ernest Lindgren for almost 40 years.

1936

Oliver Bell replaced JW Brown as director of the bfi. The National Film Library published its first catalogue. The bfi organised its first Summer School. On 21 February, the National Film Library held its first public screening at the Polytechnic Cinema to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first showing of films in Britain by the Lumière brothers.

1938

The NFL's film collection amounted to 400 titles. It was divided into two sections: Lending and Preservation.

The War Years

The headquarters of the bfi in Great Russell Street were damaged in the Blitz. For safety reasons the National Film Library was transported, by government order, out of central London and into the countryside. It spent the rest of the war in a disused stable in Rudgwick, Sussex.

1948

The bfi had new headquarters at 164, Shaftesbury Avenue. The Radcliffe Report recommended a complete re-organisation of the bfi's structure and missions. Its future executive responsibilities should be

1. the administration of the National Film Library
2. the conduct of a first-class information service
3. the development of a central and regional organisation to promote appreciation of the art of film.

The report concluded that the bfi's remit should essentially be "to encourage the development of the art of the film, promote its use as a record of contemporary life and manners and foster public appreciation and study of it from these points of view." As a result the bfi's old responsibility for film in education was shifted to the National Committee for Visual Aids in Education (created in 1946), while the British Film Academy (created in 1947) would serve as a meeting ground for artists and technicians.

1949

The British Film Institute Act implemented the conclusions of the Radcliffe report. The new director, Denis Forman, was to put the new principles into practice. Among the changes, the 'new-look' Sight & Sound became monthly and was on sale to the public. It was edited by a new generation of film critics, among whom were Gavin Lambert and Penelope Houston.

1950

The NFL initiated a series of screenings 'to illustrate the development of the cinema' at the Institut Français. Stanley Reed joined the bfi as its first Film Appreciation Officer. It was the first step towards the creation of the Education department.

1951

As part of the Festival of Britain activities, the bfi built and managed the 'Telekinema', a special cinema that showed 3D and other experimental films, for the Festival of Britain. It was one of the most successful activities of the South Bank exhibitions. Towards the end of the Festival Denis Forman suggested that the telekinema building should not be demolished, but turned into a National Film Theatre owned and operated by the Institute. After months of negotiations with the London City Council and the film trade, it was agreed that the bfi could run the future NFT.

1952

The bfi restored the Telecinema and re-opened it as the 'National Film Theatre'. Karel Reisz was its first programmer. A small 'Experimental Film Fund' was set up by the bfi to help launch new film-makers.

1954

The Information department was incorporated within the National Film Library.

1955

James Quinn became the new bfi director after Denis Forman resigned to join Granada. The National Film Library was renamed the National Film Archive, to underline the growing importance of its preservation work.

1956

The first 'Free Cinema' programme, organised by Lindsay Anderson and Karel Reisz, was shown at the NFT. It was a huge success. The 60 Years of Cinema exhibition was presented by the bfi and the Observer, attended by some 200, 000 people.

1957

The new National Film Theatre was built under Waterloo Bridge. It opened in October with the first London Film Festival launching on 16 October. The new Education Department replaced the Film Appreciation service.

1960

The bfi's stills collection was donated the 400,000 pictures of the defunct magazine Picture Show. The Institute took over its new premises at 81 Dean Street.

1961

The bfi's brief was officially extended to include television and the quarterly magazine Contrast this increased interest in television.

1965

Thanks to the support of Jennie Lee, the new Minister of the Arts, the responsibility for funding the bfi was officially transferred from the Treasury to the Department of Education and Science, and its grant was increased by one third.

1966

The Experimental Film Fund was revived as the bfi Production Board, with Bruce Beresford as its first production officer. A site was purchased in Berkhamsted in order to build a new film preservation centre for the NFA. The first Regional Film Theatre was inaugurated in Nottingham.

1967

Peter Watkins' controversial film The War Game was distributed by the bfi after the BBC refused to broadcast it.

1968

The National Film Archive's new premises at Berkhamsted were officially opened. The John Player Lectures began at the NFT, with Richard Lester kicking off the series.

1970

NFT2 was opened, in order to widen the programming scope of the NFT. The new auditorium was to be used to screen films of specialist interest, new works and silent films, plugging any gaps left by NFT1.

1971

Keith Lucas replaced Stanley Reed as the Director of the bfi. Mamoun Hassan became the new Head of Production and initiated low-budget feature film production at the bfi.

1972

Ernest Lindgren, creator and curator of the National Film Archive, died. Sir Michael Balcon retired from his position as chairman of the Production Board. One of the Board's films, Bill Douglas' My Childhood, won the Silver Lion in Venice.

1973

For its 40th anniversary two new departments were established: Information and Documentation, formerly part of the NFA, and Film Availability Services. Also, advisory committees covering each main area of Institute activity were established. The committees were be chaired by Governors, and would advise the Director of the Institute.

1975

The NFA initiated its 24-year scheme for the duplication of decaying nitrate film.

1977

The Information department moved to new premises in Charing Cross Road, which soon became the new bfi headquarters.

1979

The National Film Archive started putting its cataloguing records onto a computer database.

1980

The first Guardian Lecture was organised at the NFT. The first interviewee was Gene Kelly. The Lectures were then broadcast on BBC2.

1982

Peter Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract was the bfi Production Board's first co-production with Channel Four.

1983

The bfi celebrated its 50th anniversary with a banquet at the Guildhall. On the occasion the Institute was granted a Royal Charter, and the first bfi fellowships were awarded to Marcel Carné, David Lean, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Satyajit Ray and Orson Welles. The first bfi Film and Television Yearbook (which was to become the bfi Film and Television Handbook) was published.

1984

The Video Unit of the NFA was established in Berkhamsted to record television programmes off-air, for preservation purposes.

1986

A season of gay and lesbian films was organised at the NFT under the title Gay's Won Pictures. It would become the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival the following year.

1987

The bfi headquarters moved to their current premises in Stephen Street. The John Paul Getty Jr Conservation Centre opened in Berkhamsted.

1988

The Museum of the Moving Image was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales. The bfi led the national television event 'A Day in the Life of Television'. Wilf Stevenson became the new Director of the bfi. SIFT, (Summary of Information on Film and Television) the Library's computerised database, emerged in its first operational form. Terence Davies' Distant Voices, Still Lives, produced by the bfi, won the Critics' Prize at the Cannes film festival.

1989

The MOMI cinema started hosting the 'Treasures from the National Film Archive' screenings.

1990

The Library membership became separate from the bfi membership. 1990 bfi Exhibition and Distribution launched Connoisseur Video, in conjunction with Argos Films, making available a number of classics and rare films as 'sell-through' videos. The first batch of releases included films by Pasolini, Tati, Ophuls, Cocteau and Welles.

1991

Sight & Sound and the Monthly Film Bulletin were merged into a new-format Sight & Sound.

1992

bfi Publishing launched its 'BFI Film Classics' series. A MA course in film and television studies, run by the bfi in conjunction with Birkbeck College, welcomed its first students.

1993

The Education department published its first Media Courses UK. The National Archive Conservation centre in Berkhamsted inaugurated its new extension.

1994

Sight & Sound, in collaboration with a number of Regional Film Theatres, staged its first regional roadshow, called 'Censorship and Cinema'.

1995

Celebrations for the Centenary of Cinema were launched in October with a three-cornered debate called 'Who Invented Cinema'. At the same event it was announced that Britain's oldest surviving film, of the 1895 Derby had been rediscovered. It was restored, dated and catalogued by the Archive.

1996

bfi Publishing launched a series of Modern Classics, following the success of its Film Classics series. The first batch of bfi TV's Century of Cinema series were shown on Channel 4 Television.

1997

The National Archive received £13.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to catalogue, inspect and conserve the backlog of film and TV materials. Alan Parker was appointed Chairman of the bfi Board of Governors.

1998

John Woodward became the new bfi Director. 'A Time of Change' document led to a restructure of the organisation of departments with a new focus on education. The bfi was re-organised into three main departments: Education, Collections and Exhibition.

1999

As John Woodward was appointed CEO of the newly founded Film Council; his deputy Jon Teckman was appointed Director of the bfi. The Prince of Wales inaugurated the bfi IMAX, while the Museum of the Moving Image was closed.

2000

The Film Council became responsible for funding of the bfi, and bfi Production became part of the former.

2002

The bfi is restructured into three main departments: Culture and Education; Development and Communication; and Planning and Resources. Jon Teckman stood down as Director at the end of his three-year term.

2003

Award-winning film director, Anthony Minghella CBE was appointed as the new Chair of the bfi, and Amanda Nevill was appointed Director.