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A new film compiled from the BFI National Archive's unparalleled holdings of early films of China, features films from 1900-48 filmed across China. The cinematic journey of Around China with a Movie Camera contains many films which may never have been seen in China, or at the very least not for over 70 years. These travelogues, newsreels and home movies were made by a diverse group of British and French filmmakers, some professionals, but mainly enthusiastic amateurs, including intrepid tourists, colonial-era expatriates and Christian missionaries.

A documentary making the case for British films of the 40s, 50s and early 60s.

Golden hour in the fields and who better for a soundtrack than the Queen of Disco - Sophie Ellis Bextor in her full performance from Kendal Calling 2025! Directed by John Surdevan.

Regan first documented his friend’s life in the 1998 film Don’t Get High on Your Own Supply. Fehintola became hooked on heroin while working on a book about a group of drug addicts. Regan caught up with him again in the 2001 film Cold Turkey, as Fehintola attempted to break his addiction by locking himself in his flat without medication. My Friend Lanre jumps two decades, to a moment when Fehintola has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Regan never set out to document someone dying, but this is what his film becomes. Drawing from over 25 years of footage, the filmmaker presents an intensely intimate portrayal of his friendship and collaboration with Fehintola. It is charming, funny, devastating and, by its close, a bravely personal, living testament to one person’s life and work.

Marking 70 years since the Queen ascended the throne, Britain’s best-loved stars share memories of the changes they have lived through during her reign.

Many people have heard of dogging but very few know what goes on in this secretive world. This intimate and compelling True Stories film provides an insight into why men and women engage in or watch sexual activity in front of strangers in public areas, under the cover of darkness. Dogging Tales is directed by award-winning photographer Leo Maguire - who made his critically-acclaimed debut in 2012 with Gypsy Blood: True Stories. Interviews with doggers begin in the 'real world' as their day draws to a close and they discuss their normal lives. As they go out they shed their daytime personas and Maguire accompanies them to lay-bys, woods and picnic spots around the UK that often double as dogging locations after dusk.

A group of young people address their smartphone addiction and the isolation of online validation.

ALL THE GOALS AND ALL THE ACTION FROM THE 2012/2013 SEASON The summer of 2012 marked the start of a new era at Anfield with Brendan Rodgers appointed as the new manager of Liverpool FC. With the emphasis on positive, attacking football the squad is developing into one of the most exciting in the Premier League and the building blocks for a bright future are now firmly in place. The Manager’s first season featured 30 goals from Luis Suarez, an emotional farewell to Jamie Carragher and a series of stylish victories including a 6-0 win at Newcastle. Featuring every goal and every game from the Premier League, FA Cup, Capital One Cup and Europa League this is the complete review of 2012-13.

The BBC looks at our current weather and climate compared to the climate of our past to see if it really is changing...which it is and they explain science behind it

A Secrets of Life short to which the BFI gave this description: "The film falls into two related sections: the first part shows, by fast motion... the germination, growth-characteristic and fertilisation of the wild cabbage; the second part shows how the varied forms of cultivated cabbage - Savoys, Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, sprouting broccoli - are related to the wild form, by illustrating the particular feature of the wild form that is present to an exaggerated degree in the cultivated variety... A very good example of how to deal with familiar gardening knowledge in an interesting manner, while at the same time using everyday facts to bring home the scientific lessons that can be drawn therefrom... Perhaps the most striking portions of the whole film are the sections showing which parts of the wild form have been greatly developed to produce the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, or the Savoy cabbage."

Throughout history, Pontius Pilate has been portrayed as a weak ruler-the man who allowed Jesus Christ to be crucified at the demand of the Jews. But this documentary portrays a very different Pilate, one who had his own motives for allowing Jesus' fate.

The artist walks with a stride, his camera pointed up from around his stomach. The sky, some trees and occasionally his head pops up in the lower third. The title is taken from an essay by James Baldwin.

This informational programme follows the British Army in Aden (Yemen) during the state of emergency in 1964. Aden is one of the last outposts of the British Empire and a strategic part of the Arabian Gulf guarding access to the trade routes that flow through the Suez Canal. The British colony has become a hotbed of insurgency, and the film follows British troops as they try to keep order in an increasingly violent mountainous region from where the insurgents regularly attack the Port area.

Papyrology expert Margaret Mountford goes in search of the truth behind the legend of Sappho, the most controversial writer of the ancient world and the first authentic woman’s voice in Western history. The mysterious discovery of a lost papyrus containing the words to songs unheard for 1700 years sends Margaret on a journey to discover the truth about Sappho. Was she indeed the first lesbian, a priestess, sex worker, a stern schoolmistress or an aristocratic lady of leisure as readers over the centuries have variously alleged? We ask how each generation’s view of the archetypal liberated woman of letters tells us as much about us and our fears as it does about her.

A look at the city of Edinburgh, Scotland with a particular focus on its famous castle.

B. Traven is one of the most mysterious figures of the 20th century. He wrote The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and a dozen other fine books which have sold in millions around the world, but no publisher, no agent, and no fellow author ever met him -he has remained the Marie Celeste of literature, a name without an identity. Nobody knew in what language he wrote. Nobody knew in what country he had been born. Nobody knew if he were one man or several. It was even said that those who sought him were struck down and destroyed. Was this photograph, taken in London in 1923, a picture of Traven? It was certainly a vital clue.

Documentary of three gay men living in the Palestine-Israel region trade reflections on their situation and that of the region they live.

Exploring the life and impact of the greatest spiritual and legal philosopher in Islamic history, this film examines Ghazali's existential crisis of faith that arose from his rejection of religious dogmatism, and reveals profound parallels with our own times. Ghazali became known as the Proof of Islam and his path of love and spiritual excellence overcame the pitfalls of the organised religion of his day. His path was largely abandoned by early 20th century Muslim reformers for the more strident and less tolerant school of Ibn Taymiyya. Combining drama with documentary, this film argues that Ghazali's Islam is the antidote for today's terror.

The herstory of the original West End queens of SIX, their reunion concert at Hampton Court Palace, and coming together to perform the show one last time.

Adam Boulton explores the changing relationship between politicians and media over the span of his 30-year career in Westminster.

22 year-old Jade graduated with a degree in Fashion from Manchester Metropolitan University in the summer of 2015. But rather than work in the world of fashion, Jade - aka Carly Rae Summers - has decided to pursue a career in porn. This film follows Jade as she embarks on her new full-time career, travelling to shoots in London, Barcelona and Prague, and explores the practical and ethical issues that surround a young female porn star in Britain today. Why would a well-educated young woman with a range of career options choose to pursue a career in porn?

The joys of 1960s modern education - as seen at a not-exactly-typical local comp.

Filmed over 23 years, Rise of the Warrior Apes tells the epic story of an extraordinary troop of chimpanzees in Ngogo, Uganda – featuring four mighty warriors who rule through moral ambiguity, questionable politics, strategic alliances and destroyed trust.

A documentary featuring the making of the July 1987 recording of Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony conducted by magazine publisher Gilbert Kaplan, who developed a passion for this piece of music at an early age and has conducted the symphony with major orchestras.

Veteran journalist and author Edward Behr spent a year investigating the rise and fall of Nicolae Ceausescu. Executed on Christmas Day 1989, Ceausescu was once a hero to his own people, and in the west. Behr's film reveals the truth behind the myth, in a tale of megalomania, farce, and horror.

Pure tranquillity in rural Somerset, a world away from the war raging on the continent.

A monster film with no monsters. Inspired by the existence of taxonomies of monsters at the heart of Early Modern European science, the film explores and reinterprets a way of seeing the natural world that is almost impossible to imagine from today’s vantage point.

The story behind the rise and fall of New York's 42nd Street. The cinemas, the films, the people, the crime and the rebirth of the block as "New 42nd Street" - this is the document of the world's most notorious movie strip.

Part of a six part series, this BAFTA Special award nominated documentary looking at the building of hydro-electric power schemes in the Alps of Western Europe, specifically Italy and Austria. It also features other forms of electric power in other nations in Europe including thermal power in Tuscany in Italy, brown coal-fired power stations in Germany and Great Britain and hydro-power in Sweden, Scotland and Norway. It also investigates the possibility of inter-country exchange of power.

Mark Manson cuts through the crap to offer his not-giving-a-f*ck philosophy: a dose of raw, refreshing honesty that shows us how to live more contented, grounded lives.

Featuring interviews with his accomplices and victims alike, this deep dive explores how a master con man scammed French elites out of millions of euros.

One of rock and roll's seminal poets and iconoclasts is the subject of this documentary that also provides a wealth of song material from John Lennon's days as an ex-Beatle when he made music with wife Yoko Ono in the Plastic Ono Band. As John once sang: There are places I remember ... and people, too. To all of us, John Lennon was one of them.

The film documents two men carrying palm trees through the streets of East London. McQueen tracked the men through a bustling Brick Lane market.

The Bee Gees preform in this special created for German TV. Also featured are Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger, and the Trinity, and Lil Lindfors.

In 1933 the Loch Ness Monster made front page headlines around the world. The film is the story of the colourful investigators who were sent by Fleet Street to report the amazing news and track down the monster.

The story of the remarkable family who tamed the wild Scottish coastline, told 200 years after the building of their first iconic lighthouse, the Bell Rock. For nearly 150 years, Robert Stevenson, his sons and grandsons designed many of the lighthouses around Scotland's coast. His sons Alan, David and Thomas also became lighthouse engineers. His grandsons (David's sons) David Alan Stevenson and Charles Stevenson designed lighthouses too.

The intimate story behind our changing relationship with death. A terminal diagnosis used to mean death within months. Modern medicine allows patients to live on for years. A passionate and touching film about uncertainty, about the future that faces all of us, following five patients who choose to sing their way through life, with a score by Mark Orton.

Mom and Me takes a look at tough guys and the even tougher women who raise them. Set in Oklahoma City, apparently voted the manliest city in the United States, this creative documentary from Irish director Ken Wardrop ("His & Hers") chronicles the relationships between ten sons and their mothers.

The third instalment in the Tonbridge School Movember Saga of 2025. At 2.55 AM, while the entire Tonbridge community sleeps, boys across two boarding houses are suddenly woken and interviewed on the spot – dragged into a surreal late-night confrontation with their own thoughts. This is a truly bizarre and original exploration of mental health and masculinity within the school community.

How three people's lives were permanently affected by the TWA plane hi-jack.

A tour of the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland with local art gallery director Richard Demarco.

With an elephant’s tusk as the protagonist, the film meditates on the endless tactility of conservation.

Director Tyro Heath makes a collage of her parents trial and tribulations of being married to each other.

In April 2019, a seemingly tame beluga whale approaches a Norwegian fishing boat seeking help. It is wearing a harness fitted with a camera mount. When the words 'Equipment St Petersburg' are discovered printed on the buckle, speculation breaks out that he has been engaged in some kind of sinister undercover activity. This documentary explores the mystery of the strange whale and asks where he came from, who trained him and why, and what he was doing in a critically important part of the Arctic, close to Russian waters. With exclusive interviews and access to unseen footage, the film explores the secret world of marine mammal training and international espionage, and sheds new light on the true identity of Hvaldimir, the 'Spy Whale'.

Through a series of interviews with leading British AIDS activists and cultural theorists, this documentary investigates the way in which AIDS has been used by the media and by the government to increase state harassment of gay men and lesbians, black people and women. Framing the problem in terms of a left politic, the tape reveals how both homophobia and puritanism have been responsible for the slow government response to AIDS.

Chronicling the felling of the statue of Edward Colston-a 17th Century slave trader-during a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol, England, and how this act of rebellion made waves across the UK and the World.

"In 1993 I travelled to London from Cornwall with the intention of shooting a music video for 'London' by The Smiths. I had transcribed the lyrics and noted the timings and had then made a detailed shot-list. The whole thing would be edited in camera on a single roll of Super 8. Over the next few years I projected the film so many times that much of it became damaged. Here is what is left of that first roll, inter-cut with footage shot a few years ago in East London when I started shooting film again." - Mark Jenkin

MOMA & Tate Modern's landmark show explores the final chapter of Matisse's career when he began 'carving into colour,' creating his signature cut-outs. Audiences are invited to enjoy an intimate, behind-the-scenes documentary about this blockbuster exhibition with contributions from curators, historians and those who knew Matisse personally. Beautifully filmed footage of the exhibition featuring works including The Snail, Memory of Oceania, Large Composition with Masks and Blue Nudes is interwoven with Matisse's biography and behind-the-scenes material. Featuring special guests including Tate director Nicholas Serota; MoMA director Glenn Lowry; jazz musician Courtney Pine and Royal Ballet principal dancer Zenaida Yanowsky.

Eastern Heroes: The Video Magazine - Volume 1 is a Documentary on Hong Kong cinema.

Flake & Flames is a feature length documentary film about the astonishing Kustom Kulture movement around the globe. Spending a year traveling U.S. and Europe in search of the coolest Kustom Kulture people and events on the planet. Picking the brains of living legends, up and coming artists and builders within the culture. Seeking out some of the hottest Kustom Kulture spots and get some of the worlds best car and motorcycle builders, tattoo artists, pinstripers, custom painters and pin-up models to share their tricks and experience.

Hot off Wild at Heart (1990), winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes, Johnathan Ross interviews filmmaker David Lynch and his colleagues.

The story of how Dr. George Daniels rose from Dickensian poverty to become the finest watchmaker of the modern era – and how Roger Smith embarked on an obsessive, seven-year quest to become his apprentice and equal.

Documentary telling the real story of the Cambridge Spies - subject of the drama series A Spy Among Friends.

In 1989 a youth radio station, B-92, started up in Belgrade. It almost immediately became a symbol of the resistance to Serbian nationalism and all that Slobodan Milosevic decreed. Here, the young radio workers give a candid account of life in Belgrade throughout the years of war. They also describe their own contribution, despite all the authorities' efforts to suppress them, to the liberation of their city and their country.

An in-depth interview with actor George Eastman and his work on the Italian cult horror films "Anthropophagus" and "Absurd".

From political conferences to the George Formby Society's annual bash, and Pleasure Beach to the weather, an Arena documentary on the seaside town of Blackpool and its history.

Featuring Paul Robeson, this is the first documentary film to take a serious look at social conditions and race relations in South Africa.

Although the past two years have been challenging for the Theatre industry, they also showed its incredible strength and resilience. Through interviews with West End performers and creatives, this documentary outlines the difficulties presented to our industry over the course of the pandemic, as well as highlighting changes - both positive and negative - that have come from it. An emotional reflection on a battle it was worth fighting for. All profits will be going to 'Acting for Others', an organisation that provides support to all theatre workers through 14 member charities. We hope these stories full of passion for Theatre inspire you just as much as they inspired us!

Television documentary about German-born American director Douglas Sirk.