From the Archives…

Film Archive
Image courtesy of Mr T In DC on Flickr

Our free archive screenings are a great opportunity to see some interesting old footage from the vaults of various film archives, such as the BFI and Huntley Film Archives.

All free screenings will be held on Sunday afternoons. Booking is essential. To book your tickets, call 0208 444 6789. For upcoming screenings, see below:

From the Archives: Singin’ in the Rain (U) – Sunday 13 May 2012, 2pm.
FREE

To mark the centenary of the cinema opening in 1912, we have put together a programme celebrating the transition from silent to sound film with a screening of Singin’ in the Rain and a selection of short films.

From the Archives: Big City Stories (NR) – Sunday 10 June 2012, 2pm.
FREE

Black London’s Film Heritage presents Big City Stories, a collection of film extracts depicting Black London in the twentieth century. Big City Stories is a new, fresh perspective on early Black London life in an expanding and ever changing metropolis. The selected footage reveals the shifting and often contrasting perceptions about the African and Caribbean citizens of London at various historical periods across the century: the 1930s, World War II, and from the 1950s onward when areas such as Brixton and Notting Hill gained iconic significance. Big City Stories features non-fiction images from the very earliest years of British cinema alongside fiction films, which present dramatic interpretations of Black London’s stories over the years. The programme brings together the personal perspectives of some African-Caribbean “home movies”, with those of established directors and images from official archives.

The screening will be introduced by Yvonne Connike, a member of the Black London’s Film Heritage team. The screening will be followed by a discussion with June Givanni and Imruh Bakari, curators of Big City Stories, Stephen Bourne, Britain’s leading authority on black film history and Kunle Olulode, chair of The New Black network of leading exhibitors of black film.

For more information about the programme, visit the Big City Stories website.

Booking for these free screenings is essential. Call the Box Office on 0208 444 6789 to reserve tickets today.

More ‘From the Archives’ screenings are being planned at the moment. If you have an idea for an archive film or a theme, email heritage@phoenixcinema.co.uk