Overseas Film and Television Centre

Title: Overseas Film and Television Centre

Description: The Overseas Film and Television Centre (OFT) houses a collection of over 4000 films covering information about Britain's former colonies, particularly countries in Africa and the Caribbean. The films provide information about the history of the peoples of the former colonies, the development of countries from colonial rule to independence and news magazines from all over the colonial world.
The British Government's Central Office of Information (COI) and its predecessors (the Empire Marketing Board and the Ministry of Information) produced a large proportion of these documentary films which date from the late 1930s onwards. All the films in the COI collection were originally produced to promote British culture and innovation, and cover subjects as diverse as health, transport, education, agriculture, defence and safety.
Over 200 films at the OFT specifically cover information about the Caribbean region and an additional 70 films feature information about the history of Black and Asian peoples in Britain.

With regard to the Caribbean particular collections and items of note include:

• 'Cuba Collection' (1950s) - comprising 35mm black and white film footage of Cuba prior to the revolution and including re-enactment scenes of the 1956 landings, information on pre revolution poverty in Cuba and the revolutionary guard, scenes of Che Guevara leading the troops, footage of Fidel Castro with revolutionary villagers and celebration scenes in Havana in 1950 showing Castro riding a tank alongside his comrades.
• 'Marketing What We Grow' (1963) - a documentary film about farming practices and agricultural policy in Jamaica which includes information on government initiatives to establish farmers' co-operatives in the 1960s, designed to improve the country's revenue from banana, cocoa and coffee export crops.
• 'This is Ska' (1964) - a two-part documentary film about the origins of 'Ska' music, produced by the 'Jamaica Film Unit' in 1964.
• 'The Lion of Judah' (1966) - a documentary film about the state visit of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie to Jamaica in 1966.
• 'The Royal Tour of the Caribbean' (1966) - a Colonial Office documentary film about the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's five-week tour of the Caribbean on board the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1966. The film includes footage of visits to British Guiana (Guyana), Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, Montserrat, Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis, Tortola, Grand Turk, the Caicos, the Bahamas and Jamaica.

With regard to information on the history of Black and Asian peoples in Britain, key titles include:

• 'West Indies Calling' (1943) - a Ministry of Information film showing footage about the contributions of Caribbean servicemen and women during the Second World War. Learie Constantine, former Trinidad High Commissioner to Britain who served as a Welfare Officer with the Ministry of Labour during the war, narrates information about the large numbers of Caribbean engineers and mechanics who came to work in Britain's factories during the war. Flying Officer Ulrich Cross, RAF bomber pilot, introduces men and women in all the Services and narrates over images of a black Spitfire pilot talking with his commanding officer, footage of servicemen and women on parade, scenes of servicemen sending morse code messages and soldiers taking part in training exercises. (Film Number: COI/22L)
• 'Faces of Wales' (1961) - Film footage from the COI collection showing images of family life within the dockside ('Tiger Bay') communities of Cardiff (Film Number: COI/11B)
• 'UK Today 33' (1992) - a series of 5 short films about UK life commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The fourth film in the compilation, entitled 'Black Politics' contains information about the 1992 elections and presents information on the four black Members of Parliament from Britain's African Caribbean community and further details about the new African Caribbean candidates standing for election in 1992. (Film Number: COI/27J)
• 'UK Today 43' (1992) - a series of 5 short films about UK life, commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The first film, entitled 'Police Lessons', provides information about a police training initiative launched by Leicester Police Force designed to improve relations between police and ethnic minority communities in Britain's inner cities. During the film police cadets are shown spending time lodging with families from Asian and African-Caribbean backgrounds, in order to learn about the values and traditions of the communities they'll later be policing and to provide members of the communities with some insights into the pressures and rigours of police work.
• 'UK Today 70' (n.d.) - a documentary film featuring a section, entitled 'Asian Bishop', about Pakistan-born Bishop Michael Nazir Ali, the first bishop of Asian descent in the history of the Church of England. In the film he is described as one of the Church of England's foremost experts on relations between Christendom and Islam. The film also features his installation as bishop in the City of Rochester, Kent, in 1995 and a subsequent interview.
• 'At Home in Britain' (1983) - Three programmes featuring three Asian men, a Hindu, a Muslim and a Sikh living in Britain. They explain how they and their families have adapted to living and working in Britain, while retaining their religious beliefs and traditional customs.

In addition to the above the OFT also houses films covering general information on health, welfare and safety issues, including documentary footage on the following topics and themes: housing; clean water supply; treatment, prevention and awareness of diseases (such as bilharzia, cholera, yaws, syphilis, small pox, malaria, tapeworms, tuberculosis, yellow fever, dysentery and sickle cell anaemia); childcare issues; food preparation; inoculation; drug addiction awareness; safety at work and drink driving.

Strengths: Central Office of Information (COI) film footage.

Size: c.4000 titles in total of which over 200 relate specifically to the Caribbean and c.70 relate to the history of Black and Asian people in Britain.

Catalogue: Film Images Online Database

Catalogue URL: http://www.film-images.com/search.htm

Main URL: http://www.film-images.com

Access: Reference access to the Centre's collections is available by appointment. Researchers are encouraged to browse the online database of holdings at http://www.film-images.com before contacting the Centre with an enquiry. In-house viewing facilities are available on site. Alternatively tailor-made VHS or U-Matic cassettes can be made for preview purposes (a fee is payable for this). Research can also be carried by the Centre's staff. Charges will be made for this service.

Acquisition dates: 1989 - present, with material dating from the early 20th century.

Note: Please note that fees are charged for research carried out by the Centre's staff, license fees and transfers/delivery of film footage.

Interest: Asian, Black, Caribbean

Complete: Complete

Subjects

Social history

Politics

Ethnic groups

Documentary films

Decolonization

Communities

Colonial countries

Personal/Corporate names

Central Office of Information

Ali, Michael Nazir (Bishop of Rochester)

Places

Jamaica

Cuba

Caribbean