Another striking DVD release from the BFI archives that gives a contemporary twist to a dramatic re-construction of the battle of Culloden in 1746; a conflict acknowledged by many for ending Clan unity within the Scottish Highlands. Filmed in black and white and made back in 1964 Culloden remains a striking depiction of a particularly brutal event in history. find out more...

A major retrospective of the British documentary film movement during its period of greatest influence; before, during and after the Second World War. These diverse and compelling films are fascinating historical documents, bearing witness to the social and industrial transformations of the rapidly changing world. Striking in their different approach to the form, using poetry, dramatic reconstruction and explicit propaganda, the film-makers found fresh, new ways to get their message across. find out more...

Letters from Baghdad is the story of a true original. Gertrude Bell, sometimes called the "female" Lawrence of Arabia. The film tells the dramatic story of this British spy, explorer and political powerhouse. Using stunning, never-seen-before footage of the region, the film chronicles her extraordinary journey into both the uncharted Arabian desert and the inner sanctum of British colonial power. The story is told entirely in the words of Gertrude Bell and her contem find out more...

This is the most powerful and best known documentary on the holocaust ever made. Commissioned by the French Comittee for the History of the Second World War in 1955, it contains some of the most chilling and haunting images of human brutality ever seen. The director uses a simple approach to what must have been a very daunting project, managing not to aestheticise the grim subject matter. A very important film. find out more...