The collection opens with Len Lye's modernist abstraction ‘Tusalava’, which, heavily influenced by Maori and Aboriginal art, shares an interest in ‘primitive’ cultures that was typical of the Modernist movement of the time. It was almost refused a certificate by the puzzled British Board of Censors who suspected that the dancing abstract shapes might be about sex. Lye's own explanation was that it showed the beginnings of organic life. ‘Crossing the Great Sagrada’, is a lowbrow spoof on travel find out more...

Award wining documentary ‘Song of Ceylon’, is a lyrical beauty, but owes its enduring charm to its anachronistic notions of Empire and Englishness. ‘Bread’ is a slice of realism that looks at hunger in Britain. ‘Beyond This Open Road’ shows the urban populace journeying into the countryside during their weekends away from work; the imagery and utopian aesthetic are reminiscent of the work of Leni Riefenstahl. ‘Coal Face’ is an experiment in realism that focuses on the importance of coal mini find out more...

'La Jetee' is a milestone in cinematic history, and the inspiration behind Hollywood hit '12 Monkeys'. This classic sci-fi short takes one man on a terrifying journey from the post-apocalyptic world he inhabits, back to his childhood and his one distant memory; the face of a woman at the end of a pier. Stunning. find out more...

Psychiatrist Bergman falls in love with the new head of the asylum, and discovers that he is in fact an impostor suffering from severe guilt trauma. The drama develops as she digs deeper into his labyrinthian mind. Artist Salvador Dali adds surrealist sequences to this maze-like thriller. find out more...

Bergman's fascinating and acclaimed allegorical search for a meaning for human existance. A disillusioned soldier returns from the Crusades to find plague ravaging Europe. Death arrives in person to take his soul, but by beating him at chess he earns a reprieve. Repressive, dark, medieval and superb! find out more...