COI

An African tribe in the Eastern Nigerian village of Umana work to build a maternity hospital, with the aid of government officials, and against the opposition of some tribal members.

Ernie tells Eric to ‘be wise’ and not drive home after their Christmas party.

Warning children not to play near 'dark and lonely' water, a horror film style look and voice-over is used in this film to highlight the dangers.

On an English farm, six reckless children play at being a fierce band of Apache warriors, unaware of the many dangers to which they are exposed. (Public information short film produced on behalf of the British Government to warn children living in rural areas about the risks of playing near farm machinery.)

A haunting fire prevention film about keeping matches out of the hands of children.

Queen Elizabeth's younger and only sibling, Princess Margaret, went on a 5-week tour of Mauritius and East Africa in September-October 1956.

In the middle of a six-week tour of the Indian sub-continent between January and March 1961, the Queen and Prince Philip visited Pakistan and East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

Reported cases of sexually transmitted disease took a sharp rise during and after World War II, but as this film testifies, sexual license amongst soldiers on the frontline wasn't the sole cause. Back on the home front, for many women, like Joan from No. 19, loneliness or newfound independence acted as an incentive to extramarital promiscuity.

Part of BFI collection "Design for Today."

Modern advice and old-fashioned values combine in this postwar animated health guide from the makers of Animal Farm.

2-6 March 1961 saw the Queen and Prince Philip make their first and only state visit to Iran. Their host was Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (1919-80), the Shah of Iran, who had already made an official visit to Britain in 1959.

Michael Palin guides us on suicide in this humorous public information film on motorway safety.

Britain and Turkey had not always enjoyed the ‘special’ friendship referred to in the commentary. Their armies were on opposing sides in the First World War and there had been disagreementt over the future of Cyprus in the run up to the settlement of 1960. In the 1960s relations improved and this reciprocal tour (the President of Turkey, Cevdet Sunay, had paid a state visit to the United Kingdom in November 1967) was regarded as a milestone in the bilateral alliance between the two countries. The camera affords the viewer a prime vantage point by which to marvel at the splendour of the pageantry and contemplate every nuance of gesture and sartorial detail. As we linger on the bejewelled Queen waiting patiently at the British Embassy in Ankara to greet her guests we wonder what it might be like to be in her shoes.

An exhortation to drivers to pay attention to road safety. In just 15 minutes, John Krish manages to give this road safety film something new and different by presenting events not from the point of view of the driver, but of his brain, memory and ego, who operate from a rather camp technology-driven command centre.

A short film to warn children of sexual predators.

Even the most devout monarchist may feel uncomfortable watching this film - hindsight makes this a rather poignant experience. Although clearly intended as a hymn to royal life, with a panting narration describing the bliss Charles, Anne and Andrew are experiencing (the film was made three years before the birth of Edward), the images tell a different story - only a couple of shots feature the children smiling, while the first glimpse of Andrew as a baby, a spotlight shining on his face as photographers snap away, is a faintly sinister symbol of the royals’ lack of privacy from birth. The knowledge that a future of divorce and tabloid scandal would tarnish these children's adult lives adds irony to this snapshot of supposed utopia.

A film made for the Central Office of Information concerning Britain's coastline, with music by Michael Nyman.

Never Go With Strangers was intended for children aged between seven and ten and its purpose was ‘to warn them of the dangers of accepting lifts or presents from strangers’. Due to potential distress government officials instructed that the film only be shown under ‘responsible adult supervision’, thus denying it a TV airing for many years.

Central Office of Information profile of actress, Glenda Jackson discussing her roles in Sunday, Bloody Sunday and Women in Love, as well as views on the profession.

Documentary about Sir Terence Conran, an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.