bfi fiction collection

bfi non-fiction collection

bfi TV collection

Contact and access

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Access and Facilities:

The bfi NFTVA aims to provide access to the film and television collections to as many people as possible, whether from the general public, academics or those involved in the media sector.

The Cataloguing Unit provides an enquiry and research service for all those requiring information on film and television titles held by the bfi. When titles have been identified, the user is then put in touch with the appropriate access department.

• Catalogue - SIFT (the bfi's database at Stephen Street) can provide information on the NFTVA collection by title, series, credits and cast. (Listings from SIFT can also be produced by director, production company and production country). Enquiries regarding holdings on specific subjects (eg events, personalities, locations) can be answered via card indexes and a computerised information retrieval system.
• Searching - Researchers and students are welcome and encouraged to come to the Cataloguing Unit and do their own research. No appointment is necessary. Enquiries are also welcome by letter, fax or email. Opening hours are Monday – Friday 10.00 – 5.30.
• Viewing - The research viewing service is available to non-commercial researchers and to students wishing to view material relating to their research, and allows access to all films and videos designated as 'viewing copies' held by bfi Collections. Please note that not all of the archive's holdings may be available for viewing due to constraints of preservation or copyright. Two to three weeks’ notice should be allowed, and users should provide full details of title, year, transmission date, etc, as appropriate. (If there is any doubt on these details, utilise the Cataloguing Unit to clarify the information you require.) Viewings take place by appointment, between 10.30am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, using Steenbeck table viewers for film and VCRs with headphones for video, both of which are controlled by the user. In certain circumstances, it may also be possible to arrange research viewings at some of the UK's regional film archives, as well as at the bfi's Stephen Street office. Please note that for large groups, viewing theatres are available. Regular events and screenings of material from the bfi film and television collections are also made at the bfi's National Film Theatre.
  Remote Access to moving images - A number of collections from the bfi NFTVA can be searched online. These include: The Boer War, The British Raj, British Silent Comedy, classic film and television titles, documentaries, Ethnic Notions (which encompasses Black cinema), the Spanish Civil War and the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
  In addition, bfi's Screenonline (coming soon) will be a web-based resource devoted to British film and television history and Britain's social history in the twentieth century as represented in moving images. The resource will feature up to 1000 hours of moving image material and is aimed at educational users and lifelong learners via the National Grid for Learning and the People's Network. The resource will be available to all schools and public libraries in the UK. Users elsewhere will be able to access most of the content with the exception of the moving images.
• Charges - Viewing fees are charged at the rate of £12.50 per hour plus VAT (half-price for full-time UK students, OAPs and unsalaried), based on the running time of the films/TV programmes booked.