Photo credit: A Bedtime Story (1959, Yorkshire Film Archive), Alice in Wonderland (1903), A Colour Box (1935)

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Thursday 14 May, 2020 London.

As the UK’s lockdown continues and schools and nurseries remain closed, access to the moving image has never been more important in our lives at home. Offering families a break from the monotony of cartoon repeats, the BFI’s free ‘Films for Fives and Under’ archive collection offers a fun selection of films chosen for supervised viewing with young children embarking on their discovery of film. These titles have been digitised thanks to National Lottery funding drawn from the BFI National Archive and regional film archive partners across the UK.

This collection includes the very first film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (Percy Stow and Cecil M. Hepworth, 1903), made just 37 years after the novel was published, as well as Len Lye’s joyful splash of abstract colours and rhythm, A Colour Box (1935), an episode of children’s television favourites, The Clangers experiencing election-fever in Vote for Froglet (1974) and an important road safety lesson from Tufty the squirrel, Tufty – Shopping (1973), the safety-conscious star of the well-loved public information series.

Drawn from the digitised collections of the BFI National Archive and regional archive partners these films, road tested on our own curators’ children, have been chosen to broaden young minds and open up new worlds appealing to 3-5 year olds as well as the young at heart. These short films have been chosen to entertain, amuse, intrigue or spark the imagination, while developing an understanding of what film can be and do

The selection stretches back as far as film's earliest days, with the earliest film in the collection being the charming Victorian 'trick' film X Rays (1897), made by early film pioneer GA Smith, and feature a range of genres and styles including animation, wildlife films, quirky newsreel, experimental films with colour patterns and repetition, silent comedies, public information films, amateur films and more. You won't find these films anywhere else, so watching along with your child - necessary since some films need a little explaining or have intertitles to read - will be a joy and an adventure for grown-ups too.

Please note adult supervision is required while children are using BFI Player, all account holders must be 16 years of age.

Collection highlights include:

X Rays (1897) The earliest film in the collection, made by the Hove-based film pioneer George Albert Smith pokes fun at the new science of x-ray photography in this humorous ‘trick’ film proving that love is more than skin deep, as a courting couple get intimate in front of an X-ray camera.

Deonzo Brothers (1901) Don’t try this at home. The fabulous Deonzo Brothers star in a spectacular barrel-jumping stage act.

Alice in Wonderland (1903) Based on Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations, this first-ever film version of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale restored by the BFI was made just 37 years after the novel’s publication and eight years after the birth of cinema.

A Colour Box (1935) Rarely has a film exploded onto cinema screens with such a joyful splash of colour and rhythm. Made as a commercial for the General Post Office, New Zealand born Len Lye painted directly onto the film strip, synchronising his dynamic shapes and squiggles with an upbeat rumba track to pack a punch with this classic abstract animation.

Molar Mischief (1946) Look out, germs at work! These loveable molar mischief making puppets really dig tooth decay in this wacky post-war advert for Solidox toothpaste.

A Bedtime Story (1959) (Yorkshire Film Archive) A little girl reads her favourite dolls a bedtime story that miraculously comes to life in this heart- warming stop-motion animation/live action film made by amateur filmmaker A.R.Smith.

That Noise (1961) Bob Godfrey was the lo-fi artisan behind some of Britain’s best comic animation, including Roobarb (1974). Bruce Lacey was an eccentric genius performance artist long with an expressive face born to be turned into a cartoon. Anthony Newly was an innovative actor and songwriter with a gift for quirkily combining his skills, the resulting comic proto-music video is a perfect storm of nonsense in a teacup.

Bunty the Bouncing Bassoon (1963) Enter the Merry Music Shop, but be warned you might be singing when you leave with Bunty the Bouncing Bassoon in this playful and infectious animation.

Echo: Some Reflections (1972) (Screen & Sound Archive, National Library of Wales) Glynn Williams explores the properties of reflection in this amusing animation featuring a toy train set.

Osibisa Musical Group (1980) (The Box, Plymouth) The Ghanaian led Afro-Caribbean band, Osibisa, spreads infectious world music rhythms at Plymouth’s Frankfort Gate. Originally founded in 1969, Osibisa reformed in 1996 and they continue to perform and produce music today.

Outing to Belfast Zoo (1981) ( Digital Film Archive) Delightful home movie, bursting with the joys of childhood, capturing a day out to Belfast Zoo. The zoo opened in 1934 is now part of a breeding program for endangered species and a ‘retirement home’ for elderly elephants.

How The Whale Got His Throat (1981) (North East Film Archive) Travel into the belly of the whale fable with this beautiful and comic animated adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s whimsical tale, as part of Sheila Graber’s Just So Stories series, commissioned by Nicole Jouve of Interama (The Magic Roundabout), first broadcast on French TV in 1983.

Warning: These films have been tested on real children - but not your children! We believe all the films are strictly U certificate, but what delights one child might confuse or upset another, so we recommend that an adult looks at the films first just in case.

For Press enquiries contact: Sarah Bemand, Press Officer, Archive & Heritage,

Tel +44(0) 207 957 8940 [email protected]

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

RECENTLY ADDED FREE COLLECTIONS ON BFI PLAYER

Spotlight on Key Workers This companion to our existing NHS on Film collection is a salute to the vital workers who keep our essential services running all the time, in good times or bad; the teachers, transport workers, dustmen, nurses and doctors, care workers, farmers, postal workers, police and fire services and many more.

Cats v Dogs From human companions to internet superstars, cats and dogs have long been in competition for the top spot in our affections. In this new archive collection our age-old infatuation is laid bare. Time to choose whether you are #teamcat or #teamdog

Eating In BFI brings the restaurant to you with gastronomic film inspiration for novice cooks and greedy gourmands from across the UK. This mouthwatering selection brings together a feast of culinary delights to tickle your tastebuds as well as a chance to sample home cooking and simple local fayre spanning a century of making, cooking - and eating.

VE Day 75 years ago Victory in Europe was officially declared by Winston Churchill and Britain threw itself a party. After nearly six gruelling years of war, it had earned it. Bringing together some of the rare and precious home movies capturing the colourful street parties and parades that took place in the nation-wide celebrations that followed, an uplifting reminder of Britain coming together to mark the end of a national crisis.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BFI PLAYER As well as being accessible to UK audiences through the BFI’s own website, BFI Player is also available through a range of video platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and to viewers in the USA on the Roku Channel.

A detailed BFI Player press pack, including highlights of the service, can be downloaded here: https://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-press-release-bfi-player-press-pack-march-2020-03-31-v1.pdf

STILLS AND MOVING IMAGE ASSETS A selection of stills for the purpose of promoting BFI Player, and the titles available on the service, are available to download here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g8sa2vr6ioca3jh/AAAMnzyJnsv0VK_JGTx7MS0ya?dl=0 Moving images assets for archive films only are available on an ad hoc basis, and are rights dependent. Please make any request for archive clips to Sarah Bemand in the BFI press office.

About the BFI The BFI is the UK’s lead organisation for film, television and the moving image. It is a cultural charity that:  Curates and presents the greatest international public programme of World Cinema for audiences; in cinemas, at festivals and online  Cares for the BFI National Archive – the most significant film and television archive in the world  Actively seeks out and supports the next generation of filmmakers  Works with Government and industry to make the UK the most creatively exciting and prosperous place to make film internationally

Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Josh Berger CBE.

About Britain on Film and Unlocking Film Heritage Britain on Film is one of the largest and most complex archival projects ever undertaken by the BFI, with over 10,000 titles made accessible for free online, many previously unseen. One of the most successful archive projects Britain on Film has had over 75 million online views to date. Unlocking film heritage for everyone in the UK was a key strategic priority for the BFI (2013-2018). Bringing together a partnership with Regional and National Film Archives and rights holder collections across the UK, this work included a sophisticated programme of data capture, cataloguing, copying to archival standards, meticulous preservation of original materials, thorough searching of archives across the country, new state-of- the-art equipment and digital storage facilities and the transfer of films to the BFI’s online video platform, BFI Player.

Unlocking Film Heritage and Britain on Film have been made possible thanks to £15 million funding from the National Lottery and the additional support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

About the regional and national film archives The English Regional Film Archives and other National Film Archives (listed below) hold significant collections of film and video material specifically relevant to their regions or hold dedicated collections such as Imperial War Museums, preserved in specialised storage facilities and made widely available for education, research, communities and the wider public. • UEA’s East Anglian Film Archive • Imperial War Museums • London’s Screen Archives • Media Archive for Central England at the University of Lincoln • North East Film Archive • North West Film Archive at Manchester Metropolitan University • Northern Ireland Screen Digital Film Archive • National Library of • Screen Archive South East • The Box, Plymouth • Screen and Sound Archive, National Library of Wales • Wessex Film and Sound Archive • Yorkshire Film Archive