Full steam ahead for Film Archive
Date Posted: September 29, 2016
Beyond The City, an initiative set up as part of the British Film Institute (BFI) Britain on Film project, concludes at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum next week. The project aims to present films to audiences about rural life and traditions.
The final screenings feature a classic railway movie shown in the Railway Gallery at the Museum including Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes,
Throughout September, Northern Ireland Screen and partners have been wowing audiences with screenings across the Country in unique settings like The Giant’s Ring and the Marble Arch Caves. The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum plays host to a night of classic film with the thriller The Lady Vanishes (29th September) at the Rail Gallery.
Clifford Harkness, Head of Collections, Ulster Folk & Transport Museum said: “Entering the Rail Gallery can be a jaw dropping moment. To have the further opportunity to watch – within the gallery – archive film about our way of life and then be entertained by classic train movies will be an evocative and hugely entertaining experience.”
Francis Jones, Archive Education Officer, Northern Ireland Screen said:
“Working alongside FilmHubNI and National Museums Northern Ireland has allowed us to create unforgettable film-going experiences; combining material from our Digital Film Archive, guest speakers and unique settings, such as the Rail Gallery at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum.
“The material in the archive traces the changing fortunes of the railways in Northern Ireland, from their heyday through to the swansong of the steam locomotives in the 1970s and the arrival of the diesel train, be it the 1978 BBC documentary Trains – featuring a fresh-faced Liam Neeson – or the evocative films of amateur filmmaker and rail enthusiast A.H. Martin.”
Hugh Odling-Smee from Film Hub NI says, “With Northern Ireland Screen and Film Hub Central East in Nottingham, we are able to deliver events across Northern Ireland focusing on the intersection between rural life and archive film. Life in Northern Ireland has changed so much, even in the last 30 years, and filmmakers documented much of that change. For Film Hub NI and Northern Ireland Screen this is an opportunity to see those archives interpreted and enjoyed on a big screen.”
Both screenings are supported with specially selected clips from Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive, the BFI National Archive and National Museums Northern Ireland. In addition two short illustrated talks on Great Train Robberies and a Hitchcock’s Train Journeys will be presented by local filmmaker Colin McKeown.
Beyond The City is a major collaboration – under the auspices of the British Film Institute’s Britain on Film project. The project highlights selected treasures from regional and national film archives: unseen gems and classic films screened in unusual venues accompanied by special archive compilations
Project Partners include: Northern Ireland Screen Digital Film Archive, National Museums Northern Ireland, the British Film Institute, Belfast Film Festival and Film Hub NI.
Tickets are priced at £7 and can be purchased at the following link:
- The Lady Vanishes, click here.
Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive can be accessed here.
