UEA launches Film50 to explore future of film archives
The University of East Anglia has launched Film50, a year-long programme marking the 50th anniversary of film studies at the institution. The project examines how film and television history can be preserved, shared and rediscovered amid ongoing digital shifts, encompassing topics from artificial intelligence applications in screen heritage to the future trajectory of long-running franchises such as James Bond.
Film50 unites filmmakers, researchers, archivists and audiences in a collaborative effort to reflect on five decades of the discipline at UEA. A central feature involves a rare takeover of the British Film Institute’s Reuben Library at Southbank in November, relocating discussions of film, television and archive collections to one of the country’s foremost cultural sites.
The November event at the BFI Reuben Library continues a connection that began in 1976, when UEA was selected among a limited number of universities to help establish film studies within UK higher education. Five decades on, the return to BFI Southbank will host a dedicated season of public talks addressing the history, current state and prospective directions of screen culture.
The free lectures will address the origins of film studies in Britain, the contributions of UEA academic Charles Barr, the expansion of feminist film studies, and the broader cultural influence of enduring franchises including Doctor Who and James Bond. These sessions form part of the wider public programme running throughout the anniversary year.
Professor Keith M. Johnston, Professor of Film and Television at UEA, observed that film studies at the university has consistently paired enthusiasm for cinema with analysis of its links to society, culture, media and history. He noted that Film50 offers space both to review that record and to consider the shape of future film and television archives, adding that collaboration with archives, cultural bodies and audiences will test how collections stay relevant, accessible and meaningful amid rapid change.
Johnston emphasised that activities ranging from BFI talks to archive initiatives and technology research aim to keep film and television history accessible, discoverable and pertinent for coming generations. The project therefore focuses on practical steps that maintain the value of existing collections while adapting to new conditions.
Researchers involved in Film50 will test machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to locate people, places and objects within historic footage. The goal is to render large archive holdings more searchable, thereby supporting wider public and scholarly engagement with material that might otherwise stay difficult to navigate.
Johnston stated that archives hold numerous stories awaiting rediscovery and that new technologies could surface content otherwise overlooked, whether local histories on amateur film or television programmes recording social and cultural shifts. He identified the core difficulty as moving beyond preservation to improve discovery, exploration and sharing of the material.
In parallel with its public events, Film50 will create training resources for archive professionals and volunteers. These materials will assist organisations in cataloguing holdings, expanding public access and safeguarding content for later use. Teams will also partner with archive institutions in the UK and abroad to exchange knowledge on preservation and cataloguing while devising fresh online discovery methods for audiences.
The project receives support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Impact Accelerator Account.
