British Council Film Collection Goes Online

Dozens of films from the archives of the British Council have been released for free online.

Dating from the 1940s, the 120 films were made by British Council staff and are mostly bits of low-grade propaganda about the country, made to promote the British way of life abroad and project the country's values during an era where Fascism was taking root across the globe. Many of the clips are newsreels, while other topics include cricket, the general election of 1945 and the country's preparations for war.

All of the films are available to download from the British Council's website and are offered under a Creative Commons licence, meaning they can be re-used in personal video projects.