Movies: British colonialism

  • 2022
    Thrown into Canada

    Thrown into Canada (2022)

    Thrown into Canada

    02022HD

    This documentary explores the history of Canada’s first major migration of non-European and non-white refugees who arrived in 1972 when Ugandan President Idi Amin expelled all South Asians from the country. Their story of struggle and hope became par...

    Thrown into Canada
  • 1937
    Little Pioneer

    Little Pioneer (1937)

    Little Pioneer

    51937HD

    In 1880 South Africa, young Betsy has an adventure involving Zulu Tribesmen, Dutch Settlers, The Vortrekkers, and her older brother's romance of Katie Snee....

    Little Pioneer
  • 1957
    Freedom

    Freedom (1957)

    Freedom

    01957HD

    Freedom, Nigeria's contribution to the 1957 Berlin Film Festival, was based on a play commissioned by the Moral Re-Armament Association. Based on a stage piece, the film is an unabashed paean to the MRA, demonstrating how the organization helped to c...

    Freedom
  • 1990
    A Little Piece of Sunshine

    A Little Piece of Sunshine (1990)

    A Little Piece of Sunshine

    61990HD

    Sunshine, an idyllic and almost forgotten island under British rule, is shortly to become independent. But a few days before this event is to take place, the British governor of the island is shot. Her Majesty's secret service is called in and Sam Mc...

    A Little Piece of Sunshine
  • 2012
    The Meaning of Style

    The Meaning of Style (2012)

    The Meaning of Style

    02012HD

    Shot with Malaysian skinheads in Penang, it’s a meditative fantasy on signs, signals and butterflies, leading to pointed reflections on the relationship between British colonial history and popular culture in South-East Asia...

    The Meaning of Style
  • 2023
    Black & White Duppy

    Black & White Duppy (2023)

    Black & White Duppy

    102023HD

    On the day of his grandma’s funeral, 17-year-old Red faces multi-generational demons in this surreal horror film exploring colonial trauma and Black family histories....

    Black & White Duppy
  • 1964
    The Death Knell

    The Death Knell (1964)

    The Death Knell

    101964HD

    At the beginning of the 1960s, in Salisbury (now Harare), in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the government of Ian Smith hanged three black revolutionaries who had nevertheless been pardoned by the Queen of England. René Vautier, with ZAPU (Zimbabw...

    The Death Knell
  • 2020
    The Bloody Border

    The Bloody Border (2020)

    The Bloody Border

    6.32020HD

    The painful story of Ireland and the Irish people, who struggled for centuries to free themselves from the tyrannical clutches of the British Empire; an epic tale of poverty, hunger, despair, violence and unyielding courage....

    The Bloody Border
  • 2022
    Restitution? Africa's Fight for Its Art

    Restitution? Africa's Fight for Its Art (2022)

    Restitution? Africa's Fight for Its Art

    7.32022HD

    There is an interlinking history of violent European colonialism and the cultural legacy of ethnographic collections in institutions. This documentary traces the progression of colonial history from the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 to the systematic ...

    Restitution? Africa's Fight for Its Art
  • 1944
    British Settler Life in Kenya

    British Settler Life in Kenya (1944)

    British Settler Life in Kenya

    01944HD

    This 1944 black and white silent film provides brief glimpses of the lifestyle among Kenya's white/European settlers during the Second World War....

    British Settler Life in Kenya
  • 1936
    Gardens of the Orient

    Gardens of the Orient (1936)

    Gardens of the Orient

    01936HD

    This portait of life on the tea plantations is decidedly rosy – clearly, there are no exploited workers here. However, the film provides an intriguing overview of tea production – from the planting of tea seeds to the final shipping of the precious l...

    Gardens of the Orient
  • 2017
    India on Film: 1899 – 1947

    India on Film: 1899 – 1947 (2017)

    India on Film: 1899 – 1947

    02017HD

    As part of the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, the British Council and British Film Institute share a unique collection of films documenting the sights and culture of a bygone India. Filmed between 1899-1947, and preserved in the BFI National Archive ...

    India on Film: 1899 – 1947
  • 1940
    Rewi's Last Stand

    Rewi's Last Stand (1940)

    Rewi's Last Stand

    41940HD

    Star-crossed lovers, Robert and Ariana, are caught up in the New Zealand wars of the 1860s. Ariana is claimed by the Maniapoto people as one of their own and, despite Robert's chivalrous defence, is taken by them and must help them prepare for war...

    Rewi's Last Stand
  • 1969
    Food from the Empire

    Food from the Empire (1969)

    Food from the Empire

    01969HD

    Made in 1940 and sponsored by the Ministry of Information this film shows the food contributions supplied to Britain by various colonies and dominions. 'Food from the Empire highlights the severity of the food issue, by discussing food production as ...

    Food from the Empire