Records of Films and Television Units and Divisions

Division within INF

1931-2005

Records of Films and Television Units and Divisions of the Ministry of Information and Central Office of Information:

• Crown Film Unit Files, INF 5.
• Film Production documents, INF 6.
• Music scores from selected films, INF 15.
• Sound recordings, Radio Services Division (transferred to the National Sound Archive), INF 16.
• Empire and GPO Film Library correspondence, INF 17.
• Central Office of Information: Public Information Films INF 32.
• Central Office of Information: Crown Film Unit public information films INF 33.
• Ministry of Information and Central Office of Information: films INF 34.

Public Record(s)

English

• Central Office of Information, Films and Television Division, 1965-1991
• Central Office of Information, Films Division, 1946-1964
• Central Office of Information, Films, Television and Newsreel Division, 1964-1965
• Ministry of Information, Crown Film Unit, 1940-1946
• Post Office, GPO Film Unit, 1933-1940

8 series

Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

Topics

Art, architecture and design

Photography and film

Radio and television

A Film Unit was established by the Empire Marketing Board as part of its publicity and public relations work. When the Board was dissolved in 1933 this Unit was taken over by the new Public Relations Division of the Post Office. In April 1940 the Unit was transferred to the Ministry of Information. Under the direction of the Ministry's Films Division, the unit, renamed the Crown Film Unit, produced documentary films to publicise emergency campaigns and inform the public of wartime events and measures.

After the war it remained an important constituent of the Central Office of Information, under the direction of the Films Division until 1952, when it was disbanded as an economy measure. Since then the COI has commissioned outside film and television production companies to produce government sponsored films. The Central Film Library, also instituted by the Empire Marketing Board, is still part of the Office. The Films Division was renamed the Films, Television and Newreels Division in 1964 and the Films and Television Division in 1965.