Central Office of Information: Crown Film Unit public information films

INF 33

1940-1952

This series contain films produced by the Crown Film Unit which produced films providing information and news to the public, both in Britain and abroad. A variety of types of films were made including short information and documentary films, as well as longer drama documentaries. During the Second World War films were produced to inform and influence the public in relation to the war, in particular to publicise emergency campaigns and provide information about wartime events and measures.

After the war different government departments commissioned films on a variety of subjects, including: the British Empire, health and medicine, science, the natural world, arts and culture, and everyday life in towns and the countryside.

NOTE: If you wish to view films from the BFI National Archive, please cite BFI catalogue references found in the 'Former reference (Department)' field when contacting The British Film Institute with your request.

Some films are available online from the BFI Media Player.

Dates listed in the catalogue are the dates when the films were released.

For miscellaneous public record films, see CD 1

Public Record(s)

English

• Central Office of Information, Crown Film Unit, 1946-1952
• Ministry of Information, Crown Film Unit, 1940-1946

142 film(s)

Film preservation rules apply that may restrict access. For further information about accessing BFI National Archive collections, please visit http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections

Open

Topics

Archives and libraries

Art, architecture and design

Photography and film

Conflict

Operations, battles and campaigns

The films produced by the Crown Film Unit that have been selected for permanent preservation were transferred directly to the British Film Institute who hold selected public information films on behalf of the National Archives.

The public information films which covered subjects of particular interest or films which were in themselves innovative were selected for permanent preservation.

In April 1940 the GPO Film Unit (which was division of the General Post Office) was transferred into the Ministry of Information and its name was changed to the Crown Film Unit. The Unit's remit was to produce films to inform and influence the public in relation to the Second World War, in particular to publicise emergency campaigns and inform the public of wartime events and measures. The Unit took the documentary film making techniques it had developed before the war and used them to provide information and propaganda.

At the end of the war the Crown Film Unit was transferred into the newly created Central Office of Information (COI). COI was sponsored by numerous departments to deliver information to the public and the Crown Film Unit was now being commissioned to produce films across a range of subject deemed to be important by government departments.

In 1952 the government decided to abolish the Crown Film Unit and instead commission independent film companies to produce the films.