Ministry of Information and Central Office of Information: films

INF 34

1931-2011

This is an artificial accumulation of government films produced or sponsored by the Central Office of Information or its predecessor, the Ministry of Information excluding Crown Film Unit productions. Many were sponsored jointly by the COI and another government department, or commissioned by the COI on behalf of another government department. The series also includes some productions that pre-date the Ministry of Information.

The films address a broad variety of subjects relating to life in the United Kingdom and parts of the (former) British Empire, including: health and welfare, industry and culture, crime prevention, food and farming, and the environment. Some of the films were produced exclusively for screening overseas, including magazine series such as This is Britain, Tomorrow Today and Living Tomorrow, Calendar, and London Line.

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.

For miscellaneous public record films, see CD 1

Public Record(s)

English and Miscellaneous

1496 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

Food and drink

Films that have been selected for permanent preservation were transferred directly to the British Film Institute who hold films with the legal status of public records on behalf of The National Archives.

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

During the Second World War and its aftermath, the Films Division of the Ministry of Information was involved with commissioning and producing films both through the Crown Film Unit and by working with independent production companies. When the Central Office of Information replaced the Ministry in 1946, its staff worked with other government departments to deliver information to the public through films and other media. After the Crown Film Unit was abolished in 1952, COI commissioned independent film companies to produce films, often acting on behalf of other government departments. The extent of COI involvement in the creation of the films varied from high-level oversight to direct input into scripting and editing.