Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive is a free public access resource for teachers, students, historians and anyone who has an interest in moving images. Spanning from 1897 to the present day, the films in the Digital Film Archive cover all aspects of life in Northern Ireland and includes everything from dramas to documentaries, newsreels and features, animation to amateur footage.
This film is part of Free
No. 26
Take a few minutes to meditate on this mesmerising Super 8 experiment straight from the artist’s studio
From the collection of:
Overview
Meditate on the mesmerising movements and let this film transport you to clouds, nebulas or you wherever your fancy takes you. Time has engraved a lively layer of dancing scratches that bring their own rhythm over the billowing plumes of cloudy liquid. This film is possibly an early student experiment by Northern Irish artist Brian Connolly. It’s a rare glimpse into the kind of playful film making by local artists that was emerging from the Belfast School of Art.
This film is courtesy of Brian Connolly. He was born in Ballymoney, County Antrim in 1961 and was awarded an M.A. in Fine Art at the University of Ulster in 1985. He has been working as a professional artist ever since. As an artist much of his work has evolved out of a series of dialogues with the specifics of place, location, context, or site. He has created Interventions, Performance Art Works, Install-actions, & Installations, in a wide range of places around the globe, these include: Churches, Monasteries, Castles, City Streets, Alleyways, Market Places, Parks, a dry swimming pool, Beach, Funeral Parlour, as well as Art Galleries & Museums. You can watch more of his time-lapse experiments on BFI player.
Related
Watch for free
Hints and Hobbies No.11 Hints and Hobbies No.11
Cinemagazine 1926 14 mins Silent
Jiu-jitsu for ladies, how to get ink off a white apron and other life essentials courtesy of the 'Hints and Hobbies' team.
Watch for free
Lobsters Lobsters
Documentary 1936 15 mins
Follow the life cycle of the king of crustaceans in this quirky documentary by Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy.
Watch for free
Audrey Hepburn Test Audrey Hepburn Test
1952 6 mins Silent
The future Holly Golightly exudes a certain grace even for a modest screen test, in the earliest known colour footage of the timeless star.
Currently unavailable
Facts and Fancies Facts and Fancies
Documentary 1951 24 mins
Joan Collins gets to grips with the by-products of coal in her first screen appearance
Watch for free
Cabtrack The Direct Auto-control Personal Taxi Service Cabtrack The Direct Auto-control Personal Taxi Service
Government sponsored film 1972 16 mins Location: London
Could computer-controlled taxis solve the traffic crisis? Maybe not, but this film's a must for technology buffs (and fans of early electronic music).
Watch for free
Is This Your Life? Is This Your Life?
Amateur film 1957 9 mins Silent
An unusual and visually sophisticated commentary on the routine drabness and drudgery of everyday suburban existence.
Watch for free
Food for Thought Food for Thought
Advert 6 mins Location: Belfast
Hangry animals demand better grub in this bizarre advert by E.T. Green
Watch for free
Kennedy's Bread Kennedy's Bread
Advert 1960 0 mins Location: Belfast
This family favourite is guaranteed to have you singing all the way to the bread bin
Watch for free
Launch of the "Celtic" Launch of the "Celtic"
Non-Fiction 1901 1 mins Location: Belfast
Seawards heads a great ship, the biggest of its day
Watch for free
Belfast Street Scenes 1890's Belfast Street Scenes 1890's
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Belfast
A view down the High Street featuring the Albert Clock, a shot of Queen's Bridge and the docks
Watch for free
Disabled Access in Belfast City Centre Disabled Access in Belfast City Centre
Current affairs 1981 20 mins Location: Belfast
Join Belfast’s first female Lord Mayor and reconsider how disabled people navigate the streets of Belfast.
Watch for free
Year of the Disabled Year of the Disabled
Current affairs 1981 20 mins Location: Belfast
Counterpoint explores how government policy measures up to the reality of the country’s mobility needs.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
Watch for free
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.