Press room
Exclusive agreement to release the Educational and Television Films (ETV) Stanley Forman Archive
Adam Matthew to Publish Film Collection on Socialist Propaganda
(Marlborough, 16 April 2015) Adam Matthew today announced a new agreement with the BFI National Archive (British Film Institute) to publish the Educational and Television Films (ETV) archive of producer and distributor Stanley Forman (1921-2013).
Forman, a leading figure in the Communist Party of Great Britain and well-known for collecting and distributing rare footage from behind the ‘Iron Curtain’, established ETV Films Ltd in 1950. He donated the collection to the BFI after his retirement in 2002.
Forman’s considerable legacy encompasses –
- Over thirteen thousand reels of film equalling in excess of 750 hours of footage
- An estimated 7000 titles containing documentaries, feature films and newsreel footage
- The largest collection of film footage from the Eastern Bloc, Chile, Cuba, Communist China and the former Soviet Union to survive in Western Europe
- Materials on the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, Nazi Germany, the Vietnam War, Chile, Afghanistan and Arab Nations. In addition, there is significant coverage of the Czech Republic, Vietnam, Korea and Castro’s Revolution in Cuba.
The majority of the collection includes previously unseen footage.
The archive is currently being catalogued by Adam Matthew for release as a three-module collection on Socialist Propaganda Films in 2017. When released, this new collection will provide an essential repository of primary source research material for the study of key political and social events of the 20th century.
Heather Stewart, Creative Director, BFI said, “The BFI National Archive is delighted to be working with Adam Matthew to enable this astonishing collection to be seen and enjoyed by students and researchers around the world. The Stanley Forman collection offers a unique perspective on 20th century world history and illustrates the power of moving image to inform our knowledge of the past.”
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Adam Matthew, an imprint of SAGE, is an award winning publisher of digital primary source collections for the humanities and social sciences. Sourced from leading libraries and archives around the world, their unique research and teaching collections cover a wide range of subject areas from medieval family life to 20th century history, literature and culture.
About the BFI
The BFI is the lead body for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:
- Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and World cinema
- Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations
- Championing emerging and world class film makers in the UK
- Investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work
- Promoting British film and talent to the world
- Growing the next generation of film makers and audiences
For media enquiries
Brian Robinson, Communications Manager, Archive & Heritage BFI
Tel +44 (0) 207 957 8940 or email brian.robinson@bfi.org.uk