Pre-sessional Lecture 4th June 2019

Diploma 2008

This episode focuses on films examining the changing shape of the British Empire. At a time when many of its former colonies were achieving independence, Look at Life sent its film crews as far afield as Aden, Malaysia and Ascension Island to record the efforts made by Britain to manage the transition from imperial rule to the leadership of an emerging Commonwealth.

The unlikely story of how, between 1929 and 1945, a group of tweed-wearing radicals and pin-striped bureaucrats created the most influential movement in the history of British film. They were the British Documentary Movement and they gave Britons a taste for watching films about real life.

How do we learn to live with others and their wishes? Director Nicolas Philibert poses this question in a village schoolhouse in Auvergne, where Georges Lopez teaches 13 children, ages ranging from about four to 12. Against a landscape of mountains and farmland, from driving snow to rain to sun, the children gather in Lopez's warm and colorful classroom, to read, write dictation, cook, and sort things out.

Using cutting edge visual effects and CGI, this scientific visual extravaganza creates the first accurate non-stop journey from here to the edge of the universe

Actor Cillian Murphy, who played the lead role in Ken Loach's Palme d'Or-winning film The Wind That Shakes the Barley, talks to the director at the BFI Southbank about a prolific career dedicated to documenting social and political injustice, the importance of artistic collaboration, the often-overlooked humour in Loach's films, and the impact working with Loach had on his own approach to acting.

Portraits of different areas of London revealed entirely through archive images.

Portrait of life in London's East End, from the docks and the rag trade to market traders.

A look at how suburban London has been captured on film over time.

Portraits of different areas of London as seen through the eyes of film-makers.

A very good documentary about the icon of Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe. This documentary takes the viewer to Marilyn's life full of glamour and private despair.

The Camera that Changed the World tells the story of the filmmakers and ingenious engineers who led this revolution by building the first hand-held cameras that followed real life as it happened.

Our ability to see and record live events from right across the world has shrunk the globe, making virtual neighbours of us all. It is a defining characteristic of our modern world.

Documentary about the pioneering computer animation studio Pixar, featuring contributions from the studio's bosses and a host of actors who have lent their voices to their creations, including Tom Hanks.

Ken Loach, a British filmmaker who has worked in the field for over 60 years, has been known as the country’s most politically active filmmaker. Ken Loach talks to John Wilson about the key moments in his life that have shaped his creativity.