BFI National Archive collections policy

The British Film Institute (BFI) was founded in 1933 and constituted under Royal Charter on 18 July 1983 (amended April 2000).

One of our key objectives is to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the moving-image history and heritage of the United Kingdom.

The collection is one of the largest and most diverse collections of film heritage materials in the world, comparable to the Library of Congress and Archives françaises du film du CNC. In the UK it ranks alongside other great national collections including the British Library, The British Museum, The National Archives and the Tate.

These institutions share a common purpose, which is to enable people to explore their collections and subjects for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They all collect, safeguard and make accessible collections to support this objective, utilising similar procedures and a broadly common framework of standards.

This document sets out BFI policy for management of its collections, including acquisition and disposal, documentation, conservation and access.