Ocular

Botanical gardens in Bombay plus the highly decorative Jain Temple in Calcutta.

An astonishing English tourist’s view of street life in pre-partition Srinagar and Kashmir.

Tourist promo film extolling the delights of Birmingham and the Midlands, with a sprinkling of arch one-liners.

In the last week of May, the whole of India prays for the onset of the monsoon. Without its life-giving rains, the nation would become a land of dry wells and deserts. Writer Alexander Frater awaits the 'burst' at the southernmost tip of India, then travels with it on its dramatic journey north, witnessing the monsoon's towering influence on every aspect of Indian life.

As part of the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, the British Council and British Film Institute share a unique collection of films documenting the sights and culture of a bygone India. Filmed between 1899-1947, and preserved in the BFI National Archive since then, these rare films capture many glimpses of life in India, from dances and markets, to hunts and pageantry.

Secrets of a Soul: Margarethe, Creator of bizarre sculptures! Night club dancer? Mad woman? Victim of an occult conspiracy?! Dark menaces steal her soul and organs. Though dead they keep her alive...

Beast!

A motorist's excursion captures a world made by hand in the environs of Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi.

Rare stencil-coloured images of early 20th century Delhi during a Muslim festival.

A Day in TOKYO in 1968, Nostalgic bygone era. Planned by Japan National Tourism Organization. Produced by Koga Production. This film was produced to explain Tokyo for foreign tourists.

The future Edward VIII opens a durbar and enjoys a day at the races before inspecting the fire brigade in Calcutta.

A nature lover's paradise lays in wait for a mother and daughter enjoying a day's excursion on the North York Moors.

As travelogues go this one doesn't quite cut it – good job Lanry household bleach can!

A fun tour of 1950s West End with international film star Yoko Tani.

An epic ramble from Winchester to Canterbury, through Hampshire, Surrey and Kent with picnics, pints and much prettiness on the way.

Hitchcock went the wrong way! Head south by southwest with this travelogue from Bath to Cornwall.

Travelogue showing the wonders of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Documentary detailing a farmer’s visit to the market in Rawalpindi.

Inspired by The Seven Valleys, the film follows a solitary wayfarer who steps onto a spiritual journey of self-knowledge, guided not by destination but by transformation. Shot across the historic landscapes of Oxford, the journey unfolds as both an inner pilgrimage and a physical passage that reflects the wayfarer’s movement toward surrender, silence, and submission.

This early travelogue film, made in a Kenyan train station, captures an impromptu musical performance. Some passengers eagerly join in while others sleep—blissfully unaware of the performance taking place around them.