Midland Journey

A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.

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.

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!

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

Early film of a crowded street scene in an unidentified Indian city.

This documentary visits the towns and villages of the Alsace region of France at Christmastime. See the charmingly decorated storybook towns and learn of the unique holiday traditions and celebrations. The Alsatian landscape is covered with medieval towns, castle ruins and vineyards, and the communities of the region create a season of enchantment in their celebration of Christmas.

A 1962 West German documentary film directed by Hermann Leitner and Rudolf Nussgruber.

York, Harrogate, and Whitby are the essential stops-offs in this picturesque travel companion

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.

From dawn till dusk in the bohemian heart of London’s West End. This 1979 portrait of the people and places of Soho catches the neighbourhood towards the end of an era. There's some great footage inside an Italian delicatessen and of assorted street characters. It's a fascinating glimpse into this walled garden of cosmopolitan life on the cusp of the gentrification and commercial interests that have since broken its borders.

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.

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

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.

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.

　　Originally created as an installation for the third Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale this film is a gripping diary and travelogue of a trip the filmmaker made through India. She tries to grasp India’s love and thoughts, the sentiments and everyday conditions and the experience of disease and death.

The Norfolk Broads tourist film promotes the pleasures of boating.

The best of the action from over 30 years of FA Cup finals at Wembley Stadium.

Amateur travelogue of the Kagan Valley and Darband, Pakistan.