Calcutta Pageant

The Sufi and the Scientist is the collective story of Sufi healer Sayyid Arif Hussain, the medieval Sufi Sheikh Haji Ali, and Dr. Thornton Streeter, a scientist working in the realm of human consciousness.

Sue Perkins immerses herself in the complex life of Kolkata and sees how it is reinventing itself as a megacity with a reputation for eccentricity, culture and tolerance.

Hundreds of thousands of Indian men and women – indigenous inhabitants and landless farmers – demand their right to existence by making a 400 kilometre protest march from Gwalior to Delhi. How can one fight for one’s rights without using violence? With such an important contemporary question, the film spreads far beyond the borders of India. It shows the multiple facets of this imposing protest march and focuses as well on the daily realities of these proud people.

　　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.

A sex columnist gains popularity even while a ban on comprehensive sex education in schools is adopted by approximately a third of India’s states.

Auroville: L'esquisse d'un monde

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

Short documentary on India

A scenes from a tour of Manipur State and a women's bazaar in Imphal.

Sixteen year olds Palani and Karthik want to become "ladyboys." They're bullied in school and beaten by their families. Their parents would like to see them grow up as normal boys, but they're falling deeper and deeper into the world of the "Aravanis." Loved as dance performers but hated as homosexuals, their stories emblazon the inner conflicts of India's gender culture today.

The Maharajah of Jind inspects the guard of honour.

The Jarawas live in the Andaman Islands on the Indian Ocean. The origin of the tribe is in Africa some 70,000 years back. They have lived in almost perfect isolation from the rest of the world until recent times.

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.

Amateur shots of pilgrims and temples at Haridwar, followed by rural scenes and the Gorrie family at home.

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

From St James's Palace in London, the historic proclamation of His Majesty the King takes place. For the first time since 1952, the Accession Council meets to make the formal declaration of the accession of the new sovereign. Following the Accession Council, the principal proclamation is read by Garter King of Arms.

Amateur footage of the devastation caused by one of South Asia's worst earthquakes.

A demonstration of sport and fitness by members of the Indian Army.

Tigers in the Himalayan foothills, filmed by famous hunter and conservationist Jim Corbett.

From the arrival of a new viceroy to street markets, this amateur film captures the diversity of life in colonial India.