The Archive

Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. Established in 1992 at the University of Brighton as the South East Film & Video Archive, the function of this regional screen archive is to locate, collect, preserve, provide access to and promote screen material related to the South East and of general relevance to screen history.

The screen material in the collection consists of magic lantern slides, film, videotape, digital formats and associated hardware and documentation. There are now over 8000 films and some 10,000 lantern slides from the nineteenth century as well as a significant collection of apparatus and related artefacts. The film material has come to us from record offices, museums, businesses, local authorities and private collections across the region. It includes corporate documentaries, promotional material produced for seaside resorts and the military and work made by cine clubs, independent film-makers and families. These records capture many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from across the 20th century and therefore serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.

The archive is part of the University of Brighton and its primary partner is the West Sussex Record Office at Chichester. Our Conservation Centre and collection are housed within the Record Office and our office is located at the University.

Mission

The mission of Screen Archive South East is to:

• develop and maintain a public collection of moving images for the benefit of individuals and communities
• celebrate screen media as a social and cultural record and as an expression of artistic creativity
• preserve, document and promote screen media made in the South East of England and of relevance to the archive’s interests in screen history
• demonstrate the cultural value of the archive’s collection through a range of access and educational activities designed for all ages
• develop archive projects with record offices, museums, schools, higher education, libraries, societies, businesses and communities
• advance the teaching, learning and research culture of the University of Brighton
• create opportunities for artists to use the collection as a catalyst for the production of new work
• enhance its work and its service to the public through strategic partnerships with education, heritage and information organisations both nationally and internationally