The Save the Children Fund Film

Last updated

The Save The Children Fund Film is a 50-minute British documentary from 1971 directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett. Originally known as In Black and White, It was commissioned by London Weekend Television on behalf of the charity Save the Children. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

The film is about the work of Save the Children, a British-based charity working for children around the world. This film looks at examples of the charity's work in England and Africa – the Starehe Boys Centre and School in Kenya. According to Garnett's biographer Stephen Lacey, the film-makers objected to what they saw as the charity's "neo-colonial attitude towards indigenous cultures". [1]

In the film, director Ken Loach visits an institution in Nairobi where children were forbidden to converse in their native tongues. [2] Several Save the Children employees were also on film making disparaging remarks about the parents of young Mancunians in their charge. [2]

Ban

Save the Children objected to the film and refused to pay for it. They prevented it from being shown until 2011, when they eventually agreed to allow a screening by the BFI. Kestrel Films, co-founded by Tony Garnett and others, nearly went bankrupt in their legal battle with Save the Children. [3]

There was a screening at the University of Birmingham in 2014, [4] at the University of Bristol in 2015 [5] and one at the University of Warwick in 2017. The screening at Warwick was followed by a panel discussion, which was attended by the then Head of Humanitarian Affairs of Save the Children UK. [6]

A copy of the film is held at the BFI archives and it can be viewed (for free) by visiting a BFI mediatheque and booking time on one of the viewers there. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Science and Media Museum</span> Part of the National Science Museum Group in the UK

The National Science and Media Museum, located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is part of the national Science Museum Group in the UK. The museum has seven floors of galleries with permanent exhibitions focusing on photography, television, animation, videogaming, the Internet and the scientific principles behind light and colour. It also hosts temporary exhibitions and maintains a collection of 3.5 million pieces in its research facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Independent Film Awards</span> British film award

The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, with the ceremony itself taking place in early December.

The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919, the goal being to improve the lives of children worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Film Institute</span> UK film archive and charity

The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, distribution, and education. It is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and partially funded under the British Film Institute Act 1949.

<i>The Wednesday Play</i> British TV drama anthology (1964–1970)

The Wednesday Play is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic adaptations of fiction also featured. The series gained a reputation for presenting contemporary social dramas, and for bringing issues to the attention of a mass audience that would not otherwise have been discussed on screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathy Come Home</span> 1966 BBC television play

"Cathy Come Home" is a 1966 BBC television play about homelessness. It was written by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach. A 1998 Radio Times readers' poll voted it the "best single television drama" and a 2000 industry poll rated it as the second-best British television programme ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16 November 1966 on BBC1. The play was shown in the BBC's The Wednesday Play anthology strand, which often tackled social issues.

<i>Kes</i> (film) 1969 British coming-of-age drama film by Ken Loach

Kes is a 1969 British coming-of-age drama film directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett, based on the 1968 novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Hoyland Nether–born author Barry Hines. Kes follows the story of Billy, who comes from a dysfunctional working-class family and is a no-hoper at school, but discovers his own private means of fulfilment when he adopts a fledgling kestrel and proceeds to train it in the art of falconry.

Trevor Griffiths was an English dramatist.

Melvin Barry Hines, FRSL was an English author, playwright and screenwriter. His novels and screenplays explore the political and economic struggles of working-class Northern England, particularly in his native West Riding/South Yorkshire.

Anthony Garnett was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.

Days of Hope is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach.

James Allen was an English socialist playwright, best known for his collaborations with Ken Loach.

Kenith Trodd is a British television producer best known for his professional association with television playwright Dennis Potter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK Jewish Film Festival</span>

The UK Jewish Film Festival is an annual film festival dedicated to world cinema that explores Jewish life, history and culture worldwide. It was founded in 1997 and takes place in November, in London and in other cities in the United Kingdom.

Luke Seomore is an English film director, and musician, part of a critically acclaimed filmmaking duo working alongside English director Joseph Bull. He often performs and writes under the moniker ‘Blessed are the Hearts that Bend'. Seomore's work includes music videos, Feature films, television and art installations. They write and direct their films together, while Seomore composes original soundtracks. Their debut feature Blood Cells premiered at 71st Venice International Film Festival in 2014.

<i>Family Life</i> (1971 British film) 1971 British film by Ken Loach

Family Life is a 1971 British drama film directed by Ken Loach from a screenplay by David Mercer. It is a remake of In Two Minds, an episode of the BBC's Wednesday Play series first transmitted by the BBC in March 1967, which was also written by Mercer and directed by Loach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Big Flame</span> 19th episode of the 8th season of The Wednesday Play

"The Big Flame" is a 1969 BBC television play by socialist playwright Jim Allen, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach. The play tells the story of 10,000 dockworkers occupying the Liverpool docks in a "work-in". Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 19 February 1969 on BBC1, at a time when unemployment was rising in Britain. The play was shown in the BBC's The Wednesday Play anthology strand, which was noted for tackling social issues.

Up the Junction (<i>The Wednesday Play</i>) 4th episode of the 3rd season of The Wednesday Play

"Up the Junction" is an episode of the BBC anthology drama series The Wednesday Play directed by Ken Loach and produced by James MacTaggart. It was first broadcast on 3 November 1965 on BBC 1. The play was adapted by Nell Dunn and (uncredited) Ken Loach from Dunn's short story collection of the same name. It tells the stories of three young women living in North Battersea and Clapham and, to a lesser degree, their boyfriends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Two Minds</span> 1967 episode of British TV series The Wednesday Play

"In Two Minds" is a television play by David Mercer commissioned for The Wednesday Play anthology drama series. First transmitted on 1 March 1967, it was directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett and features Anna Cropper in the lead role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Loach</span> English filmmaker (born 1936)

Kenneth Charles Loach is an English filmmaker. His socially critical directing style and socialist views are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty, homelessness, and labour rights.

References

  1. 1 2 Stephen Lacey Tony Garnett, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007, p.79
  2. 1 2 Smith, Neil (23 August 2011). "Banned Ken Loach charity film gets rare airing". BBC Online . Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  3. Bates, Stephen (20 July 2011). "Ken Loach documentary to get first screening after 40 years". theguardian.com . Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  4. Ken Loach's Save The Children Fund Film
  5. "Bristol University | Department of History | 2015: Save the Children Fund Film". www.bristol.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015.
  6. "Save The Children". warwick.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  7. "Mediatheque at BFI Southbank". BFI. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2021.