A LITTLE girl in a pinafore dress runs across the parade of the York and Lancaster Regiment by Skeldergate Bridge, to say goodbye to her father before he goes to war.

A woman holds the hand of a soldier as he marches across Lendal Bridge on his way to Flanders. A tank rolls past Micklegate Bar en route to Knavesmire, to take part in a 1920s military tattoo.

Such fleeting yet memorable moments are captured on film preserved by the Yorkshire Film Archive, who will present a special screening of Filmed And Not Forgotten on Remembrance Sunday at 2pm at the National Centre for Early Music, in Walmgate, York, as part of the 2014 Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

Sue Howard, the archive's director, says: “The films capture rare moments in the story of York: the city walls were recreated on Knavesmire in 1929 to form the backdrop to a huge military tattoo featuring the British Army past and present. A food kitchen was opened to help the poor. Tanks were unloaded at the railway station and driven through the centre of York, and soldiers were on parade before going to war.”

This one-off screening will take place on the first day of Remembrance since the centenary of the start of the First World War. As a mark of respect, 50 per cent of each ticket sale will go to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Funded by the Heritage Lottery, the Filmed And Not Forgotten project focuses on preserving an important collection of films made in communities across Yorkshire during the time of the First World War, and the project does much more than simply preserving the films.

In particular, the aim is take them back out to communities and to try to identify the places, names and faces who were captured on the films, and who now peer back at us through the screen, 100 years later. Who were they, what are their stories, and what happened to them over the coming years?

Yorkshire Film Archive has been able to undertake vital preservation work on the original nitrate films and create new digital masters to make these films available for everyone to see.

"They are not official films about the Great War, neither were they made as a collection," says archive manager Graham Relton. "They are, quite simply, a random number of films, made by local film makers, to show in local communities, which have, over the years, found their way to the Yorkshire Film Archive.

" As part of the project, the Yorkshire Film Archive are conducting research into these films in order to identify individual soldiers and civilians, with the aim of bringing their personal stories to life as part of an online exhibition, due to launch in early 2015.

"The aim is to find out why the films were made, who made them – and most importantly, who those people are – the regiments, soldiers, civilians, dignitaries, children – who have been captured on film and have survived to appear on our screens once again, 100 years later."

Martin Watts, the Filmed And Not Forgotten curator, will present Sunday's 90-minute screening, having set himself the target of collating 100 stories from across Yorkshire. So far Filmed And Not Forgotten has worked on 16 films and identified and researched the stories of more than 70 individuals.

Sunday's screening in York will be the sixth such public event, and many more are planned across the region, with more details available online at
yorkshirefilmarchive.com/videos/filmed-and-not-forgotten and on Facebook at facebook.com/FilmedandNotForgotten

"Although the films are set in the much wider context of World War One, one of the most fascinating parts of the films are the people themselves: their names, their stories and why they were there on that day," says Martin.

"We can't provide all the answers at the archive, but we hope people will come forward with photographs of grandparents or great-grandparents who might be on the films. We’d love to know more about them, so if you have any information please post it on our Filmed and Not Forgotten Facebook page or contact the Yorkshire Film Archive."

Meanwhile, you can find more information on Sunday's film at
yorkshirefilmarchive.com/videos/filmed-and-not-forgotten and the YFA has published a news piece on the screening at yorkshirefilmarchive.com/content/york-ww1-remembrance-day-screening

Please note, as well as the film being open to Aesthetica festival pass holders, it will be possible to acquire tickets solely for Filmed And Not Forgotten for £5, concessions £4, children £3.50, from the NCEM by phoning 01904 658338, emailing boxoffice@ncem.co.uk or booking online at ncem.co.uk or at asff.co.uk/tickets/#special

Tickets will also be on sale on the day too, subject to availability.


Video: Chris Parker


Video: Chris Parker


Video: Chris Parker


Video: Chris Parker