Ken Loach's 'Save the Children Fund Film'

The previously banned, Save the Children Fund Film, directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett, is a documentary about the work of Save the Children, a British-based charity working for children around the world. Shot in 1969 in the UK, Kenya and Uganda, the film was originally commissioned by Save the Children and London Weekend Television to mark the Charity’s fiftieth anniversary.

Already an established filmmaker, Loach opened the documentary with a quotation from Friedrich Engels, and constructed a film that explores the politics of poverty, class and charities and the relationship between them. The film, however, was promptly withdrawn from release and kept in the BFI’s national archive; Save the Children representatives at the time felt it subverted their aims. Banned until 2011, we are delighted to present the second ever public screening of this film.

After the screening Professor Matthew Hilton will lead a Q&A session with Juliano Fiori, Humanitarian Affairs Adviser from Save the Children.

This event is presented by the Centre for Modern British Studies and the Institute of Advanced Studies 'Saving Humans' as part of Arts & Science Festival 2014, a week-long celebration of ideas, research and collaboration across campus. For details of the full programme, visit: www.birmingham.ac.uk/artsandsciencefestival.