Uploaded March 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In a time of constant debates around immigration both nationally and internationally, our latest Britain on Film on Tour programme looks back to chart a century of arrivals to the UK. Featuring the voices of different generations of British immigrants themselves, we are delighted to present Britain on Film: Welcome to Britain.
Whether seeking safety, freedom or simply a better life, the 20th century saw a rise in immigration to the UK. Sometimes welcomed, immigrants have also encountered hostility, racism and xenophobia even as they have enriched Britain’s economy and cultural life.
What emerges from these incredibly valuable films is a picture of a country in flux as a century of conflict, the end of Empire and the forces of globalisation challenged geographical boundaries. See Basque families fleeing the Spanish Civil War arrive in Southampton; Vietnamese children find sanctuary in Birmingham; a Jewish family escape the pogroms of pre-war Romania for a Derby suburb. Witness early multi-culturalism in London and Manchester, the stories of second generation immigrants amid racism and rioting in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the traditions, restrictions and comforts of immigrant communities.
In cinemas 22 March: independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/films/britain-on-film-welcome-to-britain
In a time of constant debates around immigration both nationally and internationally, our latest Britain on Film on Tour programme looks back to chart a century of arrivals to the UK. Featuring the voices of different generations of British immigrants themselves, we are delighted to present Britain on Film: Welcome to Britain.
Whether seeking safety, freedom or simply a better life, the 20th century saw a rise in immigration to the UK. Sometimes welcomed, immigrants have also encountered hostility, racism and xenophobia even as they have enriched Britain’s economy and cultural life.
What emerges from these incredibly valuable films is a picture of a country in flux as a century of conflict, the end of Empire and the forces of globalisation challenged geographical boundaries. See Basque families fleeing the Spanish Civil War arrive in Southampton; Vietnamese children find sanctuary in Birmingham; a Jewish family escape the pogroms of pre-war Romania for a Derby suburb. Witness early multi-culturalism in London and Manchester, the stories of second generation immigrants amid racism and rioting in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the traditions, restrictions and comforts of immigrant communities.
In cinemas 22 March: independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/films/britain-on-film-welcome-to-britain
