What it does
BFI Archive Sales provides historical moving-image material and film and television stills. Footage licensing, stills sales, whole-film distribution and research viewing have separate access routes.
Use the BFI collection database or archive highlights to identify a film, then follow the footage or stills sales route. The footage enquiry form asks for the project title, required rights and identifying details such as film titles, dates and production reference numbers. Permission to include an extract in a new production is separate from permission to screen an entire film.
The guidance rate card varies by territory, media and licence duration. Most listed footage uses have a 60-second minimum, with additional seconds charged separately; rates exclude VAT. The sales team confirms the charge and available rights for the selected material.
Research viewing may require a visit to BFI premises. It does not supply personal copies of films or television programmes, so it cannot serve as a route to a production master.
Strengths
- Separate footage and stills services cover different production needs.
- A public rate card shows how territory, media, duration and minimums affect fees.
Watch out for
- Most listed footage uses carry a 60-second minimum charge.
- Research viewing does not provide personal film or television copies.
Best for
- Productions seeking licensed extracts and stills from British screen history
Sources
- Archive content sales and licensing | BFI (Oct 27, 2026)
- Archive footage sales | BFI (Oct 27, 2026)
- Stills sales | BFI (Oct 27, 2026)
- Archive footage licensing rates | BFI (Oct 27, 2026)
- Help with access to moving image collections | BFI (Oct 27, 2026)
- Archive footage licensing enquiry form (Oct 27, 2026)