Adventures with Archives: Hidden Treasures

MediaActive’s Max Allwood gives us the lowdown on their Hidden Treasures project showing as part of our Time Machine strand.

For the last couple of years, Shropshire based MediaActive Projects have been making waves in screen heritage. Our Adventures with Archives project has been exploring ways to bring new audiences to archive film through a mix of curatorial mash ups, presenting new music with old film, and screening films in cinemas, public spaces, and through live cinema events.

During the lockdowns of 2020-21, like many organisations, our focus shifted. Working collaboratively and online with young and emerging creatives, Adventures with Archives sought to re-present archive film for contemporary audiences through new narratives and new audio. The resulting programme offers an eclectic mix of creative responses to the many hidden treasures they unearthed!

This behind the scenes footage reflects on our experiences of working with archive film for the first time.

MediaActive works with local people, organisations and creative practitioners to co-design and produce an innovative programme of special projects, commissions, events and exhibitions.

To watch Adventures with Archives: Hidden Treasures, head over to our virtual festival. The event is free and will be live on Sunday 30 May at 2pm.