The BFI’s head of conservation Kieron Webb joins Memnon CEO Heidi Shakespeare to discuss how the organisation is preserving Britain’s screen heritage
As the British Film Institute National Archive marks its 90th year, join Heidi Shakespeare, CEO of Memnon in conversation with Kieron Webb, head of conservation at the BFI, to explore how the organisation is safeguarding the nation’s screen heritage while preparing for the future of film and television.
This short discussion charts the BFI National Archive’s journey from its pioneering preservation work to today’s world of digital access and streaming, including how contemporary works are being archived for generations to come.
Highlights include this year’s Film on Film Festival, featuring screenings of the original 1977 Technicolor print of Star Wars, alongside recent BFI projects such as the restoration of one of the earliest Silent screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes and the addition of the surviving Victorian 68mm Biograph films to UNESCO’s International Memory of the World Register preserved in the collections of Eye Filmmuseum (Amsterdam), BFI National Archive, MoMA, Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (Paris).
This podcast was recorded live at the Broadcast Tech Fest Archive & Restoration Forum, held at Everyman Kings Cross on 2 October 2025.
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