V80 Film Available For Use In Museums
A poignant new short film, curated by and using archive footage from the three Northern regional film archives, is now available free of charge for use by museums in the North of England, for screening as part of their public programming.
Thursday 8 May 2025 marked 80 years since Victory in Europe (VE) Day when the Second World War came to an end in Europe. The long-anticipated news resulted in millions celebrating the end of the war, with street parties, dancing and singing across the country. The war in East Asia did not end until 15 August 1945, when Japan surrendered, which was celebrated across the world as ‘Victory over Japan’ (VJ Day). The 80th anniversary of VJ Day takes place on Friday 15 August 2025, commemorating the end of the Second World War.
This year will be particularly poignant, as it will be one of the last opportunities to honour our living Second World War veterans, who fought so hard to preserve peace and freedom that enables our shared way of life. It is vital that we will learn from their stories and ensure they are told to generations to come, in order that younger generations understand what they were fighting for and the horrors that conflicts on this scale can bring.
To mark this anniversary and to support the commemoration of the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan Day by museums, Museum Development North has invested £100,000 into events and exhibitions across the North. In addition, and to support more museums in their programming, the Yorkshire, North East, and North West Film Archives have been commissioned to curate a new film. This poignant and moving film has been carefully created using archival footage from across the North of England and displaying the realities of wartime in the North and the end of the conflicts 80 years ago.
Graham Relton, Co-Director | Head of Access at the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive said:
“As custodians of the moving image heritage of the North of England, the Yorkshire, North East, and North West Film Archives are privileged to have been given this opportunity to delve into our vaults and create an emotional yet uplifting short film to mark this significant anniversary. From bombed out buildings to dancing in the streets, morale-boosting messages from servicemen in the Far East to loved ones back home, and the stoic resilience of life on the home front, the film is a window onto wartime – and the end of the war – in the North.”
Michael Turnpenny, Head of Museum Development North commented:
“Museums are key places where communities come together to commemorate and celebrate cultural moments that are important to them. The grant funding we have distributed alongside commissioning this film will allow museums to deliver a wide variety of creative and cultural activities, enabling communities to share and reflect together in meaningful ways. It will also help to ensure that these stories are passed to future generations as part of the programme’s legacy.”
This VE and VJ Day commemoration project is supported using public funding by UK Government through Arts Council England.
This film is now available for use by museums in the North of England, for screening as part of their public programming.
To access this film and agree to the license conditions, museums are invited to complete our online form
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