In My End is My Beginning

From the collection of

Launched in 2000, Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive spans from 1897 to the present day and currently contains an ever-expanding catalogue of 13,000 items. It comprises material from a variety of depositors including feature films, sport, documentaries, animation, amateur footage, light entertainment, and a significant proportion of broadcast material from the UTV Archive.

In My End is My Beginning

Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive
West Lothian
Sound
11m

Surrounded by jealously, plots and intrigue are calmer times ahead too much to hope for?

See through Archie Reid's camera, the ruins that once housed Mary Queen of Scots from the cradle to her house arrest. If these stones could speak they would tell tragic tales. Let David Beal be your guide as he recounts this infamous story of two defiant monarchs ensnared in a web of plots, intrigue and paranoia.

Mary occupied herself with embroidery during her long imprisonment, the title of this film comes from one of her hand stitched mottos. Archie Reid was a History teacher and prolific film maker. You can find several of his gems on the Britain on Film map ranging from the delightfully absurd to intimate portraits of his home town.

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From the collection

Amateur Auteurs

Ever dreamed of shooting your own movie? These pre-digital cine-enthusiasts did - with all the passion and devotion of the true auteur.

These low- (or no-) budget creations reach beyond simple point-and-shoot, back-garden efforts towards something more ambitious and skilful, revealing their authors' passion for film and their often astonishing ingenuity with limited resources. No desktop editing software or digital special effects for these amateur auteurs. The films include fiction and documentary, competition prizewinners and private labours of love. They may be the work of cine-clubbers or individual enthusiasts. But they all show a devotion to filmmaking that far transcends hobbyism. So look out for the delightful handmade intertitles, table-top special effects and library soundtracks which decorate many of the quirky stories, ultra-local documentaries and painstakingly composed home movies featured here.