Federation Film Makes Appearance on BBC

An award winning film released in 1962 by The British Plastics Federation was used by producers of a BBC 4 programme, screened on Monday evening, which explored the story of innovation in plastics.

The second edition of the 'How It Works' series featured extracts from The BPF’s 35mm film ‘The Shape of Plastics’ which had been originally commissioned for the 100th anniversary of the introduction of 'Parkesine', first exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1862.

Philip Law, the BPF’s Public and Industrial Affairs Director said that “The Federation's guiding spirits in the early 60’s would have been extremely impressed that its film would be of interest to the viewing public exactly 50 years after its first appearance, particularly in support of such a positive account of plastics materials and their continuing possibilities.” The BBC 4 programme concluded with presenter Professor Mark Miodownik affirming that “By trying to better nature, we’ve developed a whole family of fantastic plastic materials that has transformed our lives.”

Produced by celebrated documentary maker Alan Pendry and first premiered on the 19th June 1962, the BPF film had actually been shown twice on BBC before in the early 1960’s. It had won a gold medal at the Bilbao International Film festival and was the official British entry at the Moscow Film Festival.

“It was very much a film of its time with the industrial processes shown modulated by xylophonic music”, said Law. “The BBC’s interest illustrates how history can demonstrate an accumulation of innovative capacity over decades can be transformed into a national economic strength for today. Our film certainly shows that in the history of the plastics industry the UK has often been at the forefront, just as it is today.”

The film can be viewed online on the BBC iPlayer until 21 May 2012.

ENDS

For all media enquiries, BPF logos and images, please contact Philip Law, on 0207 457 5011 or email [email protected]  

Notes for editors:

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the plastics industry – representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers.