Harold Johnson (1910-1967) was a skilled amateur filmmaker, a Quaker, and a businessman. Heir to Belfast’s Johnson Brothers business founded in Belfast in 1893, his family recently deposited his collection of over 150 films (30 hours) for preservation in the IFI Irish Film Archive. Shot between the 1930s and 1960s on 8mm and 16mm sound and silent film, the collection records family holidays, workers in the Irel Coffee Factory, mountain climbing adventures, water skiing, motor sport, trips to Africa and the Holy Land, and Quaker gatherings in Dublin, Newtown School, Waterford and elsewhere. Meticulously edited, often playful, historically invaluable – these films are a joy to behold.

A series of short films shown will be shown on Thursday 29 October at 7.00pm at the Black Box, Belfast. The films will be introduced by Harold’s grandson, Alan Johnson and Sunniva O’Flynn (IFI).

To book tickets, follow this link.