Rare footage of The Queen in Sunderland and South Shields released to help mark Platinum Jubilee - and here's how you can get to watch it on hire

And local groups can hire the film if they are planning to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

Queen Elizabeth’s unprecedented 70 years of reign has been marked by a new film which has been prepared by the Yorkshire and North East Film Archives. It is called “Seen To Be Believed” and it includes the Queen’s Silver Jubilee tour to the North East, including Sunderland and South Shields.

There’s also footage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to Sunderland in 1967, where he meets men looking for work at the Unemployment Office, and the official opening of the Metro by the Queen, in 1981.

The new 55-minute film is available to community groups, cinemas, local authorities and other organisations, for screening during the Jubilee festivities.

It takes an affectionate look at how the people of Yorkshire and the North East celebrated coronations, jubilees and royal visits through the decades, it draws inspiration from a famous remark by The Queen: “I have to be seen to be believed”.

Seen To Be Believed takes a look through the lens at street parties and pageants, bunting, banners and flag waving, and discovers what the Royal Family – The Queen in particular – means to the people of our region.

All footage in the film was made solely by Yorkshire and North East Filmmakers, both amateur and professional.

The Queen has always set great store by the importance of family; it has shaped who she is both as a monarch and a woman.

“Seen To Be Believed” also includes fascinating footage of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, showing how they broke down barriers during visits and appearances, changing the public’s perception of the Royal Family – something that The Queen herself would build upon when she took to the throne.

Prince Philip – who she referred to as her “rock” – is, of course, ever-present by her side, and also in his own right on a number of solo visits to the region.

This very special footage is woven together by a narrator, providing plenty of background information together with an insight into changing times and perceptions in our regions, that’s sure to delight and entertain audiences.

Graham Relton, Archive Manager at the Yorkshire and North East Film Archives said “We’ve searched through our vaults and selected the very best royal footage held in our collections, made by Yorkshire and North East filmmakers, to curate a film fit for a Queen.

“It is available to hire on DVD or as a digital download and is a unique opportunity to celebrate a once in a lifetime occasion, whilst also supporting your regional film archives.”

NEFA has a huge catalogue of over 70,000 items of original film, video tape, and born-digital material.

Its team has painstakingly taken on the task of preserving, cataloguing, and digitising these vital collections of reminders of our past.

To find out more about the pricing structure and book your rental visit http://yfanefa.link/seentobebelieved

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