Poster Perfect: A Reel History of Hertfordshire Filmmaking

Hertfordshire Libraries are teaming up with the BFI National Archive to celebrate Hertfordshire’s rich cinematic heritage. From 25 May a select number of our libraries will be displaying a different film poster each week.

Photo: Adam Bronkhorst | BFI

Return to participating libraries every week to view a different film poster and discover the county’s role in the creation of some of cinema’s most iconic films through this travelling display across Hertfordshire libraries.

Over the next 11 weeks, 11 posters drawn from the BFI Archive’s Screencraft collections (stored at the John Paul Getty Jr Conservation Centre in Berkhamsted) will be shared throughout Hertfordshire libraries with information about local filming locations, Hertfordshire studios and film history.

Experience the craftsmanship of film poster design, read about Hertfordshire’s filmmaking legacy, and uncover the stories behind the studios, locations and creatives that brought these classic productions to life.

Film posters on display include:

Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (1977)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Things to Come (1936)

Jassy (1947)

Brighton Rock (1948)

The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)

The Dirty Dozen (1967)

The Sound Barrier (1952)

633 Squadron (1964)

Goldeneye (1995)

Johnny English (2003)

Participating libraries

The participating libraries are:

Berkhamsted
Bishop’s Stortford
Borehamwood
Hatfield
Hemel Hempstead
Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
Hitchin
St Albans
Stevenage
Tring
Watford
Welwyn Garden City

Other events not to miss

Pop-up Exhibition and Activities at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies

If you miss a poster one week - don’t worry! There will be another opportunity to view all 11 posters together in a pop-up exhibition held at Hertfordshire Archive from 11th August - 6th September 2026.

On 11th August Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) will also be hosting a craft activity afternoon to interact with the film posters and even get the opportunity to create one. All welcome!

You can also join Kay Eldridge, BFI Screencraft Assistant Curator, at Hertfordshire Archive on Thursday 13th August at 7pm for an in-depth discussion about the BFI National Archive, Hertfordshire filmmaking and the BFI’s role in caring for Screencraft materials.

The BFI is the UK'S lead organisation for film and the moving Image, and the National Archive looks after one of the largest and most important collections of film and television in the world.

National Year of Reading

To coincide with our promotion of the National Year of Reading 2026, we’re also going to be sharing our reading suggestions for fans of the featured films, those interested in the films’ themes and genres, or indeed in filmmaking more generally.

Our libraries will be featuring complementary book displays alongside the posters and suggested titles will be featured on our website, social media and BorrowBox.

Poster Perfect: A Reel History of Hertfordshire Filmmaking

Poster Perfect: A Reel History of Hertfordshire Filmmaking

National Year of Reading

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