The Black Country in film: Like you've never seen it before

The project reveals hidden histories and forgotten stories of people and places from the region.

Britain on Film has been launched by the British Film Institute and aims to share films from the past to a new contemporary audience.

The vintage videos were all held in a regional collection – but have been released as part of the project to share them with as wide an audience as possible.

Some of the highlights from the Black Country films include a 1961 promotional film about the Express & Star and a 1963 portrait of West Bromwich Albion, which sees a young Bobby Robson being interviewed.

There is also a video from Wolverhampton in 1970s which documents the upheaval in the city as Georgian and Victorian shops made way for flats.

The Media Archive for Central England (MACE) has supported the BFI and Britain on Film in the project.

MACE said there was "a wealth of material in the collection that explores the changing cityscapes of the Midlands to the region's rural landscapes and films that illustrate the vibrant multicultural population of the area".

Phil Leach, senior curator at MACE, said: "It's great to be able to preserve these old videos but we also need to be getting things out there for the public to see.

"We used to put screenings on, but that's generally just a one-off, whereas if you put something online people can watch it again and again, any time.

"This is a really good way of getting films out there, getting people looking at them and sharing things with their friends."

Mr Leach said one of his highlights from the Black Country was an 80-year-old film of King George V's Silver Jubilee, which saw a pageant put on at Molineux.

"That is a really nice film, even though it had suffered over the years," he said. "It showed some of the crowds packed into Molineux watching a pageant that was put on for the Jubilee."

There is also a 1904 film showing Wolves playing away at Preston North End.

The online BFI Player gives everybody in the UK free access to 1,000s of film and TV titles.

By 2017 10,000 film and TV titles from 1895 to the present day will be digitised.

Through the project, Britain on Film curators have found extraordinary footage of ordinary people from across the collections.

Many of these films have never - or rarely - been seen and can now be searched for by specific UK locations through BFI Player's new Film and TV Map of the UK, which also enables people to share films with their family, friends and communities.

Newsreels, advertisements, home movies, forgotten TV shows, and films by government departments all offer surprising insights into British life in the 20th century.

BFI head curator Robin Baker said: "For 120 years cameras have captured almost every aspect of life in the UK on film, but too often these have been inaccessible to all but the most determined researchers.

"Now Britain on Film is transforming access to films from the UK's archives and making them available, no matter where you live."

Heather Stewart, BFI creative director, said: "The emotional power of film is huge and Britain on Film has the ability to touch everyone in the UK.

"It's vital that the UK's film and TV archives – Britain's national collection – can be enjoyed by everyone.

"Britain on Film changes the film and TV archive landscape forever."

• To see the films please visit the BFI website