Where would we be without Iris Barry? Where would all the films be, more to the point? Iris Barry was a pioneering film critic and film preservationist whose life is every bit as interesting as the plots of the movies that she championed and saved.
I am pleased to say that I have presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary on this wonderful woman, titled Iris Barry, First Lady of Film. The documentary will be broadcast on Tuesday 23 September at 4pm in the Artworks strand. Please do listen in to hear the story of the woman who wrote about cinema for the Spectator and the Daily Mail (who sacked her for dissing Elinor Glyn), co-founded the Film Society, and went on to start the world’s first film archive at MoMA in New York.
The documentary is the brainchild of producer James King and consultant Igor Toronyi-Lalic. It features contributions from Richard Brody, Bryony Dixon, Robert Sitton and Henry K Miller. Don’t miss it!
- Listen to Iris Barry, First Lady of Film on BBC Radio 4, 23 September at 4pm. Is should subsequently be available on catchup.
- Read about Iris Barry on the Women Film Pioneers Project.
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Silent London 
Wonderful that you’ve done Berry proud, and can’t wait to hear this when back in Britain. For too long she’s been the missing woman in Britain’s early film culture. And great that you’ve called on Henry Miller’s pioneering research about her work as a newspaper critic – long before the Film Society, which is still believed by many to be where it all started.
Ian Christie