Humphrey Jennings

Directing·Aug 19, 1907·Walberswick, United Kingdom

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Frank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings (19 August 1907 – 24 September 1950) was an English documentary filmmaker, celebrated for his poetic and visually striking portrayals of British life during World War II. A co-founder of the Mass Observation social research organization, Jennings blended avant-garde techniques with a deep sense of national identity, creating films that captured the resilience and spirit of the British people. His most acclaimed works, including Listen to Britain (1942), Fires Were Started (1943), and A Diary for Timothy (1945), showcase his unique ability to fuse documentary realism with lyrical storytelling. Film critic and director Lindsay Anderson described him as "the only real poet that British cinema has yet produced."

Film	Credit
Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to Britain2025 · Self (archive footage)	Self (archive footage)
TThe Changing Face of Europe1951 · Director	Director
Family Portrait1950 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
The Dim Little Island1949 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
The Cumberland Story1948 · Director	Director
A Defeated People1946 · Director	Director
A Diary for Timothy1945 · Director	Director
Myra Hess1945 · Director	Director
V.1.1944 · Director	Director
The Eighty Days1944 · Director	Director
The True Story of Lili Marlene1944 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
The Silent Village1943 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
Fires Were Started1943 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Listen to Britain1942 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
The Heart of Britain1941 · Director	Director
Words for Battle1941 · Director	Director
This Is England1941 · Director	Director
London Can Take It!1940 · Director	Director
Spring Offensive1940 · Director	Director
Welfare of the Workers1940 · Director	Director
Cargoes1939 · Director	Director
Spare Time1939 · Director	Director
The First Days1939 · Director	Director
S.S. Ionian1939 · Director	Director
The Farm1938 · Director	Director
English Harvest1938 · Director	Director
Speaking from America1938 · Director	Director
Making Fashion1938 · Director	Director
Penny Journey1938 · Director	Director
Farewell Topsails1937 · Director	Director
DDavid Low Animation1936 · Producer	Producer
BBC: The Voice of Britain1935 · Actor	Actor
TThe Glorious Sixth of June1934 · Albert Goodbody	Albert Goodbody
PPett and Pott: A Fairy Story of the Suburbs1934 · Grocer (uncredited)	Grocer (uncredited)
Post-Haste1934 · Director	Director
Locomotives1934 · Director	Director
The Story of the Wheel1934 · Director	Director