The Ian Urquhart Cinereel Archive

The footage that inspired my film, KNOW ME, was originally shot in Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, between 1954 to 1963 by Ian Urquhart. This footage is now available for non-commercial and educational use.

by Andrew Garton
Date 30 JUL 2025

Sarawak is one of those places many people have heard about but may not know where it is. On the island of Borneo it is situated on the East Malaysian side of the island. It is home to more than forty different indigenous peoples, each with their own language and dialects. It is also home to some of the last rainforests in Southeast Asia and the complex flora and fauna that thrive there.

Sarawak was a former British colony too. It was during the last three decades of British rule that World War 2 veteran and linguist Ian Urquhart had been stationed there. As a civil service officer he spent considerable time in the ulu, the remote regions of Sarawak. It was during his time there that he began filming his expeditions. From 1954 to 1963 Ian shot over eight hours of footage on standard/regular 8 mm film. All up, 23 reels of film, along with his annotations, have survived.

From July 2025 all 23 reels are available from archive.org. They have been restored, digitised and Ian’s annotations transcribed and published with every single reel. This work was accomplished in collaboration with Ian’s daughter, Alexa, and his sons Neil and Murdo.

It was Ian’s wish that his footage be publicly available for use by the people of Sarawak, and that it should be accessible, from my understanding, without any administrative hurdles. As such, archive.org was chosen as the host for Ian’s outstanding CineReel resource.

How I came to find Ian’s remarkable work and his family is described in this short film. You will meet Alexa who recalls her father’s relationship with Sarawak and how we came to know each other.

Accessing the archive

The archive consists of 23 individual reels. Use this direct link to the entire collection, or any from the selection below:

CINEREEL 01 of 23 – In Baram District , 4th Division – Ian’s first Kelabit trip early 1955.

CINEREEL 02 of 23 – 1955 snippets of Nomadic Penans in the Silat River, and more…

CINEREEL 03 of 23 – Marudi Regatta on the Baram River, early 1956.

CINEREEL 04 of 23 – Part 1 of Lio Matoh trip June/July 1956.

CINEREEL 05 of 23 – Part 2 of June/July 1956 Lio Matoh trip.

CINEREEL 06 of 23 – Climbing Dulit Mountain, 4000 ft & on to the ulu Tinjar River, and more…

CINEREEL 07 of 23 – His Excellency’s trip to the ulu Baram – October 1956.

CINEREEL 08 of 23 – Long Pila and Long Akah, 1956.

CINEREEL 09 of 23 – Log Rafting and walking through swamp jungle 1956 in Baram District.

CINEREEL 10 of 23 – April 1957, Part 1 of Ian’s second Kelabit trip.

CINEREEL 11 of 23 – Kelabit Trip Part 2. Going home via the rapids.

CINEREEL 12 of 23 – Bunty’s [Urquhart] upriver trip May/June 1957.

CINEREEL 13 of 23 – Holiday on the coast in Mukah District, Easter 1958.

CINEREEL 14 of 23 – Cockfighting, 1958 and 1961.

CINEREEL 15 of 23 – Sibu Town and the Aup River, 1959.

CINEREEL 16 of 23 – Land Dayak villages in Serian District, 1960.

CINEREEL 17 of 23 – Tulip Tree. Land Dayak Kampung Terbat, December 1960.

CINEREEL 18 of 23 – View looking down on Land Dayak Kampong Tebase, October 1961.

CINEREEL 19 of 23 – Land Dayak Kg. Tabak. June, 1962.

CINEREEL 20 of 23 – Land Dayak countryside and crushing sugar cane with a log, June, 1962.

CINEREEL 21 of 23 – In Kuching and near the Sarawak River.

CINEREEL 22 of 23 – Going up the Limbang River in 5th Division, January 1964.

CINEREEL 23 of 23 – Limbang District, end of 1963.

Cinereel FAQ

How did you digitize these films?

Every single reel was cleaned and digitised to 2K 24fps by r3store Studios in London. For details about their workflow see Our Work and Unique 10 Step Workflow – R3store Studios

Do I need to inform the Internet Archive and/or Urquhart Cine Reels when I reuse these films?

No, there is no need to inform either the Internet Archive or the Ian Urquhart CineReels project. However, we ask that you credit us if the material is used in a publishable form. See below for more details.

How can I get access to stock footage from these films?

The original footage is stored safely in London. Should you wish to gain access to this footage for any reason please contact alexa.

Do I need to credit the Internet Archive and Urquhart Cine Reels when I reuse these movies?

We ask that you credit the Internet Archive as a source of archival material, in order to help make others aware of this site. We suggest the following forms of credit:
“Archival footage supplied by Internet Archive (at archive.org) in association with the Ian Urquhart CineReels Project”
“Archival footage supplied by Internet Archive (at archive.org)”
“Archival footage supplied by archive.org”

Are there restrictions on the use of the Urquhart Cine Reels?

The films are available for reuse according to the Creative Commons licenses, if any, that appear with on each film’s detail page. Pursuant to the Creative Commons license, you are encouraged to download, use and reproduce these films in whole or in part, in any non-commercial medium throughout the world. You are also encouraged to share, exchange, redistribute, transfer and copy these films, and especially encouraged to do so for free. Any derivative works that you produce using these films are yours to perform, publish, reproduce, or distribute in any way you wish with some limitations. You are not to resell nor use this material for any commercial purposes without suitable licencing arrangements.

Descriptions, synopses, shot-lists and other metadata provided by the Ian Urquhart CineReels Project to archive.org are copyrighted by Ian Urquhart’s estate. They may be quoted, excerpted or reproduced for educational, scholarly, non-profit or archival purposes, but may not be reproduced for commercial purposes of any kind without permission.

We would appreciate attribution or credit whenever possible.

Can you point me to resources on the history of the Ian Urquhart CineReels?

Although he rarely mentions his filming, Ian’s memoirs, Sarawak Anecdotes, are an excellent source for a historical record of his activities in Sarawak.

Who can I talk to about Ian, the archive and his photos?

Contact Ian’s daughter, Alexa Young, by emailing her at alexa@mysports.com.au.

Ian’s photography

Both Ian and his wife Bunty were keen photographers. Sadly, none of Bunty’s negatives survived. We do, however, have many of Ian’s, some of which can be seen here.