Filmmaker: Temujin Doran

In the spring of 1939 during the build-up to war with Germany the British government commissioned a series of propaganda posters. These posters were intended to raise the morale and to offer the public reassurance in the dark days that lay ahead.

One of the three designs was never distributed, it was held in reserve - intended for use only in times of crisis or invasion. The poster was never officially issued and remained unseen by the public until a copy turned up more than 50 years later. 

This short film tells the story behind the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster, its origins at the beginning of World War Two and its rediscovery in a second-hand bookshop in the UK in 2000 - becoming one of the iconic images of the 21st century.