He was the second curator of the UK's National Film and Television Archive from 1974 until 1989, when he was succeeded by Clyde Jeavons.
Francis went on to become the Chief of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division at the Library of Congress (November 1991 - February 2001).
[2] During the 1980s he was the leading academic member of the team that created London's internationally acclaimed Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI).
He was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to film archiving and for his work on the Getty Center in the 1986 Birthday Honours.
[6] Francis was the 2002 recipient of the Mel Novikoff Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.