FIAF 70th Anniversary Declaration — Don't Throw Film Away
Motion picture film is a core element of our cultural heritage and a unique form of recording our history and daily life. Whether public or private, those who hold motion picture film are responsible for collecting, protecting, documenting, and producing material so that present and future generations can study and enjoy film.
FIAF, made up of about 130 film archives in 65 countries, and its affiliated bodies have restored two million films over the past 70 years. However, for certain genres, regions, or periods, the preservation rate is under 10% of the films produced.
Marking its 70th anniversary this year, FIAF has adopted "Don't Throw Film Away" as its new slogan. Film is culturally irreplaceable and, when properly handled by experts, can be preserved for a long time.
While recognizing that current moving-image technology is led by advanced digital technology, FIAF members have decided to keep collecting film and preserving it as film. This strategy will complement efforts to develop effective ways of preserving born-digital film heritage.
Why Film Must Be Preserved
- Film is either a record made under the direct guidance of a film director or a record of a historical moment captured by a cinematographer. Both forms must be respected as part of world cultural heritage; they are tangible assets to be handled with the care due to historical and museum artifacts, and are a reality that can be "read by the human eye."
- Film is highly susceptible to physical and chemical damage, but if stored and handled properly it can be preserved safely for centuries. It has already been proven that film lasts longer than later moving-image media such as videotape.
- Film is the ideal tool for preserving moving images. It is the most standardized and widely distributed high-resolution medium worldwide, and does not require regular data conversion or frequent operating system updates.
- All film preserved in archive vaults is original material, and all copies are made from it. Any improper alteration or distortion of content can also be detected by comparison with the original film.
Therefore, even if a better medium exists, film must never be discarded. Even as better technology is developed, existing film is the force that connects us to the achievements and records of the past. Film prints are forever.
※ Paris, April 2008 (revised July/September 2008)
Thanks
-
The FIAF 70th anniversary statement is based on the draft FIAF Appeal by Hisashi Okajima (2007), built on aspirations first proposed in the 2005 FIAF Executive Committee mission statement. The draft was refined by David Francis and edited by Roger Smither, and completed with advice from Paolo Cherchi Usai, Robert Daudelin, Edith Kramer, Paul Read, and the FIAF Executive Committee. French translation by Robert Daudelin; Spanish translation by Christian Dimitriu.
-
The statement was adopted by majority vote of attendees at the FIAF Congress in Paris, and finalized by a team nominated by the Executive Committee (Paolo Cherchi Usai, Roger Smither, Hisashi Okajima, Eva Orbanz). Final editing was by Ivan Trujillo, Alexander Horwath, and Maria Bustamente.