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Moving Pictures
As we move towards the close of the twentieth century, the central role played by moving pictures in our lives is virtually taken for granted. They entertain, inform, record our lives - and challenge our preconceptions. The insights and pleasures afforded by moving pictures carry a responsibility that is the fundamental principle of the profession in which we work - ensuring their long-term survival so that future generations can appreciate this treasure. Yet we know that only a small proportion of the millions of feet of film produced during the past 100 years has survived neglect, destruction, chemical or accidental damage, and chemical deterioration. The nature and scale of the preservation problem presented by any country's filmed heritage demands a solution that must involve collaboration at national, regional and local levels.
The Public Film Archive Scene in Great Britain
Up to the mid 1970s, two public bodies were charged with the preservation of the nation's moving images - the National Film and Television Archive and the Imperial War Museum. The collections established by these organisations include feature and documentary films and also television programmes, produced both in this country and internationally. That these bodies recognised the impossibility of addressing the preservation problem single-handedly is evidenced by their support for new public collections across the country - the regional film archives.
During the years 1976 and 1977 three film 'search and rescue' projects were established in Norwich, Glasgow and Manchester. All three shared a common belief - that films illustrating and illuminating life in their regions were important cultural and historical records which demanded immediate local intervention to endure their survival. From these beginnings grew the three public archives that became the vanguard of the British regional film archive movement - the East Anglian Film Archive, the Scottish Film Archive and the North West Film Archive (NWFA). The serious preservation commitment of these newcomers convinced the national archives that it was possible to work collaboratively - and not competitively - and that more professional players in the field meant that more important material could be found, acquired, preserved, documented, stored and made available to the public.
While the national and regional archives mentioned above have always worked in close co-operation, a mechanism to...