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Register Now for ‘Screening the Future 2011’2010-12-17 | PrestoCentre, a new, self-sustaining organisation continuing the work of the Presto projects, will launch at its first European conference in Amsterdam on 14 -15 March 2011. “Screening the Future – New Strategies and Challenges in Audiovisual Archiving” aims to connect AV archives, service providers, vendors, funders, policymakers, and educators by tackling some of today’s most urgent issues such as digital preservation strategies and technologies, funding mechanisms and policy making. Digitising the First World War Recollections2010-12-17 | Europeana is working with die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Great War Archive at Oxford University to create an archive of stories from the different sides of the First World War. One of the objectives for the alliance is to bring important User Generated Content into Europeana; another is to begin to co-ordinate information in advance of the centenary of the 1914-18 conflict. Read the press release here.
The European Commission Continues to Put Much Value upon Europeana2010-11-25 |The European Commission issued a press-release on 18 November 2010 in respect of Europeana.eu. Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda acknowledged the value of the on-line digital collection now containing 14 million objects from Europe’s cultural institutions. Further contributions were welcomed to ensure full representation of European cultural heritage. Please read the press-release. "Rescue the Hitchcock 9" - The British Film Institute seeks Support2010-07-23 | Curators of the BFI National Archive have identified a collection of films in desperate need of restoration with nine of Alfred Hitchcock's early silent films being the first to seek rescue through the Support the BFI campaign. They have launched a campaign for collecting funds through their web site:
Digital Agenda: European film heritage – will it be there for future generations?2010-07-06 |A report published today by the European Commission's Information Society and Media Directorate General sounds the alarm over the survival of Europe's film heritage. 80% of silent films are estimated to have been lost already but even new digital era films are at risk. Although the digital era provides new means of making and presenting films, it also imposes new challenges to the traditional ways of collecting and preserving films. Digital technologies are constantly evolving and what seems cutting-edge today may be obsolete in 2020 as cassette tapes or video recorders are already today. Film heritage institutions need to keep up, take up and advance new technologies to preserve Europe's films. The report released today, compiled by the Commission's Information Society and Media Directorate General, stresses that Europe's film heritage institutions should take a new approach to the way they safeguard and provide access to Europe's film heritage. The traditional model - conserving fragile film materials in sealed boxes in vaults - cannot guarantee their preservation for posterity or accessibility. The report suggests that in the digital age, a new access model is needed so that future film makers and audiences can continue to enjoy European film culture. The results presented in this report are only a first evaluation of the challenges and opportunities of the digital era for European film heritage. The Commission has launched an independent study, which will look in further detail into this issue. After reviewing the results of the study, the Commission will consider whether a revision of the Film Heritage Recommendation could be an appropriate means of addressing this issue. Read the report and the official press release here. ACE Elects New Executive Committee2010-07-06 |During the Cinema Ritrovato Film Festival in Bologna, on 1 July 2010, the General Assembly of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) elected a new Executive Committee for the term 2010-2012. New members of the EC are Thomas Christensen (Danish Film Institute, Copenhagen), Sandra den Hamer (Eye Film Institute Netherlands, Amsterdam), Tadeusz Kowalski (Filmoteka Narodowa, Warszaw), Mikko Kuutti (National Audiovisual Archive, Helsinki). Re-elected were Claudia Dillmann (Deutsches Filminstitut -DIF, Frankfurt), Gian Luca Farinelli (Cineteca del Comune di Bologna), Mimi Gjorgoska-Illievska (Kinoteka na Makedonija, Skopje), Maria Komninos (Greek Film Archive, Athens), and Dinko Tucakovic (Yugoslovenska Kinoteka, Belgrade). Claudia Dillmann, director of the Deutsches Filminstitut, was reappointed President and new Treasurer of ACE. The office of the Secretary General is held by Thomas Christensen, curator at the Danish Film Institute. Learn more about ACE here. Assessment of the Orphan works issue and Costs for Rights Clearance2010-06-30 |The European Commission recently assessed the orphan works issue and costs of rights clearance on the basis of the replies to a questionnaire sent to a number of cultural institutions or organisations from all sectors. The survey was held in the context of the Digital Libraries initiative, based on the fact that for digitisation and online accessibility of cultural content appropriate measures are needed to deal with orphan works i.e. material still in-copyright but whose right holders cannot be identified or located. The assessment is a fact-finding exercise and does not prejudge of the outcome of the Commission's work in this area. Read the full report here. Learn more about the Digital Libraries Initiative here. Study on "Challenges of the digital era for film heritage institutions"2010-06-28 | The European Commission has launched a call for tenders in order conduct a study on the "Challenges of the digital era for film heritage institutions". The call for tenders is published in the OJ 2010/S 108-163209 of 05/06/2010. The aim of the study is to provide a detailed description of the challenges that film heritage institutions are facing in relation to all areas of their activities, as well as the opportunities that digital technologies offer. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 1 September 2010 at 4 p.m.. All tender documents can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/info_centre/tenders/index_en.htm A summary of the objectives and the methodology of the study is available here. New website on Carl Theodor Dreyer online2010-06-20 | In May the Danish Film Institute, a partner in the European Film Gateway project, launched a new website about Carl Theodor Dreyer and his work. Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889-1968) is regarded as one of the international cinema's giants. The website offers a rich collection of original material and fresh perspectives contributed by Danish and international advocates of the filmmaker's legacy. The website is available here. Europeana publishes White Paper2010-06-02 | Europeana's first White Paper looks at the key role linked data will play in Europeana's development and in helping Europe's citizens make connections between existing knowledge to achieve new cultural and scientific developments. Europeana.eu is a website that links you to cultural and scientific material from Europe’s libraries, museums, audio-visual collections and archives. Launched as a prototype in November 2008, it offers access to over 7 million digitised items. Europeana’s fully operational service will launch later in 2010, giving access to 10 million items. Without linked data, Europeana could be seen as a simple collection of digital objects. With linked data, the potential is far greater, as the author of the white paper, Prof. Stefan Gradmann, explains. Lithuanian documentaries on the Internet2010-05-31 | On 3 May, 2010 the Lithuanian Central State Archive, a data contributor of filmarchives online and partner in the current EFG - The European Film Gateway project, started implementation of a 30-months project called "Lithuanian documentaries on the Internet". The archive has received support of about 2.8 million for this project from EU Structural Funds. The objective of the project is the preservation of Lithuanian documentary heritage by digitisation as well as its accessibility for everyone via the Internet. It is expected that the project will digitize and transfer to the Internet 1000 titles of Lithuanian documentaries, created in the period between 1919-1960. Find more information here.
East Silver Market / Call for submissions 20102010-04-21 | The 7th edition of East Silver documentary market specialized in Eastern and Central European documentary is now open for submission. Interested filmmakers can submit their films to the biggest internationally recognized database of creative feature and television documentary films from Central and Eastern Europe. The call is for completed documentaries produced 2009 – 2010 with English subtitles or with English voiceover. Submissions deadline is 31st of July 2010. For more information and an online entry form visit: www.eastsilver.net
WCF Initiates Restoration of Film From Hungarian National Film Archive2010-03-28 |One of the latest restoration projects initiated by Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation (WCF) is devoted to an early work of Hungarian-American filmmaker André de Toth, 'Two Girls in the Street' ('Két Lány Az Utcán') from 1939. While the Foundation will bear all costs for the restoration and preservation of 'Two Girls in the Street', the actual work will be carried out by the Cineteca di Bologna's L'Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, official restoration partner of the WCF. After the restoration is completed, the Hungarian National Film Archive will receive a brand new 35mm copy later this year. Both, the Cineteca di Bologna as well as the Hungarian National Film Archive are making available parts of their holding's catalogue information available via filmarchives online. Scorsese established the World Cinema Foundation together with other distinguished international filmmakers in 2007 to call attention to the global cause of film preservation and to preserve and restore neglected films from around the world - but in particular from countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Central Asia, which often lack the financial and technical ability to do so. Virtual exhibition "A Roma Journey" now online2010-03-08 |This week The European Library launched a new virtual exhibition called "A Roma Journey". It provides content about Roma’s rich cultural heritage across Europe; you can view a unique collection of full-text books, rare manuscripts, photographs, paintings, sound recordings and videos from the world of the Roma. Rarities on offer include the first ever dictionary written in Romani-Serbian-German in a concentration camp during WWII, traditional songs and tales, and letters exploring the experiences of a Roma family in Scandinavia. Visit A Roma Journey Visit The European Digital Library
Producers and Film Archives Agree on New Arrangements for Voluntary Deposit of Films in European Archives2010-02-24 |After several years of negotiating, film producers worldwide, represented by FIAPF and European film archives, represented by ACE, signed a framework agreement setting out new arrangements for voluntary deposit of film and film materials in European archives. The purpose of the new arrangements is to update the 1971 FIAPF model contract for voluntary deposit to take into account the new digital environment and the enlargement of the European Union. The framework agreement serves as a reference for voluntary deposit of films and film materials and is complemented by a model contract for bilateral negotiation between the depositor and the individual film archive. The negotiations between ACE and FIAPF were supported by the European Commission's Audiovisual and Media Policy Unit. ACE's president Claudia Dillmann as well as FIAPF's president Luis Alberto Scalella welcome this agreement as a further consolidation of the co-operation between producers and film archives, which will also better support the work of European film archives than the 1971 contract. Dutch Film Organisations merge into Eye Film Institute Netherlands2010-01-31 |On 31 December 2009, the Netherlands Filmmuseum (which contributes data to filmarchives online), Holland Film, the Netherlands Institute for Film Education (NIF), and the Filmbank pooled their resources to form a new organisation – the eye Film Institute Netherlands. With this merger, the Dutch film world has gained a sector-wide umbrella institute that works to support national cinema culture. The establishment of eye was initiated by Education, Culture and Science Minister Ronald Plasterk, whose aim was to unite the sector in a nationwide institute, comparable to national sector institutes such as the Netherlands Music Center, the Netherlands Theater Institute (TIN) or, on international level, to colleague institutions such as the Danish Film Institute. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has promised to support the new institute, which is managed by former Filmmuseum director Sandra den Hamer, with € 350,000. Eye’s ambitions go beyond the original responsibilities of the participating organisations in the field of film archiving, presentation, distribution, education, and promotion. Eye will develop initiatives to stimulate the Dutch cinema climate, becoming the face of Dutch cinema both at home as well as abroad and functioning as ambassador of national film culture. In 2011 eye will move to its new headquarters (4 screens and 1,200 m² of exhibition space) in the Overhoeks neighbourhood, located across Amsterdam Harbour.
Publication "Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for Digitization for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums"2009-12-23 | Digital communications technologies have led to fundamental changes in the ways that cultural institutions fulfil their public missions of access, preservation, research, and education. Institutions are developing publicly-accessible websites in which users can visit online exhibitions, search collection databases, access images of collection items, and in some cases create their own digital content. Digitization, however, also raises the possibility of copyright infringement. "Copyright and Digitization" aims to assist understanding and compliance with copyright law across libraries, archives and museums. It discusses the exclusive rights of copyright owners, the major exemptions used by cultural heritage institutions, and stresses the importance of risk assessment when conducting any digitization project. It also includes two cases studies, examining digitizing oral histories and student work. The publication by Peter B Hirtle, Emily Hudson and Andrew T Kenyon is available for free download at Read about Europeana from the US perspective2009-12-23 | In her article, Ricky Erway of OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) provides a detailed and highly insightful outsider’s view on the Europeana project. Erway looks at Europeana from many vantage points: mandate and funding; branding and public relations; learning from others; aggregation; cooperation; content; rights; metadata; technology; access; user feedback; and sustainability – offering valuable advice for the Europeana community in doing so. Erway’s observations were originally presented during the LIBER/EBLIDA digitisation workshop in October and have now been published in the recent edition of LIBER Quarterly, the Journal of European Research Libraries. A selection of the data collected in filmarchives online will be contributed to Europeana by summer 2010. Find the complete article here:
Europeana receives Erasmus Award for Networking Europe2009-10-19 | At the Erasmus EuroMedia Awards 2009 ceremony at the City Hall in Vienna on 16 October 2009, Europeana.eu was awarded the Erasmus Award for Networking Europe. The jury selected 3 Erasmus awards from 62 nominations out of around 230 applications. The award is given by the European Society for Education and Communication. All 62 nominees were also awarded the Erasmus Seal of Approval for excellent quality and educational value. The prize is a strong endorsement for Europeana, given by an objective international jury from the world of learning and research. To win the award, Europeana had to prepare an application showing how Europeana fitted criteria relating to the promotion of understanding and learning in Europe, and provide a short demo. Max Kaiser from the National Library of Austria and co-ordinator of EuropeanaConnect attended the awards ceremony and delivered an acceptance speech on behalf of Europeana. filmarchives online will contribute data and content beginning of next year to the Europeana web portal via the the project EFG - The European Film Gateway, which is currently working towards a web portal where film archives and cinèmathèques will give access to digitised materials (text, image, sound, moving image) from their collections. Visit www.europeana.eu
Draft European Standard for Cinematographic Works2009-09-18 |The CEN (Centre Européen de Normalisation) enquiry on the second of the European standards mandated by the Commission on interoperability of film databases finalised on 26 July 2009. Of the 25 CEN Members, 14 agreed with the possibility of adopting the draft "Film identification - Enhancing interoperability of metadata - Element sets and structures (prEN 15907)" as a European standard. The CEN Technical Committee (CEN/TC 372) responsible for this standard is meeting on 29/30 October in Frankfurt in order finalise the draft standard for its submission to the "formal vote" and final adoption. The project "EFG - The European Film Gateway" has decided to use the future EN 15907 as a part of their semantic interoperability strategy for filmographic records. More information: www.filmstandards.org Registration for Joint BAAC (Baltic Audiovisual Archival Council) and LCSA (Lithuanian Central State Archive) Annual Conference 2009 now open2009-07-28 |Under the title "Aggregation and Management of Audiovisual Content in the Digital Space" this year's edition of the conference aims at promoting the visibility of the Baltic heritage in a digital environment by sharing best practices and encouraging collaborative networks with national and Trans-European initiatives. The conference will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, October 4-7, 2009 and is hosted by the Lithuanian Central State Archive together with the Institute of Library and Information Science at the University of Vilnius. An early bird accreditation fee is available until 4th of September 2009. Find the online registration form, the preliminary programme, and other relevant information at www.baacouncil.org. Framework Agreement between ACE and FIAPF on Procedures for Voluntary Deposits of Films with Preservation Archives2009-07-09 | After several years of negotiations, ACE (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (Association of European film archives))and FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films (International Federation of Film Producers Associations)) settled on a framework agreement for voluntary deposit of films in film preservation archives. The agreement text had been approved at the FIAPF General Assembly in Cannes (May 2009) and later at the ACE General Assembly in Bologna (July 2009). The European Commission DG Information Society and Media supported the negotiations between both parties. Aim of the agreement is to substitute an older contract with the FIAPF from 1971 and to adapt it to a new digital environnement as well as to the enlargement of the European Union. The framework agreement is not binding but shall serve as a reference for voluntary use by the members of both parties. In addition to the agreement a model contract for bilateral negotiations will be set up. The framework agreement regulates: * Conditions of deposit * Initiative for Preservation and Restoration * Access and Use by the Producer and the Archive * Permanent Withdrawal Framework_Agreement_090701 (English version)
BFI seeks Project Manager2009-06-17 | The British Film Institute is seeking a Project Manager to ensure the successful delivery of a new Collections Management System for the BFI National Archive - one of the world's most renowned film and television heritage Collections. >>Official job advertisement (Note: Deadline for applications has passed beginning of July) Magyar Nemzeti Filmarchívum: |