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Editorial opinion

Our National Film and Sound Archive is in the news this month, with a number of
announcements.
At last a new CEO has been appointed. The low-key announcement was made public in the
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Melbourne Age on Thursday 30 June. The NFSA’s own web site still does not mention the
appointment. Following the (still unexplained) resignation of Dr. Daryl McIntyre last year, two
years into his five year contract, the Archive has been operating under the guidance of Ann
Landrigan as Acting CEO.
The vacancy at the NFSA was advised on the web site of The International Association of
Sound and Audiovisual Archives quoting a closing date for applications of 21 February 2011.
I’m sure all film collectors and enthusiasts will wish the new CEO Michael Loebenstein
success in his new job.
Another announcement, this time in the form of an open letter from the acting CEO, advises
that the NFSA has taken over of the management of the Film Australia Library, combined
with that announcement is the news that the words “of Australia” have be appended to the
official title of the NFSA, making the full title the National Film and Sound Archive of
Australia.
The NFSA, with support from Deluxe Film Labs in Sydney and Kodak Australasia, have
been steadily restoring some of Australia’s color feature films from the past 20 or so years.
Despite being relatively new releases, many titles were only represented by damaged or
faded release prints. The latest film to be restored is Dingo (1991), staring Colin Friels and
Miles Davis. The restored film was screened at the Sydney Film Festival last month.
Many collectors believe the NFSA has lost its way in recent years, and are reluctant to
contribute material; stories of donated material becoming lost or untraceable have become
commonplace.
Hopefully, the new CEO will be able to get the Archive back on track.
The opening paragraph of the NFSA’s charter says ...
“The primary responsibility of the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) is to manage the
national audiovisual collection, and to build, preserve, interpret and make accessible that
collection, in accordance with the National Film and Sound Archive Act 2008 (NFSA Act)
and the NFSA Collections Policy and Statement of Curatorial Values.”
“Make accessible” is an interesting expression. Accessible to whom? There was a time
when copies of some of the Archive’s material were available for sale to the public. Although
only on VHS tape, it was better that nothing. A few years ago, all of the remaining VHS stock
was sold off at give-away prices. Today, the medium of the day is DVD. The archive has
shown no inclination to re-release the earlier material or indeed to make any new material
available on that format.
I wrote an RD editorial some time back, following a visit to the NFSA in Canberra. I found
our national film archive selling American movie star pictures, commercial DVD releases and
Chinese made souvenirs. I don’t know just how that fits within the Archive’s charter.
Fingers crossed the new CEO will be able to return the NFSA to what it was before the ‘new
direction’ inflicted on it over the past years.
Mike Trickett

See pages 18, 26, 28 for full reports. 3