FIAT/IFTA Newsletter - November 2021

Dear colleagues, dear friends of FIAT/IFTA,

Less than two weeks have passed since the 2021 FIAT/IFTA World Conference. We counted almost 400 participants and almost 100 speakers spread over 67 sessions. I am also very happy that it has become a truly global conference, bringing together representatives from more than 50 countries, from all continents. The conference had to take place online once again, yet we kept our focus on Africa, which has been an important objective from the start. By resolutely confirming Cape Town as the host city for our World Conference for next year, we reiterate our commitment to the African continent and the African media archives community.

I would like to mention two successful World Conference sessions in particular. Firstly, there were the Archive Achievement Awards, which again this year demonstrated the dynamism, innovative strength and creativity of the field of media archiving. Congratulations once again not only to the winners, but to all shortlisted candidates. In addition, I would also like to point out the two wonderful Save Your Archive projects that we were able to support together with our partners Prasad and Memnon and that introduced themselves to a wider audience for the first time at the conference. Finally, I once again express feelings of profound gratitude to everyone who contributed to the organisation of the 45th edition of the World Conference.

After a few days of well deserved rest, both the FIAT/IFTA Commissions and the Executive Council started preparing for the next working year 2022. We can't give many details yet, but we are determined to continue with our fixed values and add a few interesting new initiatives that combine the benefits of online and on-site working and meeting. Our goal remains to act as the network and forum par excellence that provides you with inspiration, guidance and good contacts that are useful from high to low within your organization, whatever your professional plans may look like.

We look forward to meeting you again soon!

Brecht Declercq
FIAT/IFTA President

If you missed one of the World Conference sessions or want to view it again, recordings will be available on the Conference platform for 30 days (from 21 October)

This service is only available to those who registered for the World Conference.

Awards 2021: Meet the Winners

At the FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2021 held online, the Archive Achievement Awards were attributed to four particularly interesting projects, outstanding archival initiatives that have improved significantly the ways in which the archives are preserved, managed and used.

“Excellence in Media Management” Award - AI Algorithms for Media Cataloguing in ATRESMEDIA GROUP. Eugenio López de Quintana (ATRESMEDIA)

“Excellence in Media Preservation” Award - Ostatni Etap. Lukasz Janik (National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute)

“Excellence in Unlocking the Value and Potential of Archives” Award - Make Film History (BBC). Mark Macey (BBC)

“Excellence in Archival Production” Award - The Great World Theatre – Salzburg and its Festival. Beate Thalberg (ORF)

Lifetime Honorary Award - Roberto Rossetto (RAI)

Sincerest congratulations to all winners

Save Your Archive

Selected Projects 2020

In 2020 FIAT/IFTA launched a new edition of its Save Your Archive Program and issued a call for projects which for the first time brings industry partners support directly to endangered archives.

SYA issued a call for projects in summer 2020. 9 projects were shortlisted and 4 partners came forward and join in the SYA inaugural Pitching Room session at the FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2020

An agreement has been officially signed by FIAT/IFTA with each partner and the selected archives in Autumn 2021. Preparation work on the projects has been ongoing for many months and the projects are now commencing formally from October 2021.

The Save Your Archives program expects to announce further Calls for Projects with more Partners in 2022 so keep a watch out for our newsletters and announcements on social media platforms.

This project is led by José Velázquez (Documentarian and Founding Director @ DOKUMENTA.VIDEO) and Dr. David Dunkley-Gyimah (Senior Lecturer at Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Culture)

Archive @ DOKUMENTA, Video is supported by our partner, MEMNON.

Represented by Michel Merten (CEO, Memnon) and project manager Elizabeth Aguilar.
Facilitated by the Save Your Archive Project of FIAT/IFTA.

This project is led by Claudia Triana (Director Proimágenes Colombia).

Supported by Jaime Silva Cabrales (Director Señal Memoria de RTVC).

Project manager is Juana Suárez (Preservation expert and director of the NYU MIAP program).

Supported by the Prasad Corporation, represented by President, Mr. Sai Prasad and Simon Clark (Vice President Marketing and Business Development (Europe), Prasad Corporation).

Statement
'Free' digitisation of audiovisual content: FIAT/IFTA advice

In the past 22 months, FIAT/IFTA has been informed that several European television archives – members and non-members of FIAT/IFTA – have received proposals to have certain video cassette formats from their archives digitised / migrated by a third party. It was emphasized that this digitisation would be free of charge.

Several members have asked the FIAT/IFTA Preservation and Migration Commission to advise on such proposal. In recent months, members of the Commission have studied the documents in which the provider sets out the proposals and developed an advice in response. This elaborate advice can be requested from FIAT/IFTA via an e-mail to office@fiatifta.org.