Brussels, 07/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Most European film heritage institutions have not yet adapted to the digital revolution and are not yet able to preserve films digitally, the European Commission states in a report. Many European films may thus be lost to future generations for ever, just like those of the silent era, where only 10% survived. At the same time, films of the early digital era could also be lost for ever, due to formatting and interoperability issues. “It is ridiculous that our film heritage is invisible in the 21st century. Culture is the heart of Europe, and film is at the heart of culture. I am determined to bring this film legacy online and will make a proposal in 2013 that helps member states and stakeholders to join forces to get films online”, Commissioner Neelie Kroes, responsible for the Digital Agenda, has said.
New technologies open the door for Europeans to gain access to one million hours of European film currently locked away. Yet only 1.5% of European film heritage is commercially or freely accessible to the public. Without digitisation, film lovers will continue to miss out on the opportunities offered by the online world. Since 2009, for example, two million films have been viewed on the EU-funded online platform, “Europa Film Treasures”. Current obstacles to digitisation include scarce national and private funding and the complexity of rights clearance, both in time and money.
Sweden and the United Kingdom are, however, considered to be examples of current best practice. The Commission points out to member states how important it is to include film heritage in their national digitisation strategies and archival policies, one effect of which should be greater film content on the Europeana portal. Innovative financing and collecting techniques need to be developed. For example, further research is needed into scanning technologies for archival films in order to reduce digitisation costs. According to the Commission, it is also necessary to improve resources, facilities and skills for the preservation of both analogue and digital film. (IL/transl.jl)