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SEAPAVAA Newsletter |
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NEW ZEALAND: Pasifika film project A cooperative venture between UNESCO and the New Zealand Film Archive to restore 23 Pacific Island films is now in its final stages. In late 1998 UNESCO approved a grant of US$15,000 to the New Zealand Film Archive for the preservation of this collection of valuable films. Dating from the 1920's to the late 1950's, the films shot in Samoa, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, make up a unique record of island life. Ranging from amateur home movies to commercial productions, highlights include various Pacific dance styles to the arrival of the first flight into the new runway on the island of Rarotonga. Although stabilized and stored in temperature and humidity controlled vaults, many of the films were considered to be at risk if not immediately preserved. The project consisted of three stages: conservation of the films, production of new negatives and prints, and the generation of video copies to supply Pacific institutions. UNESCO agreed to meet the laboratory costs while the film archive covered conservation and video duplication costs. Preservation work was completed in April this year and video copies of the collection are now being catalogued by archive staff. The New Zealand National Commission of UNESCO will be negotiating with Pacific institutions to supply video copies of the collection.
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