News Round-Up    

 
Celebrating... from p. 9

      Short films, which were mostly winners in the annual CCP Independent Film and Video Festival, were also presented. Featured were Asong Simbahan (Church Dog) by Sari Dalena (opening short film); Doon sa Kabila ng Bulkan (On the other Side of the Volcano) by Ellen Ramos; Laho (Disappear) by Fruto Corre; Sa Maynila (In Manila) by Miguel Alcazaren, Jo Atienza, and Ricky Orellana; Anak Maynila (Son of Manila) by Nonoy Dadivas and Dange Desembrana; Junkzilla by Nonoy Dadivas; Alien Shellfish Lovepump by Luis Quirino; Patibong (Trap) by Vincent Balanon; True Blue American Coconut Grove by Luis Quirino and Doris Sales; and A Study for the Skies by Raymond Red.
      As a sidelight of the festival, a special meeting was held among the organizing committee and New York-based Filipinos to discuss the possibility of setting up a Society of Film Archivists (SOFIA) New York

dot.gif - 1kb
Philosophy of... from p. 9

The av archiving profession is an emerging one and, at this point, a fragmented one, unlike libraries, archives, and museums. A philosophy should strengthen the profession and give it identity.
A lively discussion followed the presentation. Issues and observations were brought forward such as: Why is there an apparent “audiovisual archives movement”, apart from the “mainstream” or “textual” archives profession?

  • Is not audiovisual archiving a subset of the archives discipline?
  • Why not just have film librarianship instead?
  • The practice of audiovisual archiving did not begin with libraries and archives; it began with collectors with the assertion of “film as art” and therefore made it imperative that they be saved.
  • New media challenges traditional concepts of the archives discipline.
  • What makes an audiovisual archivist different from other archivists? The bottom line? The a-v archivist must be passionate about the [films, other a-v works] to care about their preservation.

No resolutions were made, nor were any intended. The discussions were a first of its kind here. Likewise, it was the first joint undertaking of the distinct archives societies. More debates are foreseen, providing more opportunities for the av archivists to look inward once more and strengthen harmonious ties with their cousins in the archives and other collecting professions.

chapter. A plan was drawn to create an independent organization (SOFIA New York or Philippine Cinema Heritage Trust) that will assist SOFIA specifically in fundraising activities for the establishment of an archival facility in the Philippines, hopefully in the next five years.
      On the initiative of this same group, a visit was arranged to the George Eastman House in Rochester to meet its director, Tony Bannon, and explore the possibility of having a space

 

  for Filipino films in their archive. The fruitful visit consisted of a tour of the archives facilities, school, and museum. An added bonus was the unexpected meeting with Paolo Cherchi Usai, senior curator of the Motion Picture Department.
      Based on the warm reception of people to the festival, a third festival is maybe in the offing once new films have been restored, reprinted, and subtitled.
page13.jpg - 7kb
At the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York with (from left to right) its director, Tony Bannon, Vicky Belarmino, CCP’s executive curator, and Paolo Cherchi-Usai, senior curator of the GEH Motion Picture Department.
dot.gif - 1kb VFI develops... from p. 9

Initial treatment of infected film is through the “dry method” and completed with the ‘wet method”. During the dry method treatment, the acetic acid produced is eliminated by exposing the affected films to air ventilators inside fume rooms of four meters long, 3.5 meter wide and three meters high and can accommodate 18 reels at a time. Films in level 1 infection are cleaned within 48 hours while those in levels 2 or 3, within 72 hours.
      The wet cleaning method is applied using the rewashing machine which brings the added benefit of making film less susceptible to the recurrence of vinegar syndrome.
      This technology developed by VFI, however, was found to be most effective on films with vinegar syndrome within levels 1 or 2, wherein the film exhibits only 1-3 percent shrinkage. For films in level 3 and above, a chemical or physical method must be developed to counter the 4-5 percent shrinkage which prevents the film from being treated because of the great risk involved.



AV Archives Bulletin     13