The Protection of Cinematographic Heritage in Europe
by Sabina Gorini

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Cinematographic films are not purely for entertainment. They are also a valuable record of our times and, above all, an important part of our culture. But does this mean they are systematically preserved in collections like other documentary material and cultural assets? And does it mean members of the public have access to them like to books in a public library or to works of art in a museum?

Not all films are necessarily preserved in collections, nor is their collection necessarily automatic. Property rights and the public interest associated with ensuring films are preserved and readily accessible are aspects that have to be reconciled with each other, either by law or by agreement between the parties involved. This edition of IRIS Plus looks at how different countries deal with this problem and what initiatives have been taken in this area at European level.

Below you will have a chance to read about the different deposit systems that have been developed, about film preservation methods, and about the accessibility of deposited works.

Susanne Nikoltchev
IRIS Coordinator
Head of Department Legal Information
European Audiovisual Observatory
Strasbourg, September 2004

[This article originally appeared in IRIS Plus, a supplement to IRIS: Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory, Issue 2004-08, published by the European Audiovisual Observatory.]

Click here to read or download the full article (requires Adobe Acrobat).