National Film and Sound Archive
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| National Film and Sound Archive | |
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| Established | 1984 |
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| Location | Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| Type | Audiovisual Archive |
| Director | Dr Paolo Cherchi Usai |
| Website | Home Page |
The Australian National Film and Sound Archive preserves and shares Australia's moving images and sound recordings from the country's first film images to the modern classics. The work that the Archive undertakes dates back to the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library (part of the then Commonwealth Library), which was established by a Cabinet decision on 11 December 1935.
It is located in Canberra, the nation's capital city.
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[edit] History of the Organisation
After being part of the National Library of Australia, and its predecessors, for nearly 50 years, the National Film and Sound Archive was created as a separate Commonwealth collecting institution in 1984. At that time, a Council was established to guide the institution. In 1999 the organisation changed its name to ScreenSound Australia, the National Screen and Sound Archive. From 1 July 2003, ScreenSound Australia controversially[1] became part of the Australian Film Commission and its original name, the National Film and Sound Archive was reinstated.[2]
In 2007, the Government announced the creation of a new Screen agency to be called Screen Australia[3] which would incorporate the main functions of the Film Finance Corporation, the Australian Film Commission (including the Archive), and Film Australia. However, in 2008, the Archive was granted Statutory Authority status giving it a level of independence similar to that of Australia's other major cultural institutions such as the National Library of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia.
[edit] History of the building
The building to which the Archive moved in 1984 was the home of the Australian Institute of Anatomy from 1931-84. Originally it held the anatomy collection of Sir Colin MacKenzie. This collection included the heart of the celebrated Australian racehorse Phar Lap.
The building is often classified as art deco, though its overall architectural style is technically "Late 20th Century Stripped Classical", the style of ancient Greece and Rome but simplified and modernised. Buildings in this style often feature a symmetrical façade, a horizontal skyline, classical columns and a central entrance. Traditional building materials such as stone and terracotta are often employed. The art deco influence is evident in the strong and consistent decorative features of native flora, fauna and Aboriginal art and motifs throughout the building. Face masks of well-known scientists of the era are featured on the foyer’s walls as a reminder of its previous incarnation as the Institute of Anatomy. Beyond the foyer is a landscaped courtyard.
The original part of the building has a theatre and research centre. The theatre was the meeting place for one of Australia’s pioneering film societies in the 1930s—the Canberra Film Society.
In 1999, the building was extended to provide needed space for the Archive. This new wing’s design is in keeping with the Art Deco style of the main structure with details and finishes to match the original.
