Statement issued by the FIAF Executive Committee about Recent Developments at the Academy Film Archive, a FIAF Member
The Executive Committee of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), which represents 179 film heritage institutions around the world, expresses its serious concern about the sudden dismissal on 30 October 2024 of eight employees of the Academy Film Archive, one of the key custodians of film heritage in North America and one of the most respected institutions of our global network since it joined FIAF in 1991.
The Academy has stated that it has laid off 2% of its staff, and while this may be accurate across the board, these eight employees account for more than 20% of the Archive’s staff. This is a substantial change, and an alarming one. We are deeply concerned by the dismissal of qualified curatorial expertise, the loss of in-depth knowledge of film material, and the abrupt interruption of several preservation projects. The Academy Film Archive has been a role model for the whole archival community in the United States and beyond. We are worried that the Archive’s massive restructuring will be interpreted as an inevitable course of action, indeed, as a statement about the expendability of our profession. We were shocked to learn that such well-known and internationally respected experts were laid off with no notice whatsoever – not to mention several of our colleagues of the Margaret Herrick Library who were also dismissed as part of the same action. With the dismissal of the Archive’s only Nitrate Specialist, we wonder who will pass on the precious knowledge of that collection and whether there will be enough backup staff for the inspection, identification, and cataloguing of nitrate. With the dismissal of several curators, the Academy Film Archive has hardly any staff left responsible for acquisitions, and we are concerned about the future of the archive’s role as a leader in the initiative to rescue films abandoned by several labs and organizations.
Reaction from our global community to the staff dismissals at the Academy Film Archive has been overwhelming. Our colleagues across the US and around the world view these severe changes as an institutional crisis. In the last few years, FIAF has been confronted with – and in some cases has contributed to at least partially resolving – other institutional crises affecting film archives in countries (Brazil, Ukraine, Ecuador, Afghanistan) facing major political challenges, social and economic upheaval, or even wars. We would have never imagined that the next crisis we would have to address would be at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Many of us were also rather dismayed to receive an email from the Academy proudly announcing new acquisitions to the Academy Collection only hours after the news about the layoffs broke.
Like all our affiliates, the Academy Film Archive can only fulfill its core missions of collecting, preserving, restoring, and making accessible the rich film heritage in its care to the highest international standards if it is allowed to operate in a stable and supportive environment. This of course includes ensuring that the work of the highly skilled and experienced professionals working for the institution is valued, and the long-term nature of their missions recognized. The abrupt dismissal of our eight colleagues at the Academy Film Archive can only lead to the unrecoverable loss of the specialized knowledge required to protect and preserve the unique and fragile film collections in the institution’s care. A film archive deprived of its dedicated and knowledgeable staff is little more than a warehouse.
While film archives may be restructured, there are established practices of knowledge transfer that should be honored and recognized. We stand strongly with our eight colleagues recently dismissed from the Academy Film Archive and urge the Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to reconsider this decision, which is the only way to ensure that the Academy Film Archive can continue to operate professionally and carry out its essential missions as it has done so brilliantly for so many years.
FIAF's Executive Committee
December 2024
