FIAF's Mission
FIAF, the International Federation of Film Archives, has been dedicated to the preservation of, and access to, the world’s film heritage since 1938. It brings together the world's leading non-profit institutions in this field.
Its affiliates are committed to the rescue, collection, preservation, screening, and promotion of films, which are valued both as works of art and culture and as historical documents. When FIAF was founded in June 1938, it had four members. As of April 2024, it comprises 176 institutions in 79 countries – a reflection of the extent to which film heritage has become a world-wide concern. After over 80 years of experience in this field, FIAF has grown to be the most important global network of cinematheques and film archives.
FIAF's missions are:
- to uphold a code of ethics for film preservation and practical standards for all areas of film archive work;
- to promote the creation of moving image archives in countries which lack them;
- to seek the improvement of the legal context within which film archives carry out their work;
- to promote film culture and facilitate historical research on both a national and international level;
- to foster training and expertise in preservation and other archive techniques;
- to ensure the permanent availability of material from the collections for study and research by the wider community;
- to encourage the collection and preservation of documents and materials relating to the cinema;
- to develop co-operation between members and to ensure the international availability of films and documents.
