Jan de Vaal

Jan de Vaal was Director of the Nederlands Filmmuseum (Nederlands Historisch Filmarchief until 1952, and today Eye Filmmuseum) from 1947-1987, and as such occupied a central place in Dutch film culture for almost half a century. He also played an important role in the field of film conservation at an international level, through the various positions he occupied on the FIAF Executive Committee over three decades (no-one in the history of FIAF sat on its governing body for as long he did).

In the early 1960s, he established and managed on FIAF’s behalf an international pool of film prints for programming purposes (known as the FIAF Members Service or FIAF Pool). His ambition was to help newly created member archives increase their programming possibilities. A total of about 100 film prints, mostly on 35mm, were contributed by FIAF member archives around the world. The Pool was disbanded in 1972. That same year, he founded the FIAF Information Bulletin (today Journal of Film Preservation), and was its Chief-Editor for 14 years.

He was awarded a FIAF Honorary Membership in 1988, a year after retiring from the Nederlands Filmmuseum, and he and his wife Tineke continued to attend FIAF Congresses long after that, and cultivated many friendships in the FIAF community.

Mirjam van Kempen, “The diligent Dutchman: Jan de Vaal and FIAF (1946-1952)”, Journal of Film Preservation, Issue 89, Nov 2013, pp. 64-71

José Manuel Costa, “A personal note on Jan de Vaal and (the importance of a) FIAF history”, Journal of Film Preservation, Issue 63, Oct 2001, pp. 74-76

Robert Daudelin, “In memoriam Jan de Vaal (1922-2001)”, Journal of Film Preservation, Issue 63, Oct 2001, pp. 74

Hoos Blotkamp, “The Dutch connection: Nederlands Filmmuseum”, Bulletin FIAF, Issue 36, 1988, [n.p.]

“Jan de Vaal 40 years Filmmuseum”, Bulletin FIAF, Issue 32, Sept 1986, p. 5