AUDIOVISUAL HERITAGE
Film archive gets upgraded
- Published: 3/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Realtime
The Thai National Film Archive has officially become a public organisation under the Ministry of Culture after the declaration in the Royal Gazette on June 22, said Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch.
The Srikrung cinema at the compound of the National Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom.
"There's still misunderstanding by a lot of people that a public organisation doesn't function as part of the government, and that when an agency gains the status of a public organisation it's the same as being privatised into a public company" the minister added.
"But that's a misconception. A public organisation remains 100 percent under the government. It is only upgraded to a management structure that's more flexible, like a private company. There's no need to worry that since the National Film Archive has become a public organisation, it will exploit the national heritage it has acquired during the past 25 years in a commercial manner."
The struggle of the National Film Archive - always cash-strapped and stunted for growth - to become a public organisation was an eight-year-long saga that eventually climaxed when PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and his cabinet approved the restructuring.
The archive will now have more flexibility and funding to pursue the objective of preserving historic film prints.
Before, the Film Archive was under the Ministry of Culture's Fine Arts Department. Under the new structure, the Film Archive reports directly to the minister, and it will likely receive more funding that will allow it to function properly as an institution to preserve, conserve and restore the national heritage in the form of moving pictures.
"Right now I will appoint a temporary board to take care of the transition period," said minister Teera. "They will be the people who're knowledgable about the structure of public organisations and will take care of the transfer."
In many countries, a film archive functions not only as a centre for restoring and preserving old films and moving images, but as a Cinematheque that screens old movies as well as encourages the atmosphere of movie-going as a cultural experience.
The National Film Archive was set up over 20 years ago, but it has had a hard time getting its operation off the ground due to an insufficient budget.
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