Documentary films capture vital moments of history and culture that are at great risk of being lost if we don’t pay greater attention to their preservation. Every filmmaker must be an archivist for their own work. In March and April of 2015, the IDA partnered with DOC NYC to present the Documentary Preservation Summit, a two-day gathering of filmmakers, preservation experts and others to address the risks of losing access to important documentary films and strategies for ensuring their future.
Below, we have compiled a list of resources that will be beneficial to anyone interested in preserving their work, and ensuring important documentary work everywhere is adequately preserved and archived.
Why Focus on Docs for Preservation? (via DOC NYC)
In preparation for the Documentary Preservation Summit, a journalist asked DOC NYC's Thom Powers if fiction films and documentaries share the same issues when it comes to preservation.
Pennebaker & Hegedus Top 10 for #savedocs (via DOC NYC)
D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, recipients of the DOC NYC Lifetime Achievement Award, maintain their own archives containing over 50 years worth of priceless documentary films and outtakes.
Case Study on #savedocs: Eyes on the Prize (via DOC NYC)
One of the cautionary tales about documentary films falling out of public circulation is Henry Hampton’s Eyes on the Prize.
July 1, 2008AMPAS report outlines challenges in preservation of digital media.
June 2, 2009A cautionary tale about distribution.
June 1, 2008A profile on the IDA Preservation and Scholarship Award winner, National Geographic Digital Motion.
June 2, 2003"If this piece of film dies, a human thought dies with it. If I can do something to preserve that thought, isn't it worth doing?" That observation
January 15, 2003Preservation & Scholarship Award: Imperial War Museum
May 1, 2002Robert Rosen said it all: “Moving images are vital to our culture. They are a pre-eminent popular art form characteristic and distinctive to this