W 1938 r. z inicjatywy Henriego Langois’a i Georges’a Franju z Cinémathèque Française, Franka Hensela z Reichsfilmarchiv, Johna Abbotta z Museum of Modern Art Film Library oraz Olwen Vaughan z londyńskiej National Film Library powołano do życia Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film – Międzynarodową Federację Archiwów Filmowych. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie działalności FIAF, która w zeszłym roku obchodziła swoje osiemdziesiąte urodziny. W teście omówiono początki Federacji, jej cele i strukturę oraz działalność (włączając w to organizację warsztatów, kongresów, działalność wydawniczą i koordynowane projekty). Podkreślono także zasługi FIAF w zakresie zabezpieczania dziedzictwa filmowego oraz współpracy między archiwami. W artykule wykorzystano źródła drukowane umieszczone na stronie Federacji (takie jak sprawozdania z posiedzeń, raporty), informacje ze strony internetowej organizacji oraz literaturę dotyczącą historii filmu.

“Not a single tape can be destroyed.” Eighty years of operation of the International Federation of Film Archives

In 1938, upon the initiative of Henry Langois and Georges Franju from Cinémathèque Française, Frank Hensel from Reichsfilmarchiv, John Abbott from the Museum of Modern Art Film Library, and Olwen Vaughan from the London National Film Library, Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film (International Federation of Film Archives) was established. The objective of the article is to present the operation of FIAF, which celebrated its 80th birthday last year. The text presents the early days of the Federation, its goals, structure and activity — including its workshops, congresses, publications, and projects. The achievements of FIAF in terms of protecting the film heritage and fostering cooperation between various archival offices are also discussed. The following sources have been used for the purposes of this paper: printed sources posted on the Federations’ website (such as minutes from meetings and reports), information from the organization’s website, and literature on the history of film.

Keywords: International Federation of Film Archives, film heritage, history of film, audio-visual materials, film archives, Henri Langois, film, cinematography

In 1938, upon the initiative of Henry Langois and Georges Franju from Cinémathèque Française, Frank Hensel from Reichsfilmarchiv, John Abbott from the Museum of Modern Art Film Library, and Olwen Vaughan from the London National Film Library, Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film (International Federation of Film Archives) was established. The objective of the article is to present the operation of FIAF, which celebrated its 80th birthday last year. The text presents the early days of the Federation, its goals, structure and activity — including its workshops, congresses, publications, and projects. The achievements of FIAF in terms of protecting the film heritage and fostering cooperation between various archival offices are also discussed. The following sources have been used for the purposes of this paper: printed sources posted on the Federations’ website (such as minutes from meetings and reports), information from the organization’s website, and literature on the history of film.