Asia-Pacific film educators, archivists vow to preserve historical films
MANILA,
March 5 (PNA)-– Film educators and archivists from Asia Pacific vowed on
Thursday to help their governments in preserving historical films.
Ms. Belina Capul of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)
said old films, especially those that show documentary heritage reflects
the diversity of languages, peoples and cultures.
“It is the mirror of the world and its memory. But this
memory is fragile. Every day, irreplaceable parts of this memory
disappear forever,” Capul said.
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) has launched the Memory of the World (MOW)
Programme to guard against collective amnesia calling upon the
preservation of the valuable archive holdings and library collections
all over the world ensuring their wide dissemination.
Capul said the vision of MOW Programme is that the world's
documentary heritage belongs to all, should be fully preserved and
protected for all and, with due recognition of cultural mores and
practicalities, should be permanently accessible to all without
hindrance.
“To facilitate preservation, by the most appropriate
techniques, of the world's documentary heritage,” she said.
This may be done by direct practical assistance, by the
dissemination of advice and information and the encouragement of
training, or by linking sponsors with timely and appropriate projects.
The issue about it was tackled by cultural workers,
communication specialists, film archivists and students from Cambodia,
Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam
gathered in Bayview Park Hotel in Ermita, Manila for the three-day
workshop which ended Wednesday, March 3.
Capul said it was organized by the Southeast Asia-Pacific
Audiovisual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA) and the Philippine Memory of
the World Committee (MOWPHIL) in cooperation with the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), UNESCO National Commission
of the Philippines (UNACOM) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
The extensive workshop was able to equip its participants
with the skills and knowledge needed to plan an advocacy campaign for
the MOW Programme and produce creative messages which can be used for
MoW international campaigns.
The workshop was the first of its kind and was successful in
conveying the significance of documentary heritage and the MoW
programme to the different sectors represented such as the media, the
academe, the curatorial/cultural sector, and the youth.
Participants crafted strategic communication plans and tools
calling for the urgent need to safeguard the world’s fast disappearing
documentary heritage through the Memory of the World Programme of
UNESCO.
The workshop was headed by Capul together with resource
speakers which included communication educators.
Some of those who presented their ideas were Asian Institute
of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) vice president for Research,
Development, and Consultancy Prof. Ramon Tuazon, Prof. Joey Alagaran of
the Department of Communication of Miriam College, advertising
consultant Paul Nureyev “Wowee” De Leon, and Nick Deocampo of the Center
for New Cinema. (PNA)
LOR/JCA
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