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Asia-Pacific film educators, archivists vow to preserve historical films
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Mar 4, 2010 - 4:17:04 PM

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