AMIA’s Annual Conference brings together media professionals from around the world to address the best ways to preserve and provide access to our media heritage.

More than 650 professionals representing the world’s major media institutions gather each year for AMIA’s annual conference.  Attendees represent all areas of the community-corporate and national archives, media companies, libraries, historical societies, service providers, universities, and more.  Workshops, screenings, and more than 60 sessions programmed by working archivists to address the best ways to preserve and provide access to our media.

2020 Conference:  Online, November 17-20

While everyone’s first choice would be to meet in person, the pandemic makes a virtual event the safest way to be together this year. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, starting in November this year, we do believe this is an opportunity to reimagine the conference as an online event that allows broader participation and new voices, is more affordable to attend, and can help us model ways of keeping what we learn as part of our next in-person experience.

The conference will be restructured a bit to make sure that content is delivered in digestible segments, with a real focus on offering opportunities to participate virtually in conversations with colleagues. Networking and personal interaction is a cornerstone of the conference and we want to provide as many opportunities as we can for attendees to connect over the emerging and salient topics in our field.

This is a test

As we’ve all attended more virtual events this year, one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that our in-person schedule doesn’t always translate well into a virtual event. It’s not uncommon at AMIA to start at 8am and leave our last event after 10pm – it’s a hard schedule to follow in front of a screen! It’s impossible when you factor in different time zones, work locations, and balancing new demands on your time.

Even more than the difficulty in scheduling, though, is wanting to connect more with colleagues we won’t be able to see this year! With everyone in differing (and often changing) stages of returning to the workplace, and new challenges coming at us every day, the ability to learn from and communicate with each other is paramount.

So, we are very happy to announce that in addition to the conference coming November 17-20, AMIA will have another virtual event in April, 2021 leading up (we hope!) to an in-person conference in November, 2021.  The April conference will be similar to the November conference with sessions, workshops, and screenings and the CFP will go out the first week in December.

More details about these events will follow shortly.

ARSC's 55th Annual Conference will be virtual!

ARSC is pleased to announce that it will host a virtual conference, May 13-15, 2021.
The virtual conference will include live presentations in an online conference platform, and recorded presentations made available for on-demand viewing in the Aviary online platform.

The call for virtual presentations is now open until January 4, 2021.

Please stay tuned for additional information.

We look forward to seeing you online in 2021!

On June 22 FIAT/IFTA will host a #webinar centred around “Acceptance Criteria in the Context of Massive Migration Processes”.

Our speakers, Miroslav Čuljat (Archives Programme Manager at RTE), Charlie Fairall (Videotape Engineering Advisor at the British Film Institute (BFI)) and Bruno Burtre (Business Development Consultant at NOA Archive), will be tackling the subject, providing answers to questions like:

“Knowing that it is impossible to closely examine every single second of every single item, when the archive content is in its digital form, how do we know that it is a true representation of the analogue originals?” and “Which are the possible approaches to defining quality for massive migration processes for audiovisual archives?”

Don’t forget to register if you are interested in participating!

The FOCAL International Awards, now in their 18th year, winners will be announced in a virtual programme streamed across FOCAL’s Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube channels hosted by Jo Caulfield, a stand-up comedian, presenter, and comedy writer who has worked with the biggest names and shows in British comedy.

All shortlisted nominees across 14 categories (Production, Restoration & Preservation, Janes Mercer Researcher of the Year) have been announced and available on FOCAL’s website https://focalint.org/awards/the-focal-international-awards-2021

These awards are the leading and most complete set of awards for the archive footage industry, we hope you can join us on the 24 June to honour all the nominees and celebrate with the winners.

For further details or to contact FOCAL – awards@focalint.org
www.focalint.org

Broadcaster archives are often rich and deep, with multi-genre collections containing a mix of in-house produced and third party content, and inevitable rights complexities and associated risk considerations.

This workshop will look at the opportunities and challenges facing broadcasters worldwide in providing archive access to a range of stakeholders with different interests – be that creative and commercial re-use by programme makers, filmmakers and journalists, or non-commercial access for the individual: students, academics and the public.

The session will focus on rights and regulations and will ask if, by necessity of their regulatory and copyright landscapes, Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) and private broadcasters take differing approaches to rights and risk when they are providing archive services to the production community and beyond.

This workshop will be of interest to archivists, library managers, rights management experts and copyright lawyers in the FIAT/IFTA community, with an opportunity to hear from others and share experiences in the complex area of rights and risk management.

NOTE: This workshop will be limited to 40 participants, this is due to the format of the workshop.

Note: This workshop will be in Spanish.

During the first Workshop: Collaborate, Connect, Transform: challenges and opportunities for Latin American Archives at risk held at the IASA-FIAT/IFTA Joint Conference in 2020, showed the passion and commitment of Latin American archivists for the preservation of their audiovisual heritage, as well as the need to establish solid professional networks to build, from the diversity of each country, common solutions for Latin America.

One year after this initiative, FIAT/IFTA renews its commitment to Latin American professionals and organizes a new Spanish workshop in which the exchange of ideas and experiences is the true protagonist.

The second Workshop: Collaborate, Connect, Transform: challenges and opportunities for Latin American Archives at risk will be held on September 15 and will revolve around two main themes: the digitization and preservation of archives and cataloging models in the context of the television production.

We will have case studies from the archives of Telefé Noticias (Argentina) and the Televisión Nacional de Chile. The open dialogue around these topics will continue in the workshops on preservation and cataloging schemes that will have the participation of experts from Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia and Spain. The dialogue will be extended to the participants who want to share the experiences of their archive.

Given the ongoing uncertainties for international travel, IASA’s conference will again be held online, from 27th to 30th September 2021.  And this year we introduce a new innovation: a series of daily sessions corresponding to different time zones that match our global presence. This ensures that everyone can participate, whatever the time in their home nation. Be part of our international community of sound and audiovisual archivists!

Call for presentations is open! https://2021.iasa-web.org/call-presentations

IASA wants our current inability to meet physically to be an opportunity to broaden our links with sound and audiovisual archives around the world. The IASA 2021 virtual conference comes at a historic moment as our lives have changed and, consequently, the way our archives work. The preservation of our sound and audiovisual memories has been the aim of IASA for more than half a century. Therefore, this conference is the space in which ideas, projects, and memory for the future are presented and exchanged.

Our virtual conference will be programmed according to three different time zones: the Americas, Europe/Africa, and Australasia. This allows anyone in the world to participate at suitable times, while creating a virtual bridge between nations across all continents. 

The conference programmes in each zone will be coordinated by the following institutions:

Radio y Televisión Nacional de Colombia (for America)
Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (for Europe and Africa)
Universiti Putra Malaysia (for Asia and Australasia) 

We want a strong dialogue that analyses the current situation and discusses the new generation of sound and audiovisual archives. We want to listen to voices from all over the world and try to close the gaps that separate us. Therefore, your participation is necessary to make the IASA 2021 Conference a unique space for reflection.

We intend to provide a virtual platform that gives presenters a choice of either live-streamed videos or pre-recorded videos. Live and pre-recorded presentations will be made available online according to the published schedule.

IASA welcome proposals for conference presentations on the following topics:

A.   From cataloguing to interoperable metadata

B.   AI applications for discovery and access

C.   Copyright and ethics 

D.   Digital preservation and conservation

E.   Research, dissemination, and publication

F.    Digital content management

G.   The current situation and problems in preserving our audio-visual memory

H.   New profiles in audiovisual archives and training 

Please submit your proposal by completing the form here: https://2021.iasa-web.org/call-presentations

After analyzing the global evolution of the covid-19 pandemic, FIAT/IFTA has decided to hold the 2021 World Conference in a virtual environment, but…don’t worry we will have a chance to meet in Cape Town in 2022! 

We are fully aware that a digital conference does not create the same experience as a live meeting, but it also significantly lowers the threshold for greater participation. With that in mind we do hope many of you will join us during the event. Save the new dates now and we look forward to seeing you on 19 to 21 October 2021.

The title of this year’s FIAT/IFTA conference is “Advancing the digital dividend”. The past year has shown that we need to be agile, able to rapidly adapt to change. We must continue to ensure our remit in acquisition, preservation, access and use is to the fore so that the archives can deliver on the promise of the social, cultural and economic leverage that they comprise. In other words, we must ensure that the digital dividend, the return to society of our efforts, becomes as large, as visible and as viable as possible. This is why the 2021 FIAT/IFTA World Conference programme features the following chapters:

• Digital preservation: an era of new challenges
• New actors, new models, new processes in MAM and metadata creation
• Relevance, engagement and distinctiveness: the archive as a public actor
• Archival value: between return on society and return on investment
• Local issues, global perspectives

Registration is now open!

DAS offers in-depth, real world information about managing and preserving your meda content though a unique case-study approach.

We are pleased to announce that the next FIAF Congress, organized by the National Film Institute Hungary – Film Archive, is scheduled to take place in Budapest, Hungary, from 26-30 April 2022. The title of the symposium is "The Visible Archive: Archiving, processing, digitizing,restoring and sharing non-feature film collections".

Registrations are open until 10 April 2022.

ARSC's 56th Annual Conference and Pre-Conference Workshop will be hosted virtually, 17-21 May 2022!

The virtual conference will include live presentations in an online conference platform and recorded presentations made available for on-demand viewing in ARSC's Aviary Site.

The Program Committee has selected Detroit, Michigan as our virtual host city and welcomes proposals for presentations, panels, and posters on any aspect of sound recording, especially those relating to Detroit and the Midwest region of the United States.

Since the online platform also offers opportunities for global participation, we invite sound recording scholars, collectors, preservationists, and creators to engage in a broad range of topics that cross geographic, cultural, and collection boundaries.

Preliminary Conference Program [pdf]

Conference website: https://www.arsc-audio.org/conference.html

Implementation of automation tools based on machine learning and artificial intelligence, what future does AI hold for audiovisual librarians, what role can they play and how to manage such a big change? In 2015, to deal with the challenges raised by the massification of digital data, INA has embarked on a vast project to completely overhaul its information systems.

Embracing a data centric strategy, this overhaul meets the necessary conditions for the implementation of automation tools based on machine learning and artificial intelligence to segment and describe audiovisual content. After identifying a few use cases, the works to automate segmentation and indexing media process was launch in 2019. These technical and material issues come with human and professional challenges, asking for specific business user’s skills and knowledges.

This presentation aims to give a few answers, at least advices and feedbacks, to a simple question: what future does AI hold for audiovisual librarians, what role can they play and how to manage such a big change?

Regional Languages with Machine Learning: Achievements and Challenges (small languages and dialects). Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha (RTR, SRG SSR) has launched a project for the written reproduction of spoken Romansh: The Romansh media company Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha (RTR, SRG SSR) has launched a project for the written reproduction of spoken Romansh. In order to be able to teach Romansh to the computer at all, RTR first had to acquire data to feed the system to learn Romansh. Bernard Bearth, Head of Data and Archives at RTR, explains the value of the existing archives for this project and the importance of speech to text and automatic translation for RTR archives in the future.

Regional Languages with Machine Learning: Achievements and Challenges University of Edinburgh : Gaelic Speech Recognition: Challenges Faced, Lessons Learnt and Future Plans: In this seminar, Dr Will Lamb (University of Edinburgh) will discuss work towards an accurate, general purpose Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system for Scottish Gaelic. In 2021, a team of researchers at Edinburgh developed the first working example of such as system, with assistance from MG Alba and several other non-academic partners. By the end of the project, the system achieved an accuracy level of approximately 73%. While this is a far cry from state-of-the-art English systems, used in applications such as Siri and Alexa, it is a promising beginning and confirms the methodology adopted. Modern ASR systems are machine-learning based, and trained upon tens of thousands, if not millions, of hours of audio and corresponding text. The principal challenge facing minority languages, such as Gaelic, is acquiring suitable training data. In this seminar, Dr Lamb will outline plans to augment the current 103 hours of data fiftyfold (i.e. to 5000 hours). This increase would translate to a much more accurate and robust system. The goal is to develop a subtitling system appropriate for broadcasting purposes in the next 3 to 4 years.

Metadata wrangling at VRT wtih Tinkerlist: Managing metadata during TV production can be a very tedious and repetitive task — from manually uploading clips and adding numerous details (like names of the producers, creation dates, file types, etc.) to archiving them and hoping that one day you’ll be able to easily search and retrieve those clips.

Luckily, this no longer has to be the case. With TinkerList, production teams at broadcasting companies like VRT can automatically save and store metadata by simply uploading clips when they create scripts and rundowns, and entering the required details just once. The rest is archived and ready to retrieve in TinkerList’s database.

How exactly does it work and what else can TinkerList turn from ‘annoying’ to ‘automated’? Find out on the 26th of May during our talk with Erik Hauters and Aaron Nuytemans from TinkerList!

Cloud-based media supply chains: integration and evolution: The cloud has continued to rapidly evolve to support media workflows, including the distribution and monetization of content archives. This presentation will cover some recent updates to major cloud-based services relevant for media workflows since the last MMC Seminar in 2019, as well as some high-level strategy for turning archival focused media workflows into active media supply chains to support content reuse.

The Archvisit: The Impact of of AI /Machine Learning and the Pandemic on their Role: A wrap up and discussion focusing on if we can see a change of the archivist role in the context of AI /Machine Learning and the Pandemic. The discussion starts with an introduced from the perspectives that MMC has predicted and presented at the MMC Seminar in Stockholm 2019.

The FOCAL International Awards, which are heading into their 19th year, celebrates the achievements in the use of footage across a variety of genres and media platforms. The Awards also recognise the exceptional work of the archive researchers, archive producers and the accomplishments in the restoration work of film and television. 

Submissions for the FOCAL Awards 2022 Production, Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year and Restoration & Preservation Categories are now openis now open.

Enter now: entry.focalintawards.org

With the pandemic causing the FOCAL Awards to be hosted and streamed virtually over the last two years, we are delighted to announce that the FOCAL International Awards 2022 will be a live event in London, further details will be available shortly. 

It has been a fervent hope of everyone that we would be able to meet in person in 2022. However, with the continued development of the pandemic situation, bringing with it evolving travel restrictions and differing quarantine protocols, the SEAPAVAA concluded that it is prudent and realistic for SEAPAVAA’s 26th Conference to be held virtually from 19 – 21 July 2022.

The 2022 SEAPAVAA Conference was scheduled to be held in the Pacific. As such, the virtual conference will have a special focus on issues and challenges faced by Pacific members. Specific details relating to the virtual conference will be shared in early 2022.
SEAPAVAA’s 26th General Assembly (GA) will be held electronically from 2 – 31 May 2022. The details will be available on the website in due course.

We also invite you to check out SEAPAVAA’s YouTube Channel where you can access recordings of the virtual 25th Conference sessions. Recordings of future conferences will be uploaded on the SEAPAVAA YouTube Channel for greater accessibility.
We hope to see SEAPAVAA members and colleagues at next year’s virtual Conference and look forward to your participation in the e-GA.

The Executive Board is happy to announce the 2022 conference will be held at the National Phonotheque of Mexico and the Institute for Research in Librarianship and Information (IIBI) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM),  26-29 September. 

In line with the theme for 2022, attendees will be able to participate in significant portions of the conference remotely to provide access to those who are not able to attend in person. We are hopeful that the pandemic will subside sufficiently to allow a safe in-person conference, though changes to the conference format might be unavoidable if the epidemiological situation does not improve. More details to come as we gather them.

The title of this year’s FIAT/IFTA conference is “Archive out of the box!”. We welcome proposals based on user experiences, new initiatives or perspectives, striking conclusions, successes but also failures. The main objective is for audiovisual archive professionals to share among each other to understand the lessons learned and new challenges or solutions arising from entering into new partnerships, launching new ideas, wherever your archive is on the timeline. Suggestions for subjects not mentioned are equally welcome but should be contextualised thoroughly.

This is why the 2022 FIAT/IFTA World Conference programme features the following chapters:

The archive: an active member of society
Catering to the basics
Influencers of technological innovation
What makes you special

This workshop will include a discussion on mental health and the challenges faced by the archive industry when working with graphic and disturbing content. With the advance of True Crime series, this panel will introduce resources for a better protection and support of production crews and freelancers.

Tickets are available to book at: https://focalint.org/news-and-events/events/focals-online-workshop-working-with-sensitive-content

This year the Jane Mercer Memorial Lecture will be celebrating the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and we are proud to announce that Stanley Nelson will be giving the lecture alongside Rosemary Rotondi. Stanley Nelson is the director of the Award-Winning documentary 'Attica', in which Rosemary Rotondi also worked on as the Archive Producer. 

During this lecture, Stanley Nelson and Rosemary Rotondi will speak abut their experience when working on documentaries and David Seevers will moderate a Q&A session.

Tickets are available to book through at: https://focalint.org/news-and-events/events/the-jane-mercer-memorial-lecture-in-conversation-with-stanley-nelson

We’re getting the band back together!

AMIA 2022 will be an in-person conference December 7-9, in Pittsburgh, PA!

The conference will start on Wednesday morning, ending on Friday evening (instead of Wednesday evening to Saturday afternoon) our plan is to make a portion of the conference available via livestream.

The room rate at the Omni William Penn will be $159 per night and the reservation system will be available soon. We ask that you stay at the Hotel during the conference if you possibly can. AMIA’s contract with the hotel requires that our room block be used or we are responsible for paying that amount of money to the hotel.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, AMIA is both cautiously optimistic and prepared to manage the conference with the health, safety, and well-being of our attendees, staff, presenters, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers in mind.

We will continue to assess the risks in the area local to the conference and the current status in the United States.  The AMIA webpage, social media, and email communications will be employed to provide updates as the conference date draws near.

Tickets to attend FOCAL Members' Day and the annual Christmas Winter Party are now available to purchase.

With expert panel sessions, plenty of networking opportunities and exciting raffle prizes, this is not a day to miss!

Further details: https://focalint.org/news-and-events/events/focal-members-day-and-winter-party

The next FIAF Congress will be hosted by the Filmoteca UNAM and will take place at Casa del Lago in Mexico City from 16-21 April 2023. The title of the symposium, which will take place on 17-18 April 2022, is "Women, Cinema, and Film Archives". The Call for papers of the Symposium is open until 15 December 2022.

We are excited to announce FOCAL’s Regional Event to be held at BBC Studios in Salford. This event will bring together professionals in the archive industry for an afternoon of engaging panel sessions and networking opportunities. We have an exciting lineup of speakers who will be sharing their insights and expertise on the latest developments and trends in the field.

We are thrilled to be hosting this event up north where we are able to provide a platform for the archive, production and footage archive community to come together and learn from one another. The event will be held at BBC Salford providing a fitting backdrop for this important gathering of archive professionals.

Attendees will have the chance to participate in two interactive panel sessions. 

The first session, 'Northern Powerhouse: Opportunities in the North,' will explore why companies are moving to the north of England and what opportunities are available in the region. 

The second workshop, 'Digitisation Technologies,' will delve into the latest technological advancements in digitisation and how they can be applied in the archive industry.
In addition to the talks and workshops, the event will showcase a Footage Archive Gallery, providing attendees with the chance to view and experience some of the best archive footage. The gallery will be open for viewing before the networking reception, which will give attendees the opportunity to connect with their peers and build relationships in the archive community.

We look forward to welcoming you to the BBC Salford.

-- La guía --
La Preservation and Migration Commission (PMC) de FIAT/IFTA se enourgullece de anunciar que la "Outsourced Migration Guide" ya está disponible en Español bajo el título "Guía de redacción de licitaciones para la externalización de procesos de migración de contenidos audiovisuales".

La PMC propone la "Outsourced Migration Guide" como una ayuda para cualquier organización que planee la externalización de un proceso de migración masivo. Pero, también es útil para la planificación y ejecución de estos procesos dentro de la propia organización.

-- El evento --
En este webinario miembros de la PMC y expertos del sector audiovisual presentarán la guía y debatirán sobre su aplicación en América Latina.

El evento estará dividido en tres partes:

9:30-9:40 | Bienvenida oficial de Brecht Declerq, Presidente de FIAT/IFTA.
9:40-10:00 | Presentación de la guía
10:00-11:00 | Mesa redonda sobre la apliación de la guía a América Latina.

*Horas designadas usando (GMT-6).

In 2022, INA (French National Audiovisual Institute) and FIAT/IFTA (International Federation of Television Archives) launched an international survey to assess the audiovisual archives sector’s environmental impact.
 
Join us on Tuesday, 9th May, at 3 PM CEST, as we host a free webinar to explore the survey’s stakes and goals further and share reflections, ideas and solutions with the audience.
 
This survey is part of the FRAME training programme dedicated to audiovisual archives, organised yearly by INA with the support of FIAT/IFTA, EBU Academy and the EU Commission.

A study will be published based on collected answers, and results will be shared and discussed during the nextFIAT/IFTA World Conference in October 2023.

For more information on the survey: https://www.ina. fr/actualites-ina/ina- fiatifta-2022

RTÉ, together with the FIAT/IFTA Media Management Commission, invite you to the 11th edition of FIAT/IFTA’s “Changing Sceneries, Changing Roles” Seminars, focusing on media management, metadata, rights, new emerging technologies and changing skillsets. This edition’s theme is "Digital Transformation, Sustainability and Media Archives: Challenges and Opportunities".

Learn from international leaders within the media management community about new challenges, innovative workflows and practical solutions facing the digital archiving and broadcasting community.  This is a unique learning and development opportunity for professional audiovisual archivists provided through a variety of case studies, deep dives and panel discussions on the most relevant topics impacting the industry today with a focus on sustainability within the Archives.

 Registration is now open!

The FOCAL International Awards is an event that has been created to celebrate the exceptional use of archival footage and its significant contributions to the creative and cultural industries. From inspiring documentaries to heartwarming commercials, the use of archival footage has the power to evoke emotions, bring stories to life, and connect with audiences in an instant. The competition aims to recognize and reward the very best use of archival footage in the industry and showcase the impact it has on our world.

The competition is not just limited to the creative industries. It also acknowledges and celebrates the best practices in archive restoration and preservation. The archival industry is filled with professionals who are passionate about preserving and protecting our cultural heritage and it is essential to recognize their hard work and dedication. The awards ceremony is an opportunity to bring together the best and brightest minds in the industry and pay tribute to their achievements.

The 2023 edition of the FOCAL International Awards will be hosted in the historic Grand Connaught Rooms in London, a fitting location for an event that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the world. The event is expected to attract a large number of industry professionals and will be a great opportunity for networking and recognition.

Further information about the FOCAL International Awards 2023 competition will be released in March, but it is already shaping up to be a must-attend event. It will celebrate the power of archival footage and its impact on our world, and a tribute to the people who make it all possible.

Preservation & Migration Seminar 2023 on June 21st at 15:00 CEST, online, free access.

The Preservation Life Cycle

Preserving audiovisual content is not a linear way with a starting point and an end; it’s a cycle requiring continuous care and long-term planning. Migration to digital is a significant step; however, digital collections are not without danger. Preservation has to be both permanent and sustainable. How can this work?

A preservation “system” for providing all the necessary and desirable functions needs resources deployed (e.g. storage), maintained and monitored, and requires oversight to manage appropriate interventions.

This seminar will provide insight into the questions of digital obsolescence, assets protection, permanent preservation and its costs, and decisions on the fate of physical materials after they migrate to digital—also an opportunity to share and gather thoughts from panellists and participants.

We would like to extend a warm invitation to you for an unforgettable summer party at the Terrace Pavilion, situated at the iconic House of Commons. FOCAL is hosting this event, providing an ideal opportunity to enjoy a memorable evening with friends, colleagues, clients, and new connections.

Upon arrival at the Terrace Pavilion, you will be welcomed with refreshing drinks and canapés. The venue boasts unparalleled views of the River Thames and the historic House of Parliament, making it a stunning location for networking with like-minded individuals in a beautiful setting.

Your ticket price includes: 

- 2 drinks per person (3 for FOCAL Members)
- Canapés

This is an amazing chance to unwind, enjoy good company, and create lasting memories in one of London's most iconic locations.

Don't miss out on this extraordinary event.

Date: Thursday 13th July, 18:30 onwards

Location: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

Price: £50 (FOCAL Members get an additional drink included in their ticket)

Purchase your tickets 

The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) and International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) invite you to participate in a joint event to be held from 11-15 September, 2023 at the Istanbul University in Istanbul, Türkiye.

This joint event comprises the 54th IASA Annual Conference and the 4th ICTM Forum in which, for the first time, ICTM and IASA join forces in a shared scholarly gathering. It promises to be a wonderful opportunity for collaboration between the organisations and their many shared interests.

The event will be hybrid, combining in-person and online components. Istanbul University will be the main venue and we will also offer online access to significant portions of the event for those who are not able to attend in person. The IASA Conference will take place during the first four days. The ICTM - IASA Forum will be featured on the last, fifth day of the event, with the aim of bringing together both IASA and ICTM members/representatives.

Call for papers: https://2023.iasa-web.org/call-for-presentations

The FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2023 will take place in Locarno, Switzerland, from the 18th of October to the 20th of October, with a pre-conference day on the 17th of October with workshops and commission meetings.

Don't forget to save the date and join us this year for the first FIAT/IFTA World Conference in Europe since 2019!

AMIA’s Annual Conference brings together media professionals from around the world to address the best ways to preserve and provide access to our media heritage.

Media Studies Seminar 2023 on December 8th in London, United Kingdom – BFI Southbank.

Rethinking Broadcast Archives: Dig, Deconstruct, Display

The FIAT/IFTA Media Studies Commission invites you to join the international seminar ‘Rethinking Broadcast Archives: Dig, Deconstruct, Display’ hosted at the BFI Southbank in London on December 8th.

The seminar brings together researchers and media professionals in a dialogue about present-day archival opportunities and challenges and how these inform new understandings of the archives and new ways of engaging with the past.

The programme features individual papers presenting research done at broadcast archives and beyond, screenings showcasing research-based investigations of broadcast archives, and round-table discussions on collaboration and access.

Please join us in a dialogue about research and broadcast archives at the BFI Southbank on December 8th.

The 2024 Congress will be hosted by the Thai Film Archive and will take place in Bangkok from 21 to 26 April 2024. The provisional theme of the symposium is "Film Archiving in the Global South".

The Association for Recorded Sound Collections welcomes all who are interested in any aspect of sound recording to attend or present at the conference. The program will include individual presentations, posters, and panel discussions with sound recording scholars, collectors, preservationists, and creators engaged in a broad range of topics that cross geographic, cultural, and collection boundaries. There will also be a silent auction and social events (screenings, Ask the Technical Committee, a Collector's Roundtable) offered each evening.

The Call for Presentations is accessible here.

AI is a vast and growing topic – where are we now in relation to copyright regulations, current usage within the audiovisual industry and what impact it is and/or will potentially have on our industry. 

Many companies are using AI technology to enhance productivity, enable content to be sourced faster and improve overall experience; they feel this should be seen as a helping tool rather than hindrance – what are the good and bad points to be aware of? How can we deal with or identify AI created content or deep fakes? Will we see an increase in AI created footage within productions?

This workshop is an opportunity to hear from the professionals but also a chance to ask your questions.

The FOCAL International Awards now in it's 21st year, celebrate the very best use of archival footage across the creative and cultural industries. From cinematic features to the use of footage in advertising or branded content; there is no doubting the immediacy and power that footage can bring, which this unique award competition recognises.

We also acknowledge the best examples of archive restoration and preservation practice as well as the people and companies that make up the industry and without whose hard work and vision none of this would be possible.

Winners will be announced at the Awards Gala Night on the 20th June 2024 hosted by comedian Lucy Porter.

Preservation & Migration Seminar 2024 on June 20 at 17:00 CEST and June 21 at 09:30 CEST, online, free access.

Preserving authenticity of media archives content

The topic is certainly not new but because of its truly diverse aspects and given the recent changes in media processing capabilities, we believe it deserves a platform for a fresh discussion.

This year the seminar is going to be offered in two distinct live editions, to give the opportunity to interact with polls and questions from the various time zones. First on June the 20th at 17 CEST (15 UTC)  and second on June 21st at 9.30 CEST (7.30 UTC).

Join FOCAL International on Thursday, 18 July, for our annual Summer Party at the BFI Southbank's Balcony Bar. This iconic venue is located just below the Waterloo Bridge and across the National Theatre, the Balcony Bar offers views of the Thames and provides a private space in the Southbank to disconnect and enjoy, while soaking up the lively atmosphere the area is known for.

Whether you want to catch up with old friends, network with new contacts, or enjoy the breathtaking views, the FOCAL Summer Party is the place to be. So, don't miss out on this unique opportunity to unwind, socialise, and have fun in an iconic London venue. We are excited to see you there.

Ticket prices from £45 include:
* 2h unlimited drinks (wine, beer & soft drinks).
* Large bites & doughnuts.

Time:
18:30 - 23:00

FOCAL Webinar: Foot(age) in the Door - 11th September 2024

Are you looking to start or grow your career in the audiovisual industry?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet and ask your questions to FOCAL Training Committee members. The panel will discuss the roles within the industry, what skills you need, what recruiters are looking for, training options and how you can successfully thrive and navigate the maze of building your career.

Join us for this webinar where you can hear stories and insights to help you prepare for a career in the footage archive world.

The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archivists (IASA) and host, L’Institut Valencià de Cultura (IVC) in Valencia, Spain, are pleased to invite your submissions for the 55th annual IASA conference.

IASA is a professional association concerned with the care, access and long-term preservation of the world’s sound and moving image heritage. Through its active worldwide membership and training initiatives, IASA supports and advocates the development of professional standards and practice amongst organisations and individuals who share these purposes.

The theme of the conference is "Interweaving Disciplines: Connecting Collections and Communities Through Sound & Audiovisual Archives".

Our goal is to spotlight instances of cross-disciplinary interactions and collaborations. Proposals for submissions should ideally nurture a culture of creativity, scientific innovation, and partnership, especially during times of crisis.

Following the success of the 2023 FOCAL regional event at BBC Studios in Salford, FOCAL will host a further event this October to bring the footage archive community and production together for an afternoon of engaging panel discussions and networking opportunities. The event will be held at Origin Workspace, Bristol, a fitting venue for this important gathering of archive professionals.

Attendees will have the chance to participate in three interactive panel sessions.

Welcome to the upcoming conference, ‘Don’t Believe Me, Just Watch!’, set to take place in Bucharest this October 2024. As we anticipate the approach of this engaging event, we delve into a multitude of questions encompassing the ever-evolving landscape of media preservation, acquisition, and archiving. Are we truly prepared for the challenges that lie ahead, or are we merely spectators in a rapidly changing arena? How do we navigate the intersection of ethics, technology, and skill sets in this digital age?

Our conference will bring together media managers, archivists, researchers, developers, strategists, as well as service and technology providers, fostering a collaborative environment for the exchange of well-informed opinions. Through presentations, keynotes, workshops, and discussion sessions, participants will confront pressing issues facing the archive industry today.

Located in the vibrant city of Bucharest, our discussions will span diverse topics, such as the challenges and opportunities in media preservation, the ethical considerations surrounding technological transformations, and the strategic choices for archive management teams. Migration, collaboration, AI integration, ecological responsibility, and access to archives are just a few of the subjects that will be explored in depth.

Join us as we delve into the intricacies of media archives, embracing the challenges, uncertainties, and opportunities that await. Your participation and insights are highly valued as we work together to uncover the stories influencing our media views and strategic decisions for the future.