1. INTRODUCTION
The Basque Film Archive is a public institution founded in 1978, driven by the need to preserve the audiovisual heritage of the Basque Country.
In 1997, the Basque Government declared it a Public Utility Institution and in 2004 it became a foundation (its patrons are the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Provincial Council of Álava, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia). The Basque Government exclusively finances the Film Archive.
In 2015, the Basque Film Archive moved its headquarters to Tabakalera (Donostia), the International Centre for Contemporary Culture, whose building is equipped with all the technological resources necessary to carry out its work. And since April 2022, it has been a full member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).
The main objective of the Basque Film Archive is the recovery, cataloging, preservation, and dissemination of the entire film and audiovisual heritage of the Basque Country, in both photochemical and videographic and digital formats.
We understand that film and audiovisual heritage includes all commercial and family productions that have been produced in the Basque Country or that have a special link to the Basque territory and culture. Likewise, the Basque Film Archive is responsible for the recovery, preservation, and access to any document related to Basque cinematography.
The entire film and audiovisual heritage, safeguarded by the Basque Film Archive, makes up its collection, which consists of different standard and substandard formats, in videographic format and, recently, in digital format.
The film collection policy of the Basque Film Archive is governed by the following values:
2. RECOVERY
The Basque Film Archive accepts any material whose characteristics are in line with the objectives of the collection. Specifically:
The collection is created thanks to:
2.1 Mandatory delivery of audiovisual projects receiving public funding
The Basque Government acknowledges he Basque Film Archive as the center for the conservation of material subsidized by the Government itself.
The Film Archive´s technical department is responsible for inspecting the material and ensuring that the items delivered are correct and in good condition. If this is not the case, a new delivery will be requested.
The Film Archive will be responsible for the proper preservation of the material delivered, both analog and digital.
The producer or third parties may access the material upon request to the Film Archive.
The material delivered will form part of the Film Archive´s catalog, but under no circumstances will commercial use be made of said content.
2.2 Voluntary deposits and donations
The Basque Film Archive accepts any deposits and donations that enlarge its collection and are of special interest to said collection.
The Basque Film Archive undertakes to preserve photochemical and videographic material in controlled temperature and humidity conditions to ensure its long-term preservation, as well as to apply a digital preservation protocol.
Any material received may be accessed for research purposes only at the Film Archive´s consultation points. Any other use involving the removal of the original material or its digital derivative will require the written authorization of the depositor.
The Basque Film Archive will provide a free HD digital copy of the material delivered, unless it corresponds to material whose rights do not belong to the depositor/donor or the depositors/donors do not require such digitization. In these cases, even if digitization does not take place, the Film Archive will still be responsible for the proper preservation and cataloging of the material delivered.
The delivery times for digitized material are determined by the methodology and workflow of the technical department, as well as the characteristics of the material delivered.
Neither deposits nor voluntary donations will, under any circumstances, give rise to financial compensation.
2.3 Duplication and preservation of non-deposited material
Any digitization work presupposes the preservation of a digital duplicate as part of the Film Library´s collection, even if the original material is not ultimately deposited/donated.
These digital derivatives will be preserved and cataloged, recording, in all cases, the information relating to the ownership and rights of said material.
The same access procedure will apply to deposits, and no digital derivative may leave the Film Library without the written authorization of the owner of the original material.
3. CATALOGING
The cataloging of documents is the initial way to access the material and is mainly carried out by compiling information about the film, as well as its technical characteristics and its conservation and preservation requirements.
Audiovisual material undergoes an inventory process so that it is registered as part of the collection and can be located within the Film Library´s archive. The Eunlogic software (provided by the storage company Eun) is used for this process.
Consequently, and depending on the workflow of the technical department, the material undergoes a cataloging process. The Koha integrated library management system is used in this process, applying the MARC21 protocol.
All incoming material initially goes through the inventory phase. Once the material arrives at the technical department, it undergoes inspection and, eventually, is digitized and moves on to the cataloging phase.
The metadata generated during cataloging is transferred daily to the inventory so that the data for each cataloged item can be constantly updated.
3.1 Inventory
Any material that is part of the Film Library´s collection is reflected in the inventory. The inventory records certain information that appears on the deposit/donation certificate (name of the depositor, date of entry of the material, and a superficial description of the material). Photochemical and videographic material is given an entry number and a location, depending on the type of material and its requirements.
3.2 Cataloging
Material that has passed through the technical department and has been inspected and digitized enters the cataloging process. Currently, the cataloging of audiovisual material, with the exception of material on optical discs, is accessible for internal use only.
The cataloging reflects data relating to the origin of the material, the cinematographic work, as well as the technical data compiled in the review sheet prepared by the technical department. This review sheet, together with the deposit certificate, will be linked to its corresponding record and accessible for internal use by the Film Library. The content notes will document the non-film material deposited with the record or linked to it.
If the material is part of a research process, the Basque Film Archive will be responsible for compiling new documents and adding them to the catalog in the corresponding fields.
4. CONSERVATION
Conservation involves the set of methods, techniques, and activities necessary to maintain the integrity of the collection and consolidate it. It is essential to know the collection in order to guarantee the best storage conditions and begin an action plan to restore and make visible the works that comprise the collection.
The conservation policy is carried out through the following actions:
4.1 Providing a safe and stable environment
The Basque Film Archive conserves the material in its collection according to the needs of each item.
Three archive rooms are dedicated to photochemical material. Single copies of material of special interest and all negatives are stored at a temperature of 6ºC and 50% relative humidity (RH), with constant air renewal. Photochemical material showing advanced vinegar syndrome is kept in a separate chamber under the same temperature and humidity conditions. Duplicate film projection copies—mostly polyester—not linked to the Basque territory are kept at a temperature of 14ºC and a humidity of 40% RH.
Photochemical material that needs to be removed from the archive must be kept in the chamber at 14ºC and 40% RH for 24 hours prior to removal in order to regulate changes in temperature and humidity before the items are exposed to external conditions.
All video material is stored in a chamber at 14ºC and 40% relative humidity, as is digital material in its original format.
Almost all native digital material is transferred to a NAS server located in a separate chamber and to a second NAS server owned by the Basque Government located in another geographical location.
The digital material created by the Film Archive itself is stored on fast-access hard drives and, according to priority, due to the value of the original material and/or its fragility, it is transferred to the NAS server.
All the material stored on the Film Archive´s NAS server is copied annually to the Basque Government´s NAS server, to ensure at least three copies on different media and in different geographical areas.
The Basque Film Archive also has a chamber for the library´s reserve collection, with a temperature of 17ºC and a humidity of 40% RH for the proper preservation of paper.
Each chamber is equipped with a gas-based fire protection system to prevent damage to photochemical materials.
4.2 Managing suitable and adapted storage
The storage facility has been modified to meet the ventilation requirements of the material. The software, linked to the storage system, assigns a QR code to each item, allowing for greater control over the movement of the material.
For all photochemical material subject to technical inspection, the condition of its container is checked and, in the event of visible defects, it is replaced, while retaining the data and documentation from the original container.
4.3 Controlled handling of material
The Basque Film Archive has two technical facilities for the inspection of photochemical and videographic material, maintaining a room temperature below 20ºC. The inspection of the material is adapted to its chemical and mechanical characteristics. There are different manual and electric review tables and three moviolas for viewing 35mm and 16mm material.
Likewise, maintenance is carried out on different videographic reproduction devices, which are subject to obsolescence.
Digital material is reviewed at different points, with the option of choosing between Linux, Windows, or Macintosh systems and different digital reproduction software.
4.4 Study of priorities
The order of priorities when managing and working on the collection varies according to different circumstances, such as external requests to the Film Archive, the workflow, and the availability of playback and reproduction equipment.
Despite this, the Basque Film Archive follows some fundamental principles when managing its work:
Photochemical material that is a single copy and/or in a chemically and mechanically unstable condition will be given priority when planning digitization work. Likewise, original videographic material whose format is in danger of becoming obsolete will be given the same priority.
The Basque Film Archive is responsible for duplicating Basque film titles in digital format. For each title, the type of material and the preservation and projection elements are identified. In the event that no negatives are available and only a positive copy in good condition is available, this will be used for preservation and may not leave the archive. In these situations, the Basque Film Archive will be responsible for producing a digital projection copy to ensure access.
Where possible and depending on the characteristics of the original material, the Basque Film Archive undertakes to duplicate the material in photochemical format, thus creating the preservation elements.
5. DISSEMINATION
The dissemination policy must take into account the need to promote the preserved collection and meet the needs of a diverse audience.
In this area, the Basque Film Archive has the following objectives:
5.1 Access to original documents
In specific cases of research, and provided that the practice does not jeopardize the preservation of the material, access to the original material is offered. This process will be supervised by a Film Archive employee and will take place in one of the technical facilities or, in the case of non-audiovisual documents, in the Basque Film Archive library.
5.2 Access to digitized documents
The Basque Film Archive uses a digital access system for almost its entire collection and has four facilities for digitally viewing part of its collection. Access to digital material is subject to a request, in order to select the material that most closely matches the research topic. All accessible digital material is accompanied by documentation relating to its original item.
5.3 Promotion of the collection
Every three months, the Basque Film Archive engages in the programming and dissemination of Basque cinema. This programming takes place regularly in the three provincial capitals of the Basque Country (San Sebastián, Bilbao, and Vitoria). It also collaborates occasionally with the Le Sélect cinema in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Gólem cinema in Pamplona.
In addition, the Basque Film Archive is responsible for editing and publishing books on Basque cinema. In collaboration with Donostia Kultura, Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE), and the San Sebastián Film Festival (SSIFF), it also publishes works on international cinema.
The Basque Film Archive uses an online channel to showcase and provide access to part of its collection each year, subject to the granting of exhibition rights.
5.4 Collaboration with other institutions
The Basque Film Archive regularly collaborates with the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola on research projects involving its own collection. It also collaborates in the promotion of Basque cinema with other institutions such as the San Sebastián Film Festival, Zineuskadi, the Etxepare Institute, and Donostia Kultura.
January 2, 2023
