The Basque Film Archive was founded in 1978 with the aim of researching, recovering, archiving, conserving, disseminating, and programming films and audiovisual collections that are of interest for the study of cinema in general and Basque cinema in particular. Its mission is also to collect and safeguard documentation and technical material whose conservation is desirable from a cultural or historical point of view.
Its name, location, and scope of action mean that its work focuses on Basque cinema, both documentary and fiction, and historical-cinematographic documents related to the Basque Country.
The recovery of film material made by professionals or amateurs is essential to ensure its preservation, identification, and subsequent accessibility.
The archiving and preservation of the collections is carried out in accordance with the standards set by international organizations specializing in this field. The specific characteristics of the different materials must be taken into account for their preservation.
The Film Library carries out this task through weekly screenings and research publications on Basque cinema, its filmmakers, and cinema in general, the latter in collaboration with Donostia Kultura in the Nosferatu book collection. The provision of services is an important aspect of our activity, as our facilities offer access to audiovisual and bibliographic collections, as well as loans of copies, transfer of images, guided tours, etc.
