filmarchives online is a web gateway providing easy access to moving image collections from various European
film archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
s. It allows the search throughout a growing number of individual archival databases. Since February 2007, catalogue information on around 25.000 film works – mainly non-fiction material – is searchable in various languages – among them English, German, French, Italian, and Czech. The database is constantly growing. Where available, streaming videos and
screenshot
screenshot (also known as screen capture or screen grab) is a digital image that shows the contents of a computer display. A screenshot is created by the operating system or software running on the device powering the display.
Additionally, s ...
s are provided with the respective film work entry.
As locating moving images often is a complex, time consuming, and costly process, ''filmarchives online'' aims at simplifying the access and distribution of archival films in Europe. The portal addresses user groups ranging from the professional media and film production domain to the area of scientific research. Moving images can be searched by content, filmographic data and physical characteristics. Search results provide available information about existence and location of the materials. In addition to the search function, the website provides contact information to facilitate the access to the moving image items and, if available, links to digital content available for online viewing.
''filmarchives online'' is the result of the MIDAS project (Moving Image Database for Access and Re-use of European Film Collections). MIDAS was initiated in January 2006 as a pilot project in the
MEDIA Programme
The MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe or simply Creative Europe MEDIA (formerly The MEDIA Programme of the European Union) is designed to support the European film and audiovisual industries.
Budget
The goal of programmers is to increase the ...
of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
and ended in January 2009. It was coordinated by the
Deutsches Filminstitut
The Deutsches Filminstitut – DIF ("German Film Institute") is an institute for the study of film, based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
History
The Deutsches Filminstitut was founded on 13 April 1949 as the Deutsches Institut für Filmkunde (DIF ...
together with other institutions dedicated to collecting and preserving the European film heritage. The consortium comprises eighteen institutions – among them the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
, Národní Filmový Archiv (Prague), the
Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique (Brussels) and the
DEFA Foundation
DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence.
Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...
.
External links
filmarchives-online.eu- Web Gateway
MIDAS Project (Moving Image Database for Access and Re-use of European Film Collections)- Project Information
EFG - The European Film Gateway - Project website
Europeana.eu - Web Gateway
German film websites
Film archives in Germany
Online film databases
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