Film Archive- A peep into our culture..!

Archives is the bridge between multiple cultures, timezones and different

generations. It links an individual to its roots. It takes one to the history. 

Often the name, ‘ archive' denotes old, dilapidated and something dusty. Its an apparent perception of an Archive for a novice. 

It was somewhat similar impression one would have about the National Film Archive of India. Its an archive dealt with the film industry. Some blamed it for bad cans, deteriorated acetic films, forgotten tracks and fragile posters. May be but its not true either! 

NFAI has been the depositor of films in the Country. Many films have been stored here for preservation when their owners have found diminishing utility. Often it was the film lab, which took the responsibility of storage or rather it was automatic for them, as they had to make a copy of films whenever it was required for the commercial release. So the film labs had to keep a copy or copies of the film with them. Not for storage or love for the film but for its commercial utility. They found lost utility with the advent of digital era and started getting rid of old films. 

It was the culture somehow preserved with NFAI. Otherwise neglected culture of preservation, an apathy towards its storage led to loss of numerous films of the Country. Who cared..! It could hardly matter to them, as it was a single celluloid print in thousands of prints. But it mattered the Nation. Nation could have lost its part of culture if NFAI was not there..!

They say, Alam Ara, first Indian talkie is lost, not traceable. Though its a single film for many, its a huge loss for the Nation. NFAI has come into existence in 1964, seventeen years post Independence. The film Industry is older than then Montegue- Chemsford reforms. Somehow neither those associated with the industry, nor from the Government then, could realise its importance. They must not be at fault, as even the Kodak- the manufacturer itself, was not knowing that Film had  a shelf life till 1950’s when Vinegar Syndrome surfaced for the first time. The need for film preservation appeared then. 

Now with many of the films stored and preserved at NFAI, it boasts as Country’s biggest film depositor. It stands tall on this Cultural Heritage. The Government has launched the prestigious and ambitious mission to further extend the life of these films, for posterity, so as to make our kids aware about their past through the lens of films. It is the film which would connect them to their past, culture and the society then. Its the film which would work as a bridge. This bridge would be possible only because of the strong foundations of NFAI, which holds this bridge tight and high!