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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

National film library archives of Serbia to be digitalised

Belgrade, 31 January 2008

Director of the Yugoslav Film Archives Radoslav Zelenovic said today that implementation of the project to digitalise the archives of the national film library will begin on February 15, for which the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) allocated €2 million in equipment and expertise.

Vojislav Brajovic, left, and Radoslav Zelenovic at today's press conference

Author: Fonet

Speaking at a press conference Zelenovic said that the Yugoslav Film Archives have some 100,000 films, as well as photographs and owing to this project they will no longer be just items on an inventory.

He stressed that the donation by the EAR, together with help previously provided by the French government and the Serbian Ministry of Culture for upgrading the institute’s depot in Kosutnjak, as well as the donation by the Japanese government with which editing equipment was bought, will make digitalisation possible.

Serbian Minister of Culture Vojislav Brajovic expressed gratitude to the EAR for recognising the value of Serbian cultural heritage as an integral part of European and global culture, and the need to preserve the archives.

Borislav Stanojevic, who has worked for one year to create the conditions to implement the project, said that digitalisation means that there is no need to fear any more that film material might be lost. Some of the films are 100 years old and digitalisation will also make them more accessible.

Representative of EAR in Serbia Benoit Hambuckers said that this is an important project that will help protect the priceless cultural, artistic and historical treasure that the Yugoslav Film Archives have. The EU recently set aside nearly €17 million to support the media in Serbia, and these funds will also be used for the digitalization project in this institution, he said.

This project is of great importance for Serbia and Europe, as well as for the whole cultural heritage of the planet, he said and added that digitalisation is not just a technological but also a cultural phenomenon that will make it easier to preserve the materials as well as improve their availability and distribution.