Press Release from Screen Australia
On 1 July 2011, legislation takes effect to transfer 100 years of Australian social history from Screen Australia to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA).
The collection of approximately 5,000 titles, including archival footage of Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to Australia, forms part of a significant archive of material produced by the former Film Australia.
The collection is unique in that copyright is held by the Commonwealth and access for documentary makers is free through the zero-fee licensing scheme.
This is an important collection that continues to be made available to future generations through the investment of governments past and present.
The collection will now be known as the NFSA’s Film Australia Collection (FAC) and will continue to be managed by Anna Nolan (Manager FAC Library) and Harry Ree (Manager FAC Program Sales and Distribution). All current copyright arrangements and contracts will remain the same.
Screen Australia’s Chief Executive Ruth Harley said, “I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate this unique and exclusive collection of audiovisual footage. The collection is now moving to its natural home at the NFSA for all Australians.”
“The high level of professional service will continue with Anna Nolan and Harry Ree also transferring across to the NFSA. We wish the team all the best at their new home,” said Dr Harley.
To mark the transfer, Screen Australia has shared three audiovisual excerpts from the collection on YouTube including:
* Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to Australia
* an excerpt from a documentary made in 1951 telling the stories of European refugees and how they made it to Australia, which is topical in light of recent commentary, and
* archival footage of public transport in the 1970s which appeared in the recent ABC mini-series Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo.