I thought list members might like to be aware of a syurvey currently under 
way abour regional film collections. This work is being prometed through the 
Regional Screen agencies, but appears to be national isn scope. I copy below 
the NW Vision and Media press release which includes the link to the Survey. 

Bruce Jackson
Lancashire Record Office
8 September

4 September 2008

SAVE OUR SCREEN HERITAGE


 
Regional screen agency, Northwest Vision and Media, is appealing to film 
makers, organisations and individual collectors for information on film their 
collections, in a bid to create an England-wide map showing over one hundred 
years of our moving image heritage.

As part of the Strategy for UK Screen Heritage, Vision and Media is working 
with the UK Film Council, the BFI and other screen agencies across England to 
canvass holders of moving image collections of cultural, artistic and historical 
significance. “We want as many Northwest enthusiasts as possible to get 
involved in the Survey of Moving Image Collections,” explains Alice Morrison, 
Chief Executive of Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the 
TV, film, radio, digital and games industries in the Northwest to grow a world-
class media economy within the region.

Tim Cagney, Head of UK Partnerships at the UK Film Council which is funding 
this work, says: “Film brings the nation’s history of culture and society alive 
like no other medium can, and over recent years we’ve seen a real increase in 
the public appetite for archives of film from the last century. We want to find 
out what’s out there so that we can find ways for the public to enjoy greater 
access to these collections, regardless of where they live, and at the same 
time secure the long term preservation of these rare gems.”

The Strategy for UK Screen Heritage will ensure that there is greater access 
to national and regional archive collections, and it will support the 
organisations that create this access. The Survey will kick start this process 
by gathering information about the type of moving image collections that exist 
across England, where and how they are being kept, and how people can 
currently see them. Where possible, new investment will not only secure the 
future of these collections for future generations, but also break down any 
barriers, such as equipment or facilities, that may be preventing the people 
from seeing and  enjoying the collections.

“Many collections of early film have been shown on television and in cinemas 
across the UK in recent years and this has ignited public demand for seeing 
their heritage so clearly revealed on film,” explains Alice Morrison. “People 
always want to see footage of where they live, how their communities have 
changed, where people grew up, where they worked, or went on holiday – a 
moving image of Britain over the past one hundred years. This footage 
mapping initiative will lead to greater understanding of what heritage film is 
out there and make it easier for the public to access it.” 

•	To find out more about the Survey of Moving Image Collections held 
in the Regions visit the website at www.shcsurvey.org.uk.