The story
History of the organisation
The work of the archive can be officially dated to the establishment of the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library (part of the then Commonwealth National Library, precursor to the National Library of Australia) by a Cabinet decision on 11 December 1935. It was continued post-War by the Library's Film Division.
After being part of the National Library of Australia (NLA) and its predecessors for nearly 50 years, the National Film and Sound Archive was created as a separate Commonwealth collecting institution through an announcement in Parliament on 5 April 1984 that took immediate effect. At that time, an Advisory Committee was established to guide the institution.
In 1999, the name was changed to ScreenSound Australia, and changed again in early 2000 to ScreenSound Australia, National Screen and Sound Archive. It reverted to its original name, National Film and Sound Archive, in December 2004.
In 2000, Screensound joined the PANDORA Archive, the web archiving project started by the NLA in 1996, as a collaborating partner.
Meanwhile, consequent on amendments to the Australian Film Commission Act which took effect on 1 July 2003 under the Howard government, it ceased to be a semi-autonomous entity within the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts and became an integrated branch, later a division, of the Australian Film Commission, a funding and promotional body. The Archive Forum, of which filmmaker Martha Ansara was a founding member and Chris Puplick the chair, lobbied for the establishment of the NFSA as a statutory body from this date.
In 2007, the Liberal government announced the creation of a new agency to be called Screen Australia, which would incorporate the main functions of the Film Finance Corporation, the Australian Film Commission (including the Archive), and Film Australia.
Following elections in November 2007, the new Labor government implemented an election promise to allow the NFSA to become a statutory authority, similar to other major cultural institutions, including the National Library of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia. The National Film and Sound Archive Act 2008 became law on 20 March 2008 and came into effect on 1 July 2008, with celebrations held that day.
Inaugural board
The archive's first board as a statutory authority comprised:
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History of the building
The building to which the Archive moved in 1984 was the home of the Australian Institute of Anatomy from 1931 to 1984. Originally it held the anatomy collection of Sir Colin MacKenzie.
The building is often classified as art deco, though its overall architectural style is technically "Late 20th Century Stripped Classical", the style of ancient Greece and Rome but simplified and modernised. It features a symmetrical façade, a horizontal skyline, classical columns and a central entrance. The decorative foyer features images of native flora, fauna and Aboriginal art and motifs. Face masks of well-known scientists from the late 19th century and early 20th century are featured on the foyer's walls as a reminder of its previous incarnation as the Institute of Anatomy.
The building also features a landscaped courtyard and theatre. In 1999, the building was extended to accommodate the Archive's growth. The new wing's design is in keeping with the Art Deco style of the main structure with details and finishes to match the original look.
In 2024, the NFSA won the Architecture and Building Conservation Award in the ACT Heritage Awards for the renewal of the building.
2023 Budget Funding / Revive
In April 2023, the Australian Government announced an investment of $535 million over four years into eight National Collecting Institutions, including $31 million over the same period for NFSA. The CEO of the NFSA Patrick McIntyre said “The new funds will turbocharge our ability to increase discoverability and access to the national collection for all Australians.”
From Wikipedia’s article on National Film and Sound Archive, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4