The 63rd FIAF Congress Tokyo 2007 Film Archive Communication

A total of 244 participants (156 from foreign countries outside Japan representing 36 nations and 88 institutions, and 88 from Japan) attended the 63rd FIAF Congress Tokyo 2007, organized by F.I.A.F. and the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo-National Film Center, which created an ideal atmosphere for international film archive communication. A variety of issues were addressed at the Congress in its "Symposium", "Second Century Forum" and film exhibitions. At the Symposium, the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive presented a paper on narrow gauge films in Japan centered on 8mm film. During the film exhibitions, the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive introduced "The Princess of Baghdad", Japan's first post-war feature animation which was jointly restored with the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo-National Film Center. The Opening Reception as well as breaktime recesses provided during the presentations also served as important grounds for communication on an international scale.


Tamotsu Aoki, Commissioner Agency of Cultural Affiars	Eva Orbanz President, FIAF

Tetsuo Tsujimori, Director National Museum of Modern Art-Tokyo	Etsuko Takano, Honorary Director National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo National Film Center

At the Opening Reception , congratulatory remarks were presented by Tamotsu Aoki, Commissioner of the Agency of Cultural Affairs of the Japanese government, Eva Orbanz, President of F.I.A.F., Testuo Tsujimori, Director of the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo and Etsuko Takano, Honorary Director of the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo- National Film Center. During his address, Commissioner Aoki made a point in referring to the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive as an "extremely precious and important film archive in Japan".

The Opening Reception attended by film archivists from around the world, turned into an exciting get together where the universal theme of "film preservation" overcame differences in language and culture.

FIAF President Eva Orbanz (left) and Etsuko Takano, Honorary Director of the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo- National Film Center, have a pleasant seated conversation during the opening reception.	Richie Lam, Director of the Hong Kong Film Archive (left), Tomiko Ueki, Chief Executive of the Fukuoka City Public Library (middle) and Yoshiyuki Yahiro, Curator, Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive (right).	Keiji Matsumoto, Film Preservationist at the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive (second from the left) converses with the delegation from the Korean Film Archive including Sungji Oh (on the very left).

Abdullah Ommidvar, President of Fundacion Chilena de las Imagenes en Movimento of Chile (left) has a pleasant conversation over refreshments during the opening reception with Afonso Antonio, Director Geral of the Cinemateca Nacional de Angola under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Angola (right).	Nancy Goldman, Head of the Pacific Film Archive Library and Film Study Center of the University of California, Berkeley in California USA is in between Akira Tochigi, Curator of Film at the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo-National Film Center (left) and Hisashi Okajima, Head of the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo- National Film Center.	Robert Daudelin, formerly the Directeur Generale of the Cinematheque Quebecoise of Quebec, Canada with his lovely wife who visited Japan for the first time. Mr. Daudelin presently serves F.I.A.F. as the editor-in-chief of the "Journal of Film Preservation", a F.I.A.F. publication dedicated to the cause of film preservation.

There was ample opportunity for communication at the Congress, including the 15 minute break time periods which came with coffee, tea and refeshments. These break time periods produced many heated discussions providing participants with an opportunity to meet other participants face to face.

The Vietnamese delegation led by Dr. Hoang Nhu Yen, Director of the Vietnam Film Institute.	Richie Lam in a heated discussion with his fellow delegates from the Hong Kong Film Archive.	Steve Higgins of NY's Museum of Modern Art Department of Film and Media (left) posing with Hisashi Okajima, Head of the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo- National Film Center.	Serge Toubiana, Director General of the Cinematheque Francais (left) talking with Paulo Cherchi Usai, Director of SoundScreen Australia.(right).

Break time over coffee and tea always provided a casual, relaxing atmosphere. Yet even here, there were heated discussions and exchange of opinion on the issue of film preservation, so much so that often these discussions went beyond the 15 minute break time.

The Congress "Symposium" and "2nd Century Forum" were held in the "Grand Hall" where a wide spectrum of papers and lectures were presented. Visual images were projected on to the giant screen of the hall as part of the presentations. Content of the papers and lectures were simulaneously interpreted into English, French, Spanish and Japanese. Q&A and exchange of opinion sessions followed the presentations

Nikolaus Wostry (Filmarchiv Austria, Wien) delivers a lecture on "Early Nitrate Material and Historical Projection".	Discussing issues from left to right: Vladimir Opela, Director and Curator of Nardodni Filmovy Archiv (Czech Republic) and Chrisian Dimitriu, Senior Administrator at F.I.A.F.	Hisashi Okajima, Head of the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo-National Film Center was very active, presenting opening remarks at the Congress as well as posing questions at the Q&A sessions.

Yoshiyuki Yahiro of the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive presenting his paper on "Preservation of Narrow Gauge Films in Japan A Case Study of 8mm Films”.	After the presentation of papers and lectures, special Q&A sessions followed allowing exhanges in opinion between the speakers and the audience.	Microsoft Powerpoint was frequently used to project visual images on to the screen during presentations.

Inside the hall where papers were presented with visual images. Note the simutaneous interpretation booth (white) on the left.	Receptionists in charge of interpretation receivors (which transmitted interpreation in English, French, Spanish and Japanese).