National Film Archive (NFA)

The mission of the National Film Archive is to preserve cinema heritage, to further its public understanding, and to facilitate the development of the Czech audio-visual industry and film culture.

The NFA is one of the ten oldest and largest film archives in the world. It was set up in 1943 and in 1946 it became a member of the International Federation of Film Archives – FIAF. In 1997 it became a founding member of the Association of European Film Archives and Cinematheques, ACE (Association des Cinémathèques Européenes).

In the Czech Republic, the NFA is one of the major memory institutions; in addition to performing the archival role it manages Czech films and is engaged in scientific and publishing activities, exhibition and promotion of film heritage and support of contemporary Czech cinema. Since 2011, the NFA has been involved in major digitisation projects (Markéta Lazarová, The Firemen’s Ball, All Good Compatriots, Closely Watched Trains).

The NFA also covers the activities of the Film Promotion and Film Commission offices, promoting contemporary films featured at important international festivals and markets, and offers assistance to foreign filmmakers who are considering filming in the Czech Republic. The NFA also coordinates the Creative Europe Desk and the Media Sub-programme.

Currently, the NFA takes care of more than 150 million metres of film, more than 500,000 photos, over 30,000 posters, and 100,000 promotional materials. Archival collections and a film library serve professionals engaged in scientific research and are a source of information and materials for contemporary audio-visual production. In the years 1965-2008 the NFA preserved nearly 24 million metres of film copied from highly flammable stock.

The National Film Archive offers:

• access to Czech (Czechoslovak) film materials and special collections, including technical cooperation, e.g. researching materials relating to people and specific themes,
• voluntary deposits of existing or newly created cinematographic works, free deposits of reproductive and preservation material to permanent archival care,
• access to collections as part of school and educational screenings or other academic and scientific activities,
• professional consultations or expert cooperation on Czech and international projects in the field of preservation, processing, cataloguing, research, theory and history of film and film archiving,
• publishing house,
• film educational programmes,
• representation of Czech cinema in major markets and international festivals,
• timely information about Czech cinema and film industry,
• useful contacts in the international film industry,
• relevant information on the conditions and possibilities of filming in the Czech Republic,
• advice on financial and co-production possibilities,
• disseminating information about funding options offered in the MEDIA financial programme.

In April 2018 the National Film Archive in Prague welcomed the delegates and guests of the 74th Congress of FIAF. This will be the fourth FIAF Congress in our country, which reflects the importance of film archives in Czech culture and society and the dedication of generations of Czech film archivists to FIAF.