Cinemateca Portuguesa

The Cinemateca Portuguesa - Museu do Cinema , or Cinemateca for short , is the national film museum and film institute of Portuguese film based in Lisbon .

The Cinemateca Portuguesa in Lisbon

history

The Cinemateca was founded in 1948 with Law No. 2027, within the state "Secretariado Nacional de Informação" SNI, the "Secretariat for Information" (which was called "Secretariado de Propaganda Nacional" , "Secretariat for Propaganda" until 1945 ). founded. The basis was the film inventory collected for documentation in the Secretariat for Propaganda of the authoritarian Estado Novo regime by António de Oliveira Salazar . Its director, António Ferro , who was interested in film , made an early effort to use the power of the moving image for the regime and therefore advocated the creation of institutions for film funding and the dissemination of cinema.

The Palácio Foz in Lisbon

In 1954 a modern new archive was built. Two years later, the Cinemateca was incorporated into the Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film . The library was opened in 1958 and public events began in the Palácio Foz on Avenida da Liberdade in central Lisbon . In 1971, Law No. 7/71 created the IPC - Instituto Português de Cinema (today Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual ) and incorporated the Cinemateca into it. A large part of the Cinemateca (especially administration) moved to Rua de S. Pedro de Alcântara, the treasure rooms and the event halls remained in the Palácio Foz.

After the Carnation Revolution and the end of the dictatorship in Portugal in 1974, the activities of the Cinemateca intensified with its democratization and broadening of the field of activity.

Film transport box

Law 59/80 changed the name to Cinemateca Portuguesa and restructured it. With the regulation No. 33/80 the financing of the Cinemateca was fixed. The cinematheque remained under the umbrella of the Ministry of Culture, but was given the status of its own legal entity, with an independent administration, independent financing structure and own property. the building on Rua Barata Salgueiro was purchased, where it is still based today. In the summer of the same year, daily film screenings began, accompanied by the publication of an original historical text for the film shown. The IPC and the state television RTP set up a working group with the participation of the Cinemateca to set up a national archive for moving images.

In January 1981 the Cinemateca moved into the new building. On April 23, a reel of film caught fire and the theater burned down.

In 1996 the outsourced and greatly expanded technology and film conservation center ANIM of the Cinemateca opened in a new building complex outside the city. Law 165/97 of June 28, 1997 established the current status and direction of the Cinemateca Portuguesa-Museu do Cinema . Within its Media program, the EU created the project ARCHIMEDIA to qualified education and training through archives and copying works and universities. The Cinemateca has been integrated into ARCHIMEDIA from the start .

Polyester film roll

After extensive renovation and expansion work, the Cinemateca reopened in 2003. The main building now has two cinema halls, larger rooms for the library and photo archive and newly created museum rooms, plus the establishment of restaurants and a museum shop ( Livraria ). In 2007 the Cinemateca Júnior opened in the Palácio Foz for children's and youth films. Three years later, five new security rooms for film archives and backup copies ( acetate and polyester ) were opened.

Directorate

1948–1982: Manuel Félix Ribeiro
1982-1991: Luís de Pina
1991–2009: João Bénard da Costa
since 2010: Maria João Seixas

activities

Old film cans in the Cinemateca

The Ministry of Culture has laid down the tasks of the Cinemateca and controls their fulfillment on the basis of an annual status. The tasks are in detail:

Spread the knowledge of film history to the public through screenings, exhibitions, publications, and a public library on film.
Preserve and expand the archived film inventory, both qualitatively and quantitatively, including research and restoration. Continuous registration, cataloging and indexing of the film stock as well as the exhibits and the stock of still images (photos, posters).
Develop the structure, financing and objectives of a future Casa do Cinema do Porto ("House of Cinema in Porto ") and then implement it.
Ensure adequate housekeeping.

With this in mind, the Cinemateca organizes work shows and exhibitions, runs a public library, maintains scientific research projects and publishes thematic literature. With the activities of the Cinemateca Júnior in the Palácio Foz, aimed at children and young people, it promotes general education, film knowledge and a future audience. In their outsourced technical complex ANIM - Arquivo Nacional de Imagens em Movimento , all work steps are carried out from viewing, processing and restoration to backup transfers and storage. In the Cinemateca there are daily film screenings in two halls ("Sala Dr. Félix Ribeiro" with 227 seats and "Sala Luís de Pina" with 47 seats), a small projection room with changing, continuous free tickets, at ticket prices below the market price. Screening of films and outdoor shows in summer on the terrace of the house. There are accompanying texts for all performances.

financing

The state film subsidy ICA receives the income from a levy on cinema tickets and uses it to finance its budget. Since the adoption of Regulation 33/80 in 1980, 20% of this revenue goes to the Cinemateca . In the 1990s, with the approval of private television, the financing of the ICA was reorganized, an additional tax of 4% on television advertising income was levied in favor of the ICA. The Cinemateca was only indirectly affected, but new government plans now provide for a broadening of the ICA funding, which also changes the funding of the Cinemateca . For example, 3.2% of the tax rate of 4% will go to the ICA and 0.8% to the Cinemateca .

In addition to this main source of funding, their income is supplemented by a support association and proceeds from the sale of tickets, restaurants and the museum shop. In 2010 the official budget of the Cinemateca was 3,980,000 euros.