Moving Image Database for Access and Re-use of European Film Collections

The MIDAS project ran from 2006 to 2009 and aimed at simplifying the often complex, time consuming and costly process of locating films, which are dispersed across Europe. The pilot project was funded by the MEDIA Plus programme and carried out  by 18 film institutions under coordinated by the Deutsches Filminstitut – DIF. The result of the MIDAS project is the web gateway www.filmarchives-online.eu, which gives access to catalogue information of 18 film archives from 12 European countries.

filmarchives online provides free and easy access to moving image collections of film archives from all over Europe. Via the multi-lingual web gateway, film works can be searched for by content, filmographic data and physical characteristics. Search results provide information on the existence and location of the materials as well as contact details to facilitate access.

filmarchives online aims at user groups ranging from the area of scientific research to the professional media and film production domain. The database’s content focuses on non-fiction-material, i.e. documentary and educational film, newsreels, travelogues, commercial advertising, scientific, industrial, experimental, sports as well as animation films. Selected films have been digitised and are viewable online. In addition, numerous film stills and screenshots are presented in image galleries. Users interested in viewing, licensing, or obtaining a moving image item can get in touch with the archive holding the copy directly.

The project partners contribute extracts from their local archive databases directly to filmarchives online. Each participating institution continuously enriches, improves and supplements its data independently. To date, around 26,000 film works – mainly non-fiction material – are searchable via the portal in eight different languages (German, English, French, Italian, Czech, Greek, Lithuanian, and Norwegian).