Challenges and Opportunities of the Digital Era for European Film Heritage

7 July 2010 – A report published today by the European Commission’s Information Society and Media Directorate General sounds the alarm over the survival of Europe’s film heritage. 80% of silent films are estimated to have been lost already but even new digital era films are at risk. Although the digital era provides new means of making and presenting films, it also imposes new challenges to the traditional ways of collecting and preserving films. Digital technologies are constantly evolving and what seems cutting-edge today may be obsolete in 2020 as cassette tapes or video recorders are already today. Film heritage institutions need to keep up, take up and advance new technologies to preserve Europe’s films.

The report and the press release are available here.