National Film Archive: A treasure trove of Indian cinema
Landmarks — By Kadambari on September 19, 2011 at 11:41 AMOne of the largest archives of Asia, National Film Archive safeguards the rich heritage of Indian cinema. Established in 1964 as a media unit of the ministry of information and broadcasting, the archive went to become a big success in treasuring the classic movies.
A popular place among film lovers, the National film archive (NFAI) lets you peep in the world of cinema through its vast collection on movies and movie makers. The institute aims to preserve the heritage of national cinema, promote it abroad, to encourage research on cinema and also to conserve world films.
When it first began in 1964, it was located in the premises of Film Institute of India in small sheds and make shift vaults. Today the institute has grown and located at Jayakar bungalow on Law College road.
NFAI has a wide collection of material, which talks about every period of Indian cinema. Its library holds over 25000 books on world cinema and has over 100 periodicals on films published in different Indian languages. More than 25000 scripts received from the Central board of film certification are also stored here. These scripts are a valuable part of the archive as most of these films are untraceable.
You can also find several posters, film journals, photographs, records and audio tapes at the institute. It also collects award winning films and box office hits. With more path breaking and intellectual movies being made, the stock at the library just keeps increasing every year.
NFAI follows international film preservation standards and the films are stored in a controlled environment at a temperature of about 15 degree Celsius and at a humidity of 50%, which is normally required to store black and white films. Periodical checking of the films is also done to make sure they are not destroyed.
The archive often holds film festivals that let you enjoy world cinema. It also conducts yearly film appreciation courses. A must visit place especially for movie buffs; National Film Archive of India is truly a treasure trove of Indian cinema.
