David Tiley, ‘NFSA: finding a new blunt instrument in fight for heritage’, ArtsHub, 22 January 2015
The National Film and Sound Archive starts to redefine its wider cultural role, with a call for Expressions of Interest in the ARC Cinema.
After the turmoil of 2014, the National Film and Sound Archive has released a call for Expressions of Interest to work with the ARC Cinema, its exhibition crown jewels located in Canberra.
It wants outside parties to ‘to enter into a commercial arrangement with the NFSA, to develop and deliver a regular, dynamic screening program – or a range of programs – in the NFSA’s Arc cinema.’
That will stop veteran NFSA watchers in their tracks. Until the middle of last year, the ARC Cinema had a programmer, an assistant programmer, a technical director, in-house projectionists and full and part time staff for all the front of house roles. For cinephiles, it was a beloved institution – even CEO Michael Loebenstein acknowledges that ‘It’s a beautiful auditorium and one of the best cinemas I have seen in my archival travels. It stands for a commitment to film culture.’
