The following letter from BFI Director Amanda Nevill was published in the Guardian on Saturday. The letters she refers to are posted below her own.
Film archive is the BFI's prioritySaturday June 16, 2007The Guardian Cy Young's letter (June 13), while it might be well-intentioned, is muddled and untrue. The BFI, like many national cultural institutions, is facing extreme financial challenges and we are going to have to be extremely creative to navigate through straitened times. However, as Cary Bazalgette correctly points out (Letters, June 13), the archive and collections (which include the library) are a central priority, both in terms of long-term care and access for the public. Among a number of initiatives designed to support this priority, we are in discussions for a more formal alignment with the education sector, which we are hoping will bring investment and thus additional benefit to users. Hopefully in the long run this would also lead to a much-improved physical environment for our valued library users. The notions that we would give away the library or depend on a commercial sponsorship to achieve this are fantastical and unfounded. Amanda Nevill Director, BFI | |
2 comments:
Amanda Nevill's letter is a classic -- she takes Cary Bazalgette's point about the archive and library out of context and completely ignores the wider issues. 'Hopefully in the long run' is hardly reassuring language for the BFI Director to use about one of the world's most valuable film education resources. The BFI certainly is in trouble.
If people are badly informed, whose fault is that? The BFI claims to value its members, but doesn't consult the people who actually use its services and facilities. With all the secrecy, it's no surprise that there's so much rumour.
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