These are the letters published in the Guardian referred to by Amanda Nevill in her response above:
The heart is being ripped out of the British Film Institute
Wednesday June 13, 2007
The Guardian
While I share the concern of Professor Chanan and colleagues about the BFI's current difficulties (Letters, June 9), I feel their letter misses its target in two crucial respects. First, they present a list of BFI activities which appear to be equal in status and importance: while they are all vital, it must be understood that the essential core of the BFI is the National Film and Television Archive, probably the greatest archive of moving image media in the world. When the BFI was transformed into a funded appendage of the UK Film Council in 2001, the NFTVA became the only major national collection in the UK not directly accountable to government.
Opinions will differ as to whether or not the UK Film Council is as "philistine and commercially oriented" as Chanan & co claim, but the real issue is that having the BFI managed by a body whose central remit is to address the fortunes of the British film industry is a bit like having the British Library run by the Publishers' Association: they are simply quite different kinds of organisation. In these circumstances, the professors' demand for the BFI to organise open discussion and take cognisance of the opinions of its members and stakeholders is unlikely to be met. Surely it is the culture department that bears responsibility for the lack of debate about the cultural, educational and academic functions of this extraordinary and unique national treasure?
Cary Bazalgette
Former head of education, British Film Institute
Even if former BFI writers find other publishers for their work, they will always need somewhere to carry out their research, and there is no obvious reason why this should not continue to be done in the BFI library at 21 Stephen Street. But this is most unlikely to happen, since for several years the BFI has been looking for an excuse to close down Stephen Street (the building was a gift from film enthusiast J Paul Getty).
Strong rumours are circulating that, unless the BFI library finds sponsorship from a commercial partner during the next 18 months, this resource will be jettisoned because the BFI's new installation (studio cinema, exhibition gallery and mediatheque), known as BFI Southbank, cannot operate successfully - ie balance its books - without raiding the budgets of all other BFI activities. Hence the threatened disappearance of the library, with its holdings of books, magazines and ephemera passed to some university campus, and removed from the loving care of the dedicated BFI employees whose accumulated knowledge represents 50% of what this unique facility provides.
The heart is being ripped out of the British Film Institute to pursue the vain concept of the all-purpose Film Centre on the South Bank. It could be only a matter of months before the green light is given to piecemeal dismemberment of the BFI.
Cy Young
Freelance writer and researcher
The heart is being ripped out of the British Film Institute
Wednesday June 13, 2007
The Guardian
While I share the concern of Professor Chanan and colleagues about the BFI's current difficulties (Letters, June 9), I feel their letter misses its target in two crucial respects. First, they present a list of BFI activities which appear to be equal in status and importance: while they are all vital, it must be understood that the essential core of the BFI is the National Film and Television Archive, probably the greatest archive of moving image media in the world. When the BFI was transformed into a funded appendage of the UK Film Council in 2001, the NFTVA became the only major national collection in the UK not directly accountable to government.
Opinions will differ as to whether or not the UK Film Council is as "philistine and commercially oriented" as Chanan & co claim, but the real issue is that having the BFI managed by a body whose central remit is to address the fortunes of the British film industry is a bit like having the British Library run by the Publishers' Association: they are simply quite different kinds of organisation. In these circumstances, the professors' demand for the BFI to organise open discussion and take cognisance of the opinions of its members and stakeholders is unlikely to be met. Surely it is the culture department that bears responsibility for the lack of debate about the cultural, educational and academic functions of this extraordinary and unique national treasure?
Cary Bazalgette
Former head of education, British Film Institute
Even if former BFI writers find other publishers for their work, they will always need somewhere to carry out their research, and there is no obvious reason why this should not continue to be done in the BFI library at 21 Stephen Street. But this is most unlikely to happen, since for several years the BFI has been looking for an excuse to close down Stephen Street (the building was a gift from film enthusiast J Paul Getty).
Strong rumours are circulating that, unless the BFI library finds sponsorship from a commercial partner during the next 18 months, this resource will be jettisoned because the BFI's new installation (studio cinema, exhibition gallery and mediatheque), known as BFI Southbank, cannot operate successfully - ie balance its books - without raiding the budgets of all other BFI activities. Hence the threatened disappearance of the library, with its holdings of books, magazines and ephemera passed to some university campus, and removed from the loving care of the dedicated BFI employees whose accumulated knowledge represents 50% of what this unique facility provides.
The heart is being ripped out of the British Film Institute to pursue the vain concept of the all-purpose Film Centre on the South Bank. It could be only a matter of months before the green light is given to piecemeal dismemberment of the BFI.
Cy Young
Freelance writer and researcher
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